Last Friday, Aria and I woke up feeling kind of blah but, it wasn't enough to set us back at all. We went to the orphanage and had one of the most amazing days. The kids were insanely hyper and we had to muster all the energy we had just to keep up with them. But it got down to music time and the cutest thing happened. It started to rain as we were trying to come up with a good song to sing (we know a lot of rain songs). Aria started singing "Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music and the kids just sat and watched. After I joined in and we finished the song, it was only natural to start in with "Doe, a dear, a female dear." Now the kids practically had their faces propped up by their hands and were watching in amazement. They periodically chimed in with Re! Me! Fa! at the appropriate times. I was laughing on the inside wishing that our camera had not just died only 20min earlier because, as Aria later put it "Our lives are seriously a mixture of Sound of Music and The King and I".
And that's not all. By the time class was over, it was raining too hard to bike home so we got to stay and play with the kids a bit more. Then came the frog, instinctively when little animals come around my inner child comes out and I have to play with it (much like wanting to cuddle with the monkey). I asked Aria to catch it for me so I wouldn't have to go out into the rain but to no avail, before I knew it I was out there chasing the frog. Some of the kids ran out to and we had a blast! Aria and I got pulled under and waterfall falling from the roof and got drenched! Then it was on! We danced out in the rain as the water fight raged on around us, mostly pointed at us. Sadly none of that was caught on camera either.
Our bike ride home was great without having to worry about staying dry. I've never been more thankful for hot showers though. We washed up and took Airborne right away but... we still got sick.
The next day we thankfully had enough energy to take a moto ride with Sunny and her "brother" (He told me they were family, Yaya said he is like family... and I'm confused) to the market (we were completely out of food). But we were out like a light as soon as we got home.
The kids were throwing a going away party for Natalie that night because her flight was leaving on Monday. It was so. much. fun! We ate pho (soup), the kids danced a few traditional Khmer dances for us (they are seriously so talented), and we partied it up. We danced to a lot of Bieber and One Direction and had a BLAST! We taught them the Cotton-Eyed Joe and they tried to teach us a line dance of their own, I could not pick it up for the life of me. Our stomachs were thankfully able to handle all the jumping, dancing, and fist pumping but by the end of the night I was about done in.
Then next day my stomach pains moved all the way up to right below my ribs as well as my lower abdomen. I, being privy to stomach problems my whole life, had never actually felt this kind of pain before. Needless to say, I was worried and, it was even more of a bummer when Aria and Natalie got to go to church with the kids and I couldn't even move from the bed. I laid in the same position all day, hoping that my minimal movement would make the pain go away.
I figured that maybe it was all caused by my body finally adjusting to the food, but I had been eating it for 2 weeks already. So Natalie put me on a strict diet of no more Khmer food, only fruits and veggies I can peel, and bread. Sad, but I was ok with that.
Monday morning she woke me up early saying that she couldn't sleep the night before (I couldn't much either) and she had a feeling that I should go to the hospital as soon as possible. I know enough to go along with feelings or impressions so Yaya took me right away.
We went to a Khmer hospital, therefore I didn't know a single word the doctors were saying but just went right along with it. They took my temperature, blood pressure, gave me a shot in my bum (great first experience) and took me to a room where I would be hooked up to an IV. So a little fact about me, I'm really not a needle fan... I doubt many people are, but being tired and quite frightened, I weeped like a baby. Yes, I'm not afraid to admit it. The nurse put the IV in my hand, wiggled it around quite a bit, took it out and stuck me again. All the while my other hand is cutting off the circulation in Yaya's as she was wiping my stream of tears. Not a proud moment for me.
As I lay there after, trying to gain my composure, Yaya looked over at me and said... "I think Jesus cried when they..." she stopped, not knowing how to explain in English, but motioned her index finger to her palm. I just nodded and said "I think he did too." I realized at that moment that she was completely right. Not only has Jesus felt the pain I was feeling, but he was able to handle ten billion times more. And I knew that I could too. So, I decided to keep truckin'.
Here's something cool about Cambodia... they take their IV's home with them. So, I quickly found two little bags of random colored pills thrust into my purse, the instruction not to eat anything but rice (most definitely not bread), and me shoved into the car, my IV-hand resting on the seat beside me as the other one held the fluid filled bag above my head. Yaya said that other CICFO (orphanage) volunteers have had to go to the hospital but none had to take an IV home with them, so I was special. I sure felt special.
