I came to Africa and did the one think CeCe told me not to do...get Malaria! I spent all of last Friday with a sky high fever, nausea and vomiting, extreme join pain, chills, and a headache from Hell. I threw up twice on the side of the road along with having explosive diarrhea and resorted to pooping in plastic shopping bags once again. When I finally made it to Lusaka to receive medical treatment, my official diagnosis was Dysentery and Malaria, and as I laid in my hospital bed crying and too weak to move from all the pain I was in all I could think about was how much fun Abbie, Imani, and AJ are going to have in St. Kitts without me this Christmas break, and if I died right then and there, I just hoped that those ladies had an amazing time on my favorite island. But with all of the love and support from my friends and family back home and my girls down here in Southern Province with me who held my hand, rubbed my back, and told me countless time how much they loved me, I was discharged from the clinic on Saturday afternoon feeling a lot better thanks to a miracle drug the CDC has created for Malaria treatment and enough pain meds and antibiotics to cure all of Haiti from any Cholera crisis they may still be having. Malaria f**king sucks, but the treatment and services that I received in Lusaka were amazing and I am extremely thankful and blessed to have had such wonderful nurses and doctors.
Training is finally over with and after 11 weeks of intense language and technical skills acquired, 32 Peace Corps trainees swore in at the US Ambassadors house on October 7, 2011 as official volunteers. After much hard work and preparation, my village has finally completed my house and I am moving in today. I am so excited and as much as I enjoyed staying in the Provincial house in Choma with running water and electricity for the past week while my village finished work on my house, I am ready to move back into the village. It's funny how that works. When you are in the village, you can't wait to escape to the city, and when you are in the city, you can't wait to get back to the village. All I know is that I'm ready to make my new hut my new home and get back to work doing what I do best in the clinic.
The weather here is still Hot as Hell but according to every Zambian I have encountered, the rains will come on October 24, so that leaves me with less that a week to move into my hut and Malaria proof the Hell out of it. I'm praying that they hold off at least until early November but I highly doubt it. So despite how hot or wet it gets here from now until the end of my service in this country, I am wearing long sleeve pants and shirts with socks included and bug spray cause if I have to suffer another episode of that Satan virus, I may just surrender myself to the Heavens above.
Halloween is coming up and in attempts to continue to enjoy the traditions I grew up with, I am having a Halloween party in my hut. I am super excited, but of course really cautious, cause the last thing I need is my village to think that I am the American witchcraft worshiper who is thinking about bringing bad spells within the community. I sure as Hell don't need to deal with that but as always promised, I will keep you all updated on what end up happening. Now that I no longer live in the Lusaka area, I have a new mailing address for right now that all you wonderful people can have to send me holiday goodies if you please...or if you feel like sending me sports news since my best friend Rachel is slacking on her weekly updates of football scores, I would greatly appreciate that as well.
Nia Cheers/PCV
PO Box 630569
Choma, Zambia
As always, my internet time is running low and it is time for me to go back to the village. Until next time when I can update you all on my life out here in the bush...
Peace & Love,
Baby Cheers!!!
