Parasites Make the Heart Grow Fonder

To bring you all up to date, Aaron & I have been…

• Faithfully going to our internship every weekday (60 minutes of walking each day is rejuvenating!)
• Went to Guatemala City & visited FAFG (working with recovering bodies from the genocide) & the city dump
• Exploring numerous ruins in Antigua
• Enjoying fresh fruit smoothies & yummy piles of nachos
• Hanging out with our host family & attending numerous parades/processions

City Dump

Aaron at the San Francisco ruins.

Ruins!

Yum!

Now, back to the title of this blog. Parasites. Yep. On Monday, Aaron & I both work up early in the morning vomiting. Sorry for the bluntness. In basic terms, it was terrible. After about 4 hours of incessant vomiting and diarrhea Aaron finally felt better (no parasites for him!). But I could not even keep water down. I was so sick I was taken to the emergency room. The verdict: a parasite, an unfriendly bacterium, & severe dehydration. I spent the night in the hospital getting lots of fluids and medicines in the vein.

Now no worries, I am almost all better & it’s Wednesday. But during those hours I was really sick, I experienced an array of emotions. First anger, then sadness, then fear. I knew in the depths of my soul I would be alright, but I felt so bad. Finally after a few hours of sitting in a hospital I felt peace & understanding. Aaron stayed with me, curled up in a little chair all night waking at my every movement. He helped me more than words could ever express. Many Guatemalans face these very same problems on a daily basis and don’t have another person to take of them or can’t afford the excellent help I received. Malnutrition. $2 a day. These two epidemic issues alone cause thousands of Guatemalans to fall into serious illness.

All in all, this experience has taught me the true value of my family, friends, and humanity by reminding me of the fragility of the human body, mind, spirit, and soul. Who would have thought that parasites make the heart grow fonder? Little intestinal blessings in disguise, if you will.