Special posting - Amanda in Zanzibar

Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

OK - this one isn't about me but I got this email today and I felt I had to share it with all my avid readers. Amanda Furst was a VSO volunteer here in Rwanda - unfortunately, I only got to know her just before she left which is a real pity as she is a really wonderful person, with the most beautifully braided hair I have ever seen (I know that's an ephemeral detail ... but it was really gorgoeus!). We were all a bit jealous actually as she was heading off to Zanzibar to start another placement and anyone here who has been to Zanzibar really loved it. However, things didn't turn out quite the way Amanda probably hoped they would (Alfred: look out for the bit with the Russian doctor - absolutely PRICLESS!)


Feb 27
This email I wrote in the hospital but just got around to sending it now.. hence slightly out dated..

Feb 20
Better than airmiles....

3 pairs of braces- 8000$ = 300 airmiles
3000L of gas- 3500$ = 170 airmiles
4 years worth of groceries- 8900$ = 700 airmiles

and all that won't even fly you to Regina.

HOWEVER
3 days of explosive headache
3 buckets of vomit (2 with blood)
fever and a cough

and that can score you a FREE ROUNDTRIP CHARTERED flight to Nairobi, Kenya!!

Now, that my friend is better than AIR MILES!!!

So, that's where I'm at. I said I'd try to up the excitement for the next email but even I couldn't have predicted this much excitement. It puts hitching a ride on a donkey to shame!!

So, you know that boyfriend you love to bits and he could care less about you... well thats certainly Me and Tanzania. I absolutely LOVE Tanzania. I'm not sure why but I do and yet for all my efforts, it just keeps crapping on my again and again and again!!

I'm everyone still remember the '05 Tanzanian adventures which of course included the bush buck, the ameobes, the dropping off the stretcher, as well as being fried (Alfred: I think she means 'fired') from volunteering with refugees, illegally being in the country, having no insurance and the lesser excitement of being robbed while brushing my teeth and standing on a bus for 20 hours.

Since this first extended adventure to Tanzania, I've returned for a few visits and somehow always managed to sneak away before anything too serious happened. However, this time, I guess I over stayed my welcome and before I knew, Tanzania was crapping all over me (well, I was crapping it... but it won in the end!)

This 2009 adventure is far less “Simpson” like and not nearly as entertaining but I'll see what I can do.

As I explained in the second last email, I sold my soul to the development devil and here is the price I paid for doing so.

So, after 1 week in Zanzibar, I got a cold. Not out of the ordinary for this time of the year in Winnipeg, but I'm in Zanzibar with +45C heat. So, it was a little strange. I fought with the cold (can it be called a cold when it's hot???) for 1.5 weeks. (in the week and a half I also managed a slight.. very slight allergic reaction.. just to add to the the fun!! shhh don't tell my parents!) So, the flu/cold/cough/sore throat eventually got a bit better. But just as that happened I start coming down with a fever and a headache. Being the responsible lady I am, I decided to get checked for malaria. So, I go into the Doc's office. He sends me for the test.. EXCEPT the tester is out praying.. too funny! The clinic is FULL of people and the one and only tester dude slipped out for a quick prayer. I always thought GOD wanted us to help others first.. maybe Allah is different? I dunno. He finally came back 20 minutes later and did my test. I showed the results to the doc and he just sat there and laughed. Literally, looked at the paper and chuckled to himself. I guess he found humour in his medical system which is completely incapable of actually showing a disease. He simply said my blood work showed a sign of an infection but n indication as the where the little bugger was actually hiding out. Not overly helpful! So, he handed me the standard prescription: dewormer, PAIN-O-TAB, malaria pills. What else can you do??? So I went to the pharmacy but in the end could only afford half of the medication. The total, 17$ was too rich for my blood. So, I took the dewormer, half the pain-o-tabs and left the malaria for the next day. SO\o, the poor white girl headed home with some friends, who had a great laugh over the fact that I couldn't pay for my meds. So much for the rich white stereotype!!!

So, I suffered through Sunday night and by midnight the pain won out! I made it til 530am when finally I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. My head felt like it might actually pop open and like those can-of-worms prank things.. my brains would just splatter everywhere! I got my mama to take me to the hospital and I was admitted instantly. No waiting for the prayer guy this time!!

They hooked me on a drip and shot me in the bum! It was great! However, the pain still was near unbearable. I managed to vomit a few times and even added some blood. Apparently there are standards when it comes to vomiting blood. I was always foolishly under the impression that blood in vomit = bad. Apparently it depends on how MUCH blood.
Few drops= good
few streaks = alright
gushing fire hose of blood= BAD
Apparently my few streaks was unimpressive. I however, thought it was quite impressive as it was the first time I managed to vomit blood. Guess I better try harder next time if I aim to impress.

Anyways, 3 drips and 2 shots later, I was feeling better and decided to go as oppose to tough it out on the memoirs of foam mattress and the room full of mosquito and sick people. I left around 7pm and by 4am I was back where I started. Can't blame a girl for trying. :)
So, at 4am I was once again admitted to the hospital with sever fever and headache. Docs came and went and one lovely Russian graced me with this conversation

Russian Doc: is that your hair?
Me: half, the other half I bought
RD: Why you do that? It not beautiful
Me: it's easy
RD: I no like it
If that's not a spirit booster I don't know what is!!
Then she came back
RD: What you do here?
Me: I volunteer
RD: Why you do that?
Me: Because I want to help people (I really wasn't in the mod to get into anything to deep..)
RD: So you rich?
Me: HA! Not at all
RD: What is email. WE be friends. I invite you to homeland Russian.

You think I joke but it totally happened! My boss was there as a witness!!

Anyways, things didn't get my better. They concluded it was acute malaria and after 100 phone calls, my AMAZING insurance company decided I needed better care and MED EVACED me to Nairobi, Kenya. Better than airmiles I tell you!! My OWN PLANE!! A bed, 2 attendings! No snacks, but I really wasn't in the the mood anyways! So they took me to Nairobi Wednesday morning, but fortunately by this time I was starting to feel a litter better. It was good because we had wicked TRUBULENCE on the flight. WE were all over the place!

In Nairobi, I was taken to the SWEETEST 5 STAR hospital I have ever seen!!! I instantly had 5 nurses attending to me and me alone! And then a doctor! It was incredible. They did tests! LOTS of tests!! and then they put me in my own room with a TV, 5 seater couch, desk , chairs, full bathroom, FRIDGE, and balcony!! TAKE THAT AIRMILES!!

And that's where I am now. It's Friday and I arrived Wednesday morning. They've ruled out malaria but think it might be viral meningitis (apparently that's the “GOOD” kind.. or the kind you want to get..) They hooked me up with heavy duty pain killers and I now know why I've never done drugs!! I TRIPPED OUT!! I was hallucinating like CRAZY!! People were coming and going in and out of my room, little girls in purple tops with flowers, polar bears, oranges... everything! It was the freakiest trip I have even been on. I wasn't asleep so it wasn't dreaming but I constantly had to remind myself that it was not real... What made it worse is that they gave me an MRI right after they shot me up. The doc put me on the bed and pushed me in and said don't move. This will only take 30 minutes. HA!! I started sweating and shaking and then loud gunshots go off all around you. I started MAJORLY tripping out! I can't even describe the experience but my arms and head were floating everywhere and I just had to keep telling myself not to move (even tho I wasn't it was just my imagination). And then I gt nauseas and thought I was going to vomit in the tunnel. I started yelling out at the doc to let me out... but he didn't hear me and the noises continued. It was the longest 30 mins of my life!! He finally took me out and then sent me back in for another 3 minutes.
NEVER will I do drugs!

After the MRI, they did a spinal tap. They go into your spinal cord and remove some fluid. Apparently that did the trick. It released some pressure on my head and helped the headaches. I've stopped the painkillers now and am just dealing with daily fevers. Not too shabby! I feel like a millions bucks even if I only look like a buck fifty.

They're keeping me here a while longer just for fun! Which I'm ok with as there is a menu for every meal... and lots of ICE CREAM and wonderful deserts, soup, meat, bread, cheese, and fresh juice!! It's a hard life but someone has to do it!! Eat your heart out Air Miles... I chose med evac!!

So, that was 1 week ago.

I'm out on my own now. Waiting patiently for the go ahead from my doctor to return to Zanzibar. It's been a week and a half and hopefully on Tuesday, I will be cleared to fly. Until then I'm spending my days sleeping and trying to find the energy to roll out of bed and pull myself away from the 24 hour movie channel. I won't even begin to list the movies I've watched since arriving last Wednesday!!! It's too many to count.

I hope everyone is well. Thanks for the emails!!

Take care!
AmazingAmandainKenya
(does anyone else find it hilarious that it spells AAIK... like ache!!! too funny)
peace out