Peru Got the Best of Me

I missed posting last week because I became violently ill... Bienvenidos a Peru! What happened was that I started to feel quite tired and began having slight stomach pains thinking I just ate something my stomach didn't agree with. Going to bed early I woke up in the middle of the night having to run to the bathroom and throwing up in a bag I set next to my bed in anticipation of such illness. For the next 24 hours I was trying to sleep through the pain, which was convenient since I could manage a comfortable fetal position. Though I slept almost the whole day away every hour to two hours I was woken up by extreme stomach pains, having to go to the bathroom, and almost passing out on the way. I became dehydrated, was afraid to eat anything in fear of throwing it up or causing digestive pains.

I ended up calling my mother back home via FaceTime to have someone to sympathize with me. She reminded me of the antibiotics my doctor at FSU gave me for situations just like this and she also mentioned the Ayurvedic medicine I was given by my holistic doctor as well. I went with the holistic medicine and was much better within a day. This doesn't mean that I was 100% feeling better, but I was able to get up, shower, and eat an apple, my first food in about 36 hours. The day after I was still kind of dizzy, out of breath, and feeling faint, but I managed to make it down to la Plaza de Armas for Corpus Christi, a Catholic celebration of the saints and a feast.

I have been at my destination now for about two and a half weeks out of twelve and I am not too homesick or unable to cope with the changes. I keep a separate blog other than this one, documenting my everyday activities and other thoughts, check it out at Wanderlust In Her Eyes. I just experienced one of the other volunteers that had been here for six weeks go home and she really couldn't handle being away from her friends, family, or familiarity. It frustrated me that she was always on her computer, frequenting sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr. She never let herself go and succumb to the needs and culture of Cusco and just witnessing that made me want to be okay here for the whole three months.

Undoubtedly I have my moments like when I got sick where I would rather be in the comfort of my own home, with heat, comfort food, and easy access to medicine, but I also have my moments where I fall completely in love with Cusco over and over again. The partner that I am with. Healing House, is perfect for me and I am so grateful for the opportunities I am presented through it. I write so much more in my other blog because not all of it is appropriate for a university blog, but if you want to be thoroughly entertained, check it out! It also has more about how connected I feel to this organization and what I want to do in returning home in just under ten weeks.

Good vibes from Cusco! Ciao for now.