Friday, July 26, 2013

Bean soup

Took some ibuprofen for the sore throat and went to the Breakfast Program.  As I got there I was kind of in a daze.  Eunice was watching for me and commented about it - usually I go straight in to say good morning to her, but I was wandering past.

I backtracked and went to say hello and she told me she had a present for me.  They were beautiful earrings, shiny grey, and made of seeds.  I loved them AND they matched perfectly with what I wore today.  I got a ton of compliments on the earrings.

I told Belinda I was surprised to be sick since I hadn't seen anyone else sick.  Boy was I wrong.  Gorge's baby sister, Genesis was sick.  She coughed her way through lunch as I spoon fed her.  Misael was sick too.  But he is pretty good at covering his mouth with is elbow!  Violet had a very runny nose.  Samuel and Gorge are coughing too.  Gorge said he has a sore throat.  Well, now I know why I'm sick.

Because this is her first week, Genesis cries every morning when her mother drops her off.  Then she is okay once she gets busy.  Today her mother came back while Genesis was eating.  Genesis stopped eating, started crying and ran for her mother.  Her mother immediately said Genesis didn't want to eat because she doesn't like onions.  I told her no, she had eaten 3/4 of her food eagerly until she saw her mother.  I tried to get her to eat the rest, but with her mother saying she doesn't eat onions, guess what?!?  Suddenly Genesis wouldn't eat.  Eventually I left as the Mom tried to spoon feed Gorge and Genesis, picking around the onions.

We had a delicious lunch.  It was bean soup, which didn't sound good at first, but it was so good!  And perfect for my cold.  Marlin and I sat and ate lunch together.  Her feet are so swollen they look like when you blow up a doctor's glove and it's a big round ball with the little fingers (or in Marlin's case, little toes) sticking out.  It looks really painful.  She said she was crying from the pain yesterday.  She has to go back to the Dr on the 2nd of August, which really means a Dr will do an exam that day and then she goes back on August 8th to get the results.  I hate seeing Marlin in so much pain!  Belinda says Marlin will be fine, but it worries me.  Although I never tell Marlin that.

Tonight was a prayer group at the church.  I wanted to go, but Belinda needed a ride home, so I figured I would drop her off and rest, then head back down.  Unfortunately, I fell asleep for three hours and woke up too late to go.

Tomorrow we are having a BBQ for the jovenes at the Sarmientos.  I am going early to help prepare the food.  I am happy that people are inviting me to help out with things like this.

I hope I feel better tomorrow.  Or at least discover some medicine that helps.  So far the stuff that normally works is not doing anything but making me super sleepy.

Spreading Germs

In the middle of the night I woke up with a sore throat and this morning as I have been up getting ready for the Breakfast Program, I realize I have a stuffy nose and swollen glands.  I was sick 2 days last week with that stupid stomach bug.  (Hahaha  I just realized I was very hesitant to write "stupid" because in Honduras it is a VERY bad word that nobody ever says.)  I don't want to be sick again today!

First of all I can't stand having people think I'm weak.  I also worry they might  think I'm lazy.  The mentality here is that you go to work or keep going about your business unless you are so sick that you can't get out of bed.  Then you go to the hospital.  There is no thought of resting to recuperate faster and nobody stays home to avoid spreading germs.  They think I'm crazy if I tell people not to greet me with a hug and kiss when I'm sick.

Many people take antibiotics every time they don't feel well and they encourage me to, too.  That drives me nuts because I don't want to take antibiotics for a flu and it drives others nuts because they think if I don't take the antibiotics I am not trying to help myself get better.  The worst part is they take the antibiotics for a couple of days and then stop as soon as they feel better.  Everything we learn about antibiotics in North America is down the tubes here.

(As a side note, I have learned after watching MANY people take chicken bones home to their dogs that dogs do not choke or die from eating chicken bones.  Personally I will not choose to feed my dog chicken bones, but the only way I've seen a dog die so far is being hit by a car.  The dogs here eat a lot of chicken bones.)

The thing I worry about most is that I work with a bunch of pregnant ladies and little kids who receive their only nutrients once a day at the Breakfast Program.  The Breakfast Program is not a good place to go if you are germy.

I'll go for a few hours and give less hugs than normal and try to come home early.  We have a special prayer meeting at the church tonight at 5 so I was planning on staying down there all day and attending the time of prayer.  I know it will be really special.  We'll see how long I last.