Almost a parasite!

Last week, I got really sick. I've been sick a lot since I've been here so I didn't really think much of it. The first day I had a fever and probably 14 hours. I felt dizzy and almost threw up in class. The second day, I did throw up in class (only a little though) and ended up going home early (the only class I really missed was P.E. since I only teach 1 class after lunch). I went to the doctor at 2 in the afternoon and waited over an hour to be seen, even after having an appointment. I had asked for a translator but since all the teachers are at school until at least 2:20, our director couldn't find one. So I wrote down all the symptoms I had (and it was a lonnnng list!) and managed to communicate enough with the doctor to get 3 drugs. At the end though, I had know idea what I actually had, just that I had to buy a lot of drugs. The cost of the doctor's visit was 150 limps or about $7. Not bad, eh? But the drugs were almost 600 limps or about $30, which is a lot for here. It turns out I had an intestinal infection. Better than a parasite, but not great. I wasn't hungry for almost 2 days straight. The worst part was that the day after I went to the doctor was Comidas Typicas or a festival where the high school students make and sell typical Honduran food to raise money for their classes. They made huts out of poles and banana leaves and I wish I had been hungrier because the food was so good! I tried fresh lemonade, which was amazing, and tripe soup (I didn't actually try the tripe though), and rice with milk. All were delicious. I also took home a plate that is typical Honduran food. It had chunks of beef (yes, I actually eat some beef here!), plantains, vegetables, and rice. That night, all the teachers celebrated 2 birthdays-mine and another teacher's, who happens to have the same b-day as me! We made pizza, which was a welcome break from traditional Honduran food, but would have been better with pepperoni which is impossible to find here but you can get at some pizza delivery places. We also had some chocolate cake. One of teachers is a baker (for all you New Yorkers, she interned at Chanterelle last summer....) so we get good sweets when there is a festivity, which is a perk. :) And that was the first part of my birthday celebration.