Woe is me!

Day 4 of being sick in bed. I have been quite ill with some sort of bug. Aches and pains all over, pounding head, sore throat, and sinus pressure. Talk about the ultimate sense of being miserable in hot weather. I began to convince myself that I had malaria since all the symptoms seemed right. But I continued to sleep, watch movies, read, and rewatch Dr. Who for the third time to keep me busy. I took a self-malaria test which was awful. You have to prick your finger with a pushpin-like thing and draw out blood. I couldn't do it to myself, so my friend did it for me. The test resulted with an error, which was really frustrating with all the effort we went through.

I decided to venture out yesterday because I started feeling a little bit better and was going insane in my room. Andrielle and I went to my internship where the director greeted me with, "Wow you look really pale!" Darn, I've been working on my tan too. I taught my classes, but I was so spaced out the entire time. It was at least nice to get out into the open and fresh air instead of wasting away in my room. I decided then that I should really go to the clinic and get checked out. The director, Lisette, offered to drive Andrielle and myself, which was really sweet. It's much easier than having to bargain for a bajaj ride. She drives a pick-up truk and was also giving rides to two other people, meaning Andrielle and I got to sit in the back! It was so much fun. It was weird to think how we were doing this in the middle of a city and nobody cared!

I had another blood test, which was far less painless than the self test. We then waited for about half an hour while they analyzed it. The best clinics and hospitals in town are only really affordable to ex-pats, which is very sad. I saw only one Tanzanian patient come through the lobby while I waited. All the women at the desk were Tanzanian and so were the lab technicians. My doctor, however, was Indian. He was very nice and quickly told me that it wasn't Malaria. He did however say that if what I have didn't go treated, the results could be just as bad. He said it was some sort of bacteria that was a really really bad flu that had taken over my system. I now have drