Potentially Boring Read, Definitely TMI- *Warning Weird Medical Journey Coming Your Way- Sorry*

As a 25 year old American girl applying to the Peace Corps in 2014, many emotions, fears, and expectations began to take shape in my mind. Of these, medical concerns were certainly one of them, though no where near the top of my worry list. I had read stories of Volunteers contracting parasites, eating food that makes them sick, and of course the infamous line, 'your not a true peace corps volunteer until you poop in your pants'! Thankfully the latter has not happened yet (though a extremely close call would unfortunately be an understatement. Not even a close call- more like a near miss, as my dad used to say during the hair-pulling tumultuous year of learning to drive with my permit. Also, as PCV's are notorious for talking about the shape, consistency, and any and all details of poop, so I apologize for any information that is TMI. I will try and censor myself a bit, but you have been warned.

I prepared myself for the likelihood that in 27 months in-country, I would most likely get extremely ill once or twice. What I did not prepare myself for is a giant list of medical woes and two Medical Evacuations 'MedEvac.' For your amusement and to finally document this, the following is a list of my medical crap from the past year and 3 months of being in Belize. Please do not pity me or think that EVERY PCV experiences something similar to this. Many Volunteers barely get a cold during their 27 months, while others do have some pretty interesting medical tales. 

July 2015: Three weeks into Pre-service training I began having bad diarrhea. This went on for about 1 week before I suddenly began to feel REALLY bad. In the middle of Spanish class one day, I had a 101 degree temperature and began vomiting.  After speaking with Peace Corps, we agreed for me to take Tylenol and go lie down. Long story short, I got very dehydrated with over 15 episodes of diarrhea in one day, and my fever went up to 103. Peace Corps picked me up from the village that night and I spent the next 4 nights in a private hospital in Belize City. A stool sample determined I contracted that parasite Giardia. Reference July 2015 blog post for more detailed story.

November 2015: Bad reaction to food or water and 48 hours of misery

January 2016: Scabies! As my friend Michelle likes to say, "Scabies is it's own kind of fiery hell." This is definitely true. Imagine not being able to eat, sleep, work or anything because your body is so damn itchy. That was a fun two weeks.

February 2016: Dog Attack- This was definitely one of the worst experiences because of the mental and emotional after effects. Like any other normal day in the village I was walking to school when all of a sudden a GIANT (think the Sandlot...ok maybe not that big) dog and one smaller dog came running and growling at me. The big dog is usually chained up and somehow got loose and was clearly ready to exact revenge for her imprisonment. As they came showing teeth and growling towards me, I didn't have time to react so I just turned my back and screamed incredibly loud...loud enough for half the village to hear apparently. After being initially bitten three times (though thanks to adrenaline, I wasn't sure I was even bit until later), I came to my senses enough to open the umbrella I was carrying onto the dogs. Thankfully this spooked them enough to take off.  

The family came to apologize and even offered to take me to the hospital, but peace corps protocol is for us to come into the capital to be given shots. Later that day, someone even brought me a cupcake! We later found out that the dog was beginning labor. My CHW (and 2nd Mom in the village) loves to laugh and tell me I was the dog's Doula and helped with her pain!! haha. Even to this day, I am asked weekly if I was really attacked by a dog or people make a joke about it! haha. I think it took about 20 minutes for the whole village (450 people) to hear the story about the screaming gringa being attacked by a dog. Unfortunately, I still walk past this dog (now chained) every day. Every time, my heart beats a little faster as I take those twenty steps with the dog's bark obviously saying, 'I will get you next time, white girl'... 

March 2016:1st MedEvac! Since February I was having a pretty bad toothache. The tooth problem was due to a complication with a root canal.  After seeing the dentist a few times and consultation with the Peace Corps medical team in DC, they determined that the tooth needed to be pulled. 

MedEvac, or medical evacuation is when Peace Corps feels that our needs and level of care is beyond what can be provided in our country of service. Therefore every region has a 'hub' where volunteers are sent for medical care. For central and south america, Panama is the country volunteers are sent to. So off to Panama I went- with 2 days notice....

Little did I know that this would be a three part process- pulling the tooth, a surgical implant, and getting a crown. The pulling of the tooth was moderately traumatic (and had complications during the procedure), and I very quickly gained a great deal of appreciation for sedation during dental procedures and pain killers after. Thanks peace corps for the useless 'extra strength tylenol' given to me. Despite that, I felt very well taken care of by peace corps and the oral surgeon. The hospital was a branch of the Johns Hopkins Medical System. Unfortunately, during the recovery, the antibiotics combined with the anti-inflammatory caused a horrible stomach reaction. I was diagnosed with gastritis and had lasting effects from that for about a month.  The best part about the trip the three weeks in Panama was spending two of those with my mom! 

June 2016: As mentioned above, the tooth extraction procedure was a multi-step ordeal, which required an additional Medevac. Unfortunately that was not the only issue I was dealing with. Since around my time in Panama (3 months), I was dealing with HORRIBLE UTI (Urinary Track Infection) symptoms. However, test after test came back clean. They even did a urine culture and ultrasound, which showed no problems. Some days were better than others, but I was getting to my breaking point with being in constant pain and discomfort. With no infection present, no ideas of the problem, and with my inevitable 2nd dental procedure...Peace Corps decided to send me on my SECOND Medevac (which means I officially joined the super rare club of 2 Medevacs). I do not have enough appreciation and gratitude to give to Peace Corps for deciding to send me home for medical care and not back to Panama. Within 4 days of being home, my symptoms quickly dissipated, which  lead me to believe it was environmental (later confirmed when I went back to the village). Thankfully, I have figured out how to prevent the problem. Also, while I was home, I had the anticipated dental implant, which was a BREEZE compared to the extraction in Panama. 

October 2016: At the end of September, I started to present with a soar throat and slight nausea. I thought very little of this, ignored it, and took extra vitamin C to try and stay healthy. I knew cough and soar throat were going around the village, so I just thought great, now it's my turn. However, after 4 days with a soar throat, I was getting nervous because I was going on vacation two day later. While in the office on October 3rd, Jackie, our PCMO checked me out. My throat looked clear but I did have a low grade fever of 99.4. She gave me some psudefed and tylenol for the journey home. We both laughed at the 'comical' fact that ANOTHER thing was wrong with me. The next day, travel day, I began to have left side chest pains. I was also extremely anxious for many reasons, so I convinced myself I was just having a panic attack. Wednesday and Thursday, the chest pains got worse. On our way to a wedding, I didn't want to burden anyone so I didn't make a big deal of it. However, by Friday, stuck in Atlanta do to the hurricane and convinced I was in heart failure (slightly joking), I decided to finally go to the doctor. At an urgent care facility, they ran an EKG, chest x-ray, 12 different blood test, strep test, flu test, etc. Three hours later, I was told I have the bacteria- mycoplasma (walking pneumonia)! After returning to the village, I learned that we have had several cases of Malaria and Dengue Fever. As a pro-active response, Vector Control, came to the village to spray pesticides all over the village and inside the homes. This was less than 24 hours back in the village, and let me tell you- Pesticides and Walking pneumonia do NOT mix! Thankfully, I got out of the village really fast and am safe and sound in Orange Walk (nearby town). 

I am happy to say that my situation is rather unique. I am glad that the majority of PCV's stay very healthy during their service, with often just minor little hiccups. I have been extremely impressed by the quality of care from Peace Corps and appreciate all the support I've been given by our PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) in Belize. Thanks Jackie! 

One of the primary reasons I decided to join Peace Corps was because I knew it would be challenging. I like the idea of placing myself in challenging situations and seeing the self-growth and reflection that takes shape. Though, of course the appreciation is almost certainly after the fact of such stressful incidents. And trust me there have been many stressful, insane, and crazy incidents. Despite everything medical that I've gone through and the added stress and anxiety because of it, I am still smiling. I still feel that San Roman is my home, the only home I have right now in fact. The people there are my family. Of course there are good and bad days, but there is absolutely no where I would rather be. I look forward to the next year of my service and doing so with a smile on my face!

I am back!

Surprise, it’s me again! I am sure you and I are both tired of this same song and dance- me spending the first few sentences of my blog post apologizing for not posting since January, then proceeding to convince you of how I will improve, and then not improving at all. This time is different, no promises and no pleads of forgiveness…just hopes you enjoy a small (or rather large) update of my life!

The last many (MANY) months have been in classic Peace Corps fashion- a whirlwind! A true roller coaster ride of up’s, down’s, and all arounds!  Life has been…well life. I have settled into a routine here, have people in my life I truly love, and have been working hard on lots of projects. It is hard to believe I have been a Peace Corps Volunteer for over one year now and in Belize for 15 months!

Let’s start with the highlights of the past few months:

As many of you know, I went to Panama and to the US for medical reasons. Thankfully nothing too serious- dental surgery, but these long departures from Belize and from my village of San Roman have been a defining part of my service. Leaving for so long presents challenges of reintegration, inevitable stalling of projects, perceived vacation from community members, and culture shock many times over. Though these challenges are still not easy, I am glad to say that living abroad for the last four years has certainly helped prepare me for these transitions. Alright…onto the fun stuff. Aside from the not so fun medical stuff in Panama, I am so thankful for the two weeks spent with my Mama (shout out to the best Mom ever) who came to help take care of me in Panama. For my mom to drop everything, rearrange her schedule, and hop on a plane with three days’ notice, I am in awe and eternally grateful! We had so much fun- walking the beautiful Panama City- seeing the stark contrast between its two very distinct halves- old, beautiful, cultural and classic Casco Viejo and the metropolis with skyscrapers, casinos, and businesses. I’m sure you can guess which one I preferred… We enjoyed going to the fish market, hitting up the casino (we found our lucky machine), touring the Panama Canal (fascinating) and just spending time together. I was very impressed with Peace Corps level of medical care and am thankful for the support I was provided.

Returning back to Belize from Panama, I knew it was time to get back into work mode and thus we immediately went into one of the workshops Peace Corps provides to Volunteers and Counterparts. PDM (Project Design and Management), is provided to volunteers about six months after service begins, precisely the time we should start focusing on project development (first 3-6 months focus is on integrations, assessment, and relationship building). The information was incredibly useful and we had sessions on project design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects. Everyone came to the workshop with a project idea in mind, so it was really exciting to see what volunteers and counterparts plan on doing in their communities. It is always wonderful to see each other since we rarely get together as a whole group. It was great to hear stories, share and brainstorm challenges and project ideas. 

After returning to my community, we finished out the school year working with preschool, the school garden, teaching in the school, conducting childbirth education classes, and further integrating into the community. In June, we had preschool graduation, which was a LOT of organizing work, but so much fun! The children looked adorable, and it was very rewarding to see how far they have come in one year. I gave two speeches in Spanish, which was scary but really rewarding to realize how much more comfortable I've become with using another language! 

                                          Slideshow of our wonderful year of preschool!

                                                                                           

One of my favorite project in the village is a joint initiative by a teacher and me. We started a GLOW Club (Girls Leading Our World) at the school. It is a club for girls 10-13 and focuses on self-esteem, self-expression, leadership skills, and community service. This year, the girls want to focus on cleaning up San Roman. We plan to do village cleanups and making signs encouraging community members to not through trash in the river. GLOW is a Peace Corps initiative that began in 1995 in Romania. Many volunteers have GLOW and BRO (boys reaching out) clubs in Belize and the difference we see in children that participate is so rewarding! I am so thankful for my partner in this project- Ms. Shahira Lara, the Standard 6 teacher. She has become a good friend, and we share a joint vision for to try and empower these girls to become engaged, confident, and active citizens of Belize and to take leadership and pride for their village of San Roman. 

                                        

                                        

                              GLOW Girl's Vision/Inspiration Boards- Collages of their goals and dreams!

Our efforts to establish a community preschool have been moving forward as well. We have held several community meetings, formalized a preschool committee, and now have the Ministry of Education’s assistance in making this project come to life.  The need for this project cannot be expressed enough. San Roman consistently has low educational outcomes with very few children continuing their studies past primary school. One of the greatest challenges is the language barrier. When children enter Infant I, very few have any familiarity of English and have serious difficulties in reading, writing, and general communication. By offering Preschool, we hope children will gain English writing, speaking, and letter recognition skills, while also garnering essential developmental and social skills. We are entering the fundraising stage (stay tuned for my desperate pleas for assistance! Haha!). But right now, we have many plans- from selling food, conducting raffles, and 

distributing letters to local businesses requesting material donations.

This is already getting way too long (for those who have gotten this far…Thanks and I’m sorry!). As briefly mentioned, I went home to the US for 5 weeks this summer to finish part 2 of oral surgery. It was great to see everyone, but I quickly became homesick for Belize, San Roman, and village life. It was strange getting ‘used’ to the modern conveniences the US provides. Week one, I was humbled, amazed, and ‘freaked out’ at the ease of driving a car from point A to point B….no care about traffic…hell, loving traffic because it meant more AC and NPR. The strangeness and awesomeness of buying ANYTHING at wholefoods, Trader Joes (so exciting it’s now in Bham). It was a strange since of relief, enjoyment, and disgust at the over-consumption and excess that Americans (including myself) have become so accustomed to. The same things that propelled me to this adventure, had me yearning for back home. However, week by week, little by little, I slipped back into my American ways of discontent with traffic, standing in lines at grocery checkout, and being frustrated with myself for feeling this way! Needless to say, I had to get back. Day one back in the village, waking up way too early to the roosters, dogs, and radio blasting….I was happy. I was home. 

Though I was happy to be back in the village, I am very thankful for the time I got to spend with family at home. I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my cousins and aunt who moved to Israel, my sister, and lots of family and friends. I am extremely grateful I was home to see my Great Uncle Max, who is 91 years old, get honored for a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has created his legacy by sharing his horrors of the Holocaust with schools and communities in Alabama for the last 30 years. He is one of my personal heroes, and I am glad I was able to witness this wonderful achievement. 

Unle Max- receiving the William M. Miller Lifetime Achievement Award

             Spending time with my little cousins (Gia and Kayla) before their big move to Israel!

While home my mom and I marched along side our human family in the Black Live's Matter protest in downtown Birmingham. Was an amazing experience and right here in Birmingham- A dark history but with a diverse, passionate, and driven community ready to help make a difference.

The past 2 months of being back in Belize have been really great. Of course there have been challenges, both back at home and here in Belize (won't bore you with details). I have am in the process of learning how to be resilient. How to stay positive and grateful, despite really unfortunate situations and circumstances has been one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned (and continue to learn).  Beginning this school year has been great. We celebrated it UP, for the 21^st- Belize’s Independence Day, which in reality is a month long celebration! It was fun helping out for the school parade, celebrating in town with friends, and getting all dressed up.

School Parade

                                   

                                      Meeting up with PCV friends to celebrate in town!

We have been busy starting up projects at school, including the school garden (which turned to complete bush over the summer), GLOW- which the girls are SO excited for, and beginning a English campaign at school this year- ‘Speak Up, Speak Out, Speak English.’ It is a competition designed to encourage children to practice speaking, reading, and developing confidence around using the English language. We are also in the process of moving locations this year for preschool! The past few years, the community preschool was held in the clinic, which has no water, electricity, and a serious infestation of Ratbats. Needless to say, that was not a suitable or healthy learning environment for children. All of the fundraising efforts will go to building a classroom inside the already constructed community center. I am thankful to have a wonderful team of strong women who are ready to make this happen! I hope we can begin class by early November!

                                    

                                                           School Garden Project!

                                                   

                                                                 Harvest Time!

 'English Year' Campaign Kickoff poster!

My and my Community Health Worker's work with maternal health and women’s health has been really great and busy this year! We have had eight births in the village this year alone! It has provided wonderful opportunities to build relationships with women in the village and learn about the many cultural practices surrounding birth and maternal health in Belize. It is sad to see that nearly every one of these births ended up being a C-Section, and most without sufficient reasoning. The stories I hear of the women’s experiences and treatment in the hospital is really heartbreaking. However, it has encouraged me to provide as much compassion, support, and encouragement as possible.

One of my postnatal home visits! A bonus to helping women with breastfeeding and educating about postpartum/postnatal warning signs...holding adorable babies!

It is hard to believe that my first year as a Peace Corps Volunteer is already over! There have been so many first…Surviving my first and hopefully only dog attack, starting my women’s exercise group (and it failing), and trying to hone my Spanish skills, eating alligator (and ‘helping’ clean it), seeing and celebrating my Nephew’s Baptism, becoming comfortable teaching and giving presentations, and the list goes on! More than anything, I am most thankful and humbled by the wonderful friendships and connections I have made in San Roman. This community has welcomed me and I truly feel like I can call it home. Even though I will inevitably leave in one year, this place and these people will always be a part of who I am. 

So Thankful for my TWO families in San Roman! One is my host family above (including Blackie- the dog who follows me everywhere). My mom and Daisy, my sister, have been a huge support system in the village. 

Thankful for my next family- My CHW (Community Health Worker-top left)- From day one she took me into her family and they have all made me feel like a daughter and a sister. This picture was 

celebrating my birthday in May!

My sister Flory who has been a great sister and friend the last year!

Crocodile Meat Time! Thanks to my friend for cutting me 2 delicious pounds of fresh gator meat. Was not prepared when he asked me to help him clean it! haha. Quite the experience!

One of the worst parts about village life...unwelcome visitors (getting eaten by ants!)

Learning to make coconut oil with my friend and host niece- Flor- Best coconut oil right in Belize!

My favorite food in Belize- Serre/Hudut- A Garifuna Cuisine of snapper, mashed plantains, veggies, and local spices in a delicious coconut broth