Ready, Aim, Go

Yesterday we bid farewell to a Swedish student who’s been doing research in Agaro. It’s the first time I’ve really “gone out” at site. I’ve actually been on rehydration salts for a couple of days (we all know what that means), so I’m not sure it was the best idea. My Ethiopian friend assured me it was. (Alcohol kills bacteria, no?) Anyway, it was fun. We stayed out way past my bedtime. (That means midnight.) The entertainment: A game that reminded me of dropping clothes pins into jars as a kid. Bend a bottle top, try to drop it into an empty bottle. Believe it or not, it entertained for hours.

The verdict on bacteria… pretty sure they’re still alive in there. I foresee a non work-related visit to my health center very soon. It’s probably my least favorite thing to do here. Even worse than laundry. You get a cup, a toothpick and directions to a little room (think outhouse-sized) with a hole in the floor. There’s an overall lack of aim from previous guests, so I roll my pant legs up. I pray for cooperation from my digestive system, but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes I’m in this room for many minutes. These minutes feel like hours. When I finally have something to show, I get to strut through the clinic holding a cup of my own poo. Don’t forget, I also work at this health center. (If you think you’re having a bad day at work, now’s the time to cheer up.)

As you can guess, I usually wait several days before I go through this routine. Am I really sick? Maybe it will just go away. (It never does.) …Wish me luck.