Well, all I have to say is, adventures abound!
So Denise and I have set on to find a nice, safe place for us to live. The requirements include: a GUARD, tiled floors, hot water, a kitchen with a fridge, a and affordability. And we went to a place yesterday in a new development (that seems predominantly for Mzungus) called Kagugu. Which, every time I hear it, I think of The Police..."Ka gu gu gu..." But the house. Was. Awesome! And for a decent price. Everything was new, and clean, and beautiful! And SAFE! Key word! Denise is determined to get the place, which means we'll surely get it. It's a little far away from the town, but it's close to the school and a few stores I enjoy to visit. SO! Hopefully that means I'll have a new place to stay by the first of February.
So I've been pretty ill for a few days. I think the stress of being robbed, and all of the things that came before the robbery in the past month, has been a bit too much for my body. I think now my body is finally retaliating with nausea and a sour stomach. And stuff. For me, if I get nauseous at the smell of food, something is definitely wrong. So yesterday in a state of fear (do I have malaria?! or some kind of other terrifying, dangerous parasites?!), I resolved to go to the Belgian Embassy in town after work to seek the advice of their doctor on staff. It was interesting - I tried expressing my ails and pains in the best French I could muster at the moment, and he seemed to automatically dismiss the malaria account. But he did test me for pregnancy. Luckily, that's not an issue at the moment. So he decided that (just as I had thought!) my magnesium levels were depleted. He gave me some magnesium pills. And last night I am happy to report I slept like an absolute rock star.
So after seeing the doctor and feeling a bit queasy, I tried to get to my friend Jane's apartment for a little gathering. And I got on a moto and said, "Nyabogogo?" Now, I thought the apartment was actually in nearby Kacyiru, but I recalled that the bus I would get on would say Nyabogogo....but now I know that was definitely not the right answer. While the moto drove through town, though, I kept my eyes up, totally oblivious of the lower surroundings. I am always captivated here by the hills and the landscape that we pass by. And I was noticing that I'd never been in this area before, but aren't those hills just stunning?! And all of the shanty houses on the hills look close.....oh.....wait.... And it was about this time when I realized that I was, actually, in a shanty town area of the city. I looked down, and I was in a poor area of Kigali, and I was surrounded by a lot of shanties.
The moto tried to get me off of his moto, explaining, "This is the area!" I clung on onto the back of the moto, refusing to get off in the area. And after a few police guys coming over to figure out where I was going, the moto man relented and agreed to drive me to the area I wanted to go - indeed, Kacyiru.
I went to Jane's apartment for the party, but I felt so sick I didn't stay for very long. I got on a moto, clutching my stomach, and managed home.
Today I have mostly slept and read and slept and read and walked around a bit. I have been trying to let my body have the R&R that it is screaming at me about. It's not 100%, and I still am having some stomach problems that make me pretty uncomfortable. I'm hoping, though, that in a few days I'll be better. I don't have a fever, luckily, but ugh.
Tonight I'm eating saag paneer and rice while watching, "Starter for 10" with a few of the housemates in this house. The house has run out of water completely, including for toilets, showers, and faucets. And guess who has a fear of water scarcity? This girl. So I'll be at Jane's tomorrow, probably resting some more.
So Denise and I have set on to find a nice, safe place for us to live. The requirements include: a GUARD, tiled floors, hot water, a kitchen with a fridge, a and affordability. And we went to a place yesterday in a new development (that seems predominantly for Mzungus) called Kagugu. Which, every time I hear it, I think of The Police..."Ka gu gu gu..." But the house. Was. Awesome! And for a decent price. Everything was new, and clean, and beautiful! And SAFE! Key word! Denise is determined to get the place, which means we'll surely get it. It's a little far away from the town, but it's close to the school and a few stores I enjoy to visit. SO! Hopefully that means I'll have a new place to stay by the first of February.
So I've been pretty ill for a few days. I think the stress of being robbed, and all of the things that came before the robbery in the past month, has been a bit too much for my body. I think now my body is finally retaliating with nausea and a sour stomach. And stuff. For me, if I get nauseous at the smell of food, something is definitely wrong. So yesterday in a state of fear (do I have malaria?! or some kind of other terrifying, dangerous parasites?!), I resolved to go to the Belgian Embassy in town after work to seek the advice of their doctor on staff. It was interesting - I tried expressing my ails and pains in the best French I could muster at the moment, and he seemed to automatically dismiss the malaria account. But he did test me for pregnancy. Luckily, that's not an issue at the moment. So he decided that (just as I had thought!) my magnesium levels were depleted. He gave me some magnesium pills. And last night I am happy to report I slept like an absolute rock star.
So after seeing the doctor and feeling a bit queasy, I tried to get to my friend Jane's apartment for a little gathering. And I got on a moto and said, "Nyabogogo?" Now, I thought the apartment was actually in nearby Kacyiru, but I recalled that the bus I would get on would say Nyabogogo....but now I know that was definitely not the right answer. While the moto drove through town, though, I kept my eyes up, totally oblivious of the lower surroundings. I am always captivated here by the hills and the landscape that we pass by. And I was noticing that I'd never been in this area before, but aren't those hills just stunning?! And all of the shanty houses on the hills look close.....oh.....wait.... And it was about this time when I realized that I was, actually, in a shanty town area of the city. I looked down, and I was in a poor area of Kigali, and I was surrounded by a lot of shanties.
The moto tried to get me off of his moto, explaining, "This is the area!" I clung on onto the back of the moto, refusing to get off in the area. And after a few police guys coming over to figure out where I was going, the moto man relented and agreed to drive me to the area I wanted to go - indeed, Kacyiru.
I went to Jane's apartment for the party, but I felt so sick I didn't stay for very long. I got on a moto, clutching my stomach, and managed home.
Today I have mostly slept and read and slept and read and walked around a bit. I have been trying to let my body have the R&R that it is screaming at me about. It's not 100%, and I still am having some stomach problems that make me pretty uncomfortable. I'm hoping, though, that in a few days I'll be better. I don't have a fever, luckily, but ugh.
Tonight I'm eating saag paneer and rice while watching, "Starter for 10" with a few of the housemates in this house. The house has run out of water completely, including for toilets, showers, and faucets. And guess who has a fear of water scarcity? This girl. So I'll be at Jane's tomorrow, probably resting some more.
2 comments:
Are you still sleeping at the school? I'm sorry you have been feeling so crappy, but I'm glad you sought out a doctor. The new place you & Denise found sounds great!
I'm a little under the weather, too, if misery likes company.
Be safe!
Mom
I've been wondering about your diet and I'm sure there are tons of cool things to eat but wonder about the transition period for your body to digest these new "flavors" and as I recall you had some food sensitivities like me. I thought of purchasing a food care package and shipping it to you but didn't know where to send it. Can you purchase food off the internet and have it delivered where you are?
I am fond of my pepto bismal bottle. LOL. :-)
Tammy
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