This scentence could be used to describe a lot of things about the Peace Corps, but I am thinking of a particular expirence. When we got back from site visit I discovered a small but significant swelling in my lower left eyelid, it didn’t really hurt and there are not a lot of mirrors in Anjozoro so it could have been there for a while and I didn’t notice. After many hours standing in the one place in Anjozoro that gets cell phone reception with my right foot on a fence and my left arm in the air I finally got a hold of the doc and they told me to come back into town to see an eye doc. So it was back in the jeep with my pal Faby (one of the PC drivers and a truly amazing person) and back out on what is rumored to be the most dangerouse road in Africa, not b/c it is a poor quality road but b/c it is a good road and people drive like maniacs on it. (More about the roads later)
It was determined that I had a blocked gland and it needed to be lanced. I am not really sure how to describe the expirence in words. Other than to say that if you had given me the option between giving up my 1st born and having my eye lid sliced open in a Malagasy hospital I would have chosen the 1st option. Now I can talk about the expirence in a calm and mostly rational manner, but during the procedure, well that is another story. I think surgery is scary in any situation but when it is in your eye and you have to watch the entire thing, and you can’t really communicate with the docter and there are flies on the operating room, then it is truly a life changing expirence.
I am on the mend now though, so no worrying aloud, and a stronger person for it. Though I must say I am a little disapointed, I don’t really have anything to show for all the mental anguish, not a black eye or anything. Though I did get to have a wonderful pireatesc eye patch for a day. I just wanted to let everyone know what is going on, incase there were any rumors flying around.
We are on our way to Sakay, a town a bit out side of Tana (don’t ask me exactly where, we don’t have much in the way of maps around here), to learn about rice farming and what we can do to help Malagasy farmers improve their yields, then back to Anjozoro until the end of April when we meet the Director of PC worldwide, take our final language test and swear in as real PCVs. Until then
My guess is that you will have a few more. Glad to hear you sounding better then when we talked after the “event”. Great updates by the way. Thanks Alice for enabling the comment section, and Joe for hosting this blog, it’s great to have a chance to share in Amie’s Adventures!
Greetings, my li’l pumpkin! What a harrowing experience! I think I could adjust to any of the lifestyle changes accompanying a move to a different country, but a situation involving surgery…that’s a different story. Glad to hear everything turned out okay - you’re a trooper.
I want to send a care package. What is one thing you miss most, is unperishable, and has a low likelihood of being stolen when processed in country?
Happy Easter!
P.S. I hadn’t read your blog for quite some time; your postings are well-written and evocative. If you decide human rights isn’t your field, you have a bright future in travel reporting…
Miss you!