(As you can see, I was overjoyed)
The mystery pills did wonders but wore off quickly, and I ended up having to keep the IV in me for a full 6 1/2 very uncomfortable hours. The next day I didn't feel any better so I found myself experiencing deja vu minus the IV, thank goodness. I got more mystery miracle pills to last me a day, and the instruction to now only eat rice and bread, no fruits or sweets.
The next day I was still painfully ill, my resolve to continue was slowly fading, and I was just plain grumpy. I didn't know what I could or couldn't eat, not that I had much of an appetite anyways, and I felt like the doctors were guessing just about as much as I was. So, I decided I wasn't going back. Yaya and Sunny wouldn't take no for an answer so we compromised by deciding to take me to the international hospital further away.
Friends and family had encouraged me to get a blessing to really figure out what I need to do. Wether it be to have faith and stick it out a bit longer, or fly home and get medical help there. After all, I wasn't being much help to our project anyways. Aria, being the absolute champ she is, had completely taken over every aspect of teaching the kids for an entire week as I lay in bed day after day. So, feeling lost and completely useless, I agreed that a blessing sounded like a great idea.
Aria and I ran into a missionaries about a week earlier who were super happy to talk with us, and I found they were more than willing to help me out. It was one of the sweetest blessings I had ever received. I left knowing the Heavenly Father really is mindful of the struggles I was going through and that there was something I needed to learn from this experience. Wether it be to trust more in Him or that I needed to gain a greater compassion for the kids and the even harder struggles they have been through.
Things at the hospital started looking up as well when I found out that my doctor was this funny French guy who laughed and joked the whole time. The humor kinda made me forget about how sick I was feeling. He asked about the previous hospital I had been to. When I told him that I had no clue what they had given me as medication, he was surprised, and wrote in his notes "Went to bogus hospital." Although I do agree somewhat, I commend them on their mystery miracle pills.
That night I came home feeling so much better, emotionally and physically. I hoped that I was finally on the homestretch. After two days of testing we found out that I most likely have Gastroenteritis, which according to wikipedia is...
a medical condition characterized by inflammation ("-itis") of the gastrointestinal tract that involves both the stomach ("gastro"-) and the small intestine ("entero"-), resulting in some combination of diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain and cramping
(TMI...I know)
and...
Transmission may occur due to consumption of improperly prepared foods or contaminated water or via close contact with individuals who are infectious.
and I can get rid of it through...
adequate hydration. For mild or moderate cases, this can typically be achieved via oral rehydration solution. For more severe cases, intravenous fluids may be needed (That darn IV probably was actually a good idea)
and...
Gastroenteritis primarily affects children and those in the developing world. (That's me... minus the child part)
Cool. So that's that I guess.
I felt almost back to normal all of yesterday, which was oh so wonderful.
But by the time I settled in for bed watching the 4th Fast and Furious (Yes, we had a marathon... don't judge) the pain came back and hasn't left.
Through all of this, I know that it is all happening for a reason, and that I just need to hang tight just a bit longer. Heavenly Father wont leave me stranded.
Before I left, my friend Yao (love that kid to death) gave me a book entitled The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield, in the front of the book he wrote: "I thought you might have some time in life in Cambodia, when you're feeling discouraged, lonely, or whatever it may be, I want you to read this book (and sleep :))". He is truly inspired, Yao is. So, I took his advice and read quite a bit this past week. As I was reading, I came across this quote which it has made all the difference.
"You weren't an accident. You weren't mass produced. You aren't an assembly line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the Earth by the Master Craftsman."
Max Lucado
First I was thinking about myself (it was under the chapter Believe in Yourself) and how I was created, with the struggles I would have to go though, in the Creator's mind. He will never give me anything that I am not able to handle.
Then my mind turned to the kids, the whole reason I am here. They were placed in their family situations, and in the orphanage, and in my life for a reason. Heavenly Father has a plan for them as well and right now I am meant to be a part of it.
So, with that resolve, I am going to have faith, I am going to keep going, I am going to look for the positives, and I am going to fulfill my purpose here, so that the kids may fulfill theirs.
No comments:
Post a Comment