The iPod Saga

I came here with an old 80gb iPod, lost that one on a daladala, I don't think it was stolen, I think I just missed my bag when I went to put it away. So, my family mailed me an old 4gb that was lying around. Not the greatest, the screen light was broken, but it worked, and that's all I need. So then that one was stolen right out of my bedroom at the hostel. I've just received iPod #3 in a package from home. Now to a 2gb shuffle. It is kind of annoying that you can't choose what to listen to, but it is forcing me to listen to something other than Bongo Flava (Tanzanian pop) and Ray Lamontagne, so I'm actually liking it. I changed my schedule at Amani so that I teach Tues/Weds/Thurs (Monday is meeting day) and now on Friday I have designated time to listen to music with the kids. They were so happy to have an iPod back, more were dancing last Friday than I've ever seen. There are some crazy dancers at Amani, it's always hilarious.

Next week I'm taking a couple kids on a field trip into town! They're being rewarded for specific things in music club like recorder, dancing, and reading rhythm. We're going to a local church where they'll be able to try out an electric guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, and drum set. Then I think we're going to a park in town to have lunch and play on the playground, I'm thinking of getting ice cream as well. So this is where some of the donation money is going to (the rest went to buying instruments).

We had some kids return to Amani this week! Michael, who was here for two weeks about a month ago then ran away. He's very smart and speaks a bit of English. I hope he stays because he's friends with a little guy at Amani who has HIV, who gets teased and beat up a lot. He told me last Monday that he wants to run away because the other kids hit him, but then his friend Michael came back so hopefully that helps him. He's become very clingy towards me and is always by my side when he's not in class. His new medicine has had some side effects lately and he's been sick and feverish, sad to see.

This is Michael on a study tour in Arusha, before he ran away.

Next Saturday is the Amani picnic! We're all going to a lake near Arusha. I was put on the committee to plan the day, so that part is a bit stressful. It also happens that we're having a big party at the Hostel the night before, really bad timing. I'm just hoping to get through the picnic, with the help of red bull, and lots of water.

This weekend I went to Lake Chala, I've been there many times but this was the first time I used public transportation to get there...it was interesting, to say the least. The way there wasn't bad, I got in a minivan at the bus stand, packed full, non-stop to where I needed to go, which was an intersection about 15km from Chala. There I was supposed to meet my friend Tulo. I tried to call him but my phone for some reason wouldn't call and wouldn't allow me to answer calls. Eventually I was able to answer, but I was waiting there for a little bit. And it was super awkward. I was probably the only white person around for miles. I went to stand in the shade, someone brought me a stool over. So I'm sat there, and about 10ft away, too afraid to come any closer, were at least 20 kids, staring and giggling. One of them knew a little English and kept asking me for money. There was also a drunk guy, who was either mad at me or attempting to keep watch over me, I'm not really sure. Every single other person was staring at me from afar. Every once in awhile someone would come over and ask if I needed a ride, I at least know enough Swahili to say that my friend is coming. The way back to Moshi was even more interesting. I couldn't get a ride from Tulo this time, so we called a bodaboda (motorcycle taxi), who took a "short cut" on a foot path through a forest of thorn trees. They're not bushes here, they're trees. So that was terrifying, the whole time spent trying to see around his head so I knew when to dodge the thorns, did not like that at all. It was insane, I felt like I was in a movie. Once we got through the trees though we were on a wider path (a car with 4 wheel drive could take) going through fields, it's a very beautiful area of hills, and there were whole fields of sunflowers in bloom. Next was a really bad dirt road with everyone we drove past staring at me and/or yelling. This all took at least a half hour, until we got to the junction and the bus was right there, no wait at all. Unfortunately the bus was also packed, so I had to stand up for most of the ride, at least a half an hour. And by stand up I mean leaning awkwardly over a person in the seat beside me, standing more diagonally than perpendicular, leaning on a chair and holding on to the luggage rack, hoping not to fall on the child beside me. They pack more people in one bus than would ever be legal back home, and more than I would have thought physically possible, it's actually quite impressive. But I did get back just fine, with a couple scratches on my legs to show for it, but with enough daylight to walk back to the hostel, where a delicious dinner of makande (maize and beans) awaited me.

Hospital!

So now that I’m better I figure it’s OK to tell everyone what’s been going on recently. Starting Monday April 30^th I had a headache, body ache, and extreme fatigue. It lasted all week, the headache being the worst, and I missed a lot of work. If I wasn’t better by the following Monday I was going to the hospital.

Then, Saturday morning I woke up and thought I had a bruise on my right shin, but it was just a small red patch that felt like a bruise. It got a bit bigger throughout the day.

Sunday morning I woke up and it was huge, read and swollen, it looked like I had a second kneecap halfway down my shin. There were more red spots on my legs but at this point I couldn’t tell if they were just bug bites or not. They got worse very quickly and it soon became clear that there was something very wrong.

Everyone was going out for lunch but it hurt to walk so I took a bodaboda and met them there. By the end of lunch it was much worse. The spots were all over my legs and extremely painful. I could barely walk, when I stood up it was unbearably painful, but if I could get by that first step it was OK. I decided I’d see a doctor first thing in the morning. I couldn’t sleep that night because of the pain, so I got up to get a glass of water so I could take melatonin to help me sleep. Trying to stand up was horrendous. Next to the pain I felt when I woke up in the middle of surgery, this was the worst pain I’ve felt in my life. I tried to walk through it but I couldn’t balance on my right foot long enough to get my sandals on. Eventually I did, got my water, and got back to bed. Through the night I could feel that they were a little better, I could move around a bit more.

When I woke up on Monday my legs looked a lot better, and I wasn’t even sure if I needed a doctor. That is until I moved; the pain was still there, not nearly as bad though. The swelling seemed to go up the instant I started walking. I could walk much easier than the previous night, but I could not stand still without a lot of pain. The manager of the hostel took me to a local clinic, complete with a couple drops of blood on the floor in the waiting room. I’m not sure how long we were there, maybe 9am to at least 1pm. First I had to check in. sit and wait. get  weighed. sit and wait. see the doctor, place the order for blood work. sit and wait. have blood taken. sit and wait. see the doctor again. sit and wait. Then finally got my medicine and an injection.

First off they confused the two white people there and almost labled my blood as hers. You know, we all look the same. Then when they went to take blood they dropped the needle on the muddy floor. And still used it. Then they couldn’t find a good vein so they tied a rubber glove around my wrist and drew blood from the back of my hand. The first time I saw the doctor she was dumbfounded, didn’t seem to have a clue what was wrong with me.  I didn’t really get many details after she got the blood work, but pretty much everything in my blood was way too high, white blood cell count etc. The doctor said it’s cellulitis and the infection has spread to my blood. My guess is bacteria got under my skin from one of my very many mosquito bites, or I got it from a bug bite of some sort. The pain and swelling is localized to my legs so that’s a good sign, mostly my shins but it seems to be spreading. She gave me tablets to take for 10 days, cream to apply, and an injection.  I would have to come back the next two days for a check-up and more injections.

Tuesday I went back for a check-up and second injection. My legs felt a lot better in the morning so I just met with the doctor briefly, she said she’d do blood work tomorrow to see if there was any improvement. Then had the second injection. Then of course throughout the day they got worse and went right back to how they felt the day before, no improvement whatsoever.

So Wednesday I went back, the doctor saw me for all of two seconds, I didn’t even sit down and her office was filled with other people. I told her how they’d gotten worse the day before, and that it seemed to be spreading up one of my legs, and possibly on an arm (they look like mosquito bites in the beginning so you can’t tell). She told me to get my injection then come back later to see the dermatologist. She said in Swahili speaking to someone else that the dermatologist would be here “saa tisa” which would mean 3pm, but then she told me in English 2pm…so I waited around 5 hours and when I went back the doctor wasn’t there, turns out he/she comes every other week. They told me to see if the medicine works and come back next Wednesday. Awesome, so what do I do in the meantime? It looks like I’ve been hit in the legs over and over again by someone with a hockey stick.

By Thursday/Friday things were much better. I had been given some Azithromisen to take for three days, but a doctor friend of mine told me to take it longer. Here in Tanzania you just go to the “pharmacy” and say hey I need some antibiotics, OK, here you go. No prescription, no questions asked, so I got three more.

All that's left now, about a week later, is some reddish purple spots. I'm still taking antibiotics and using a cream, but pretty much back to normal!

This is Wednesday, but the picture doesn't do it justice at all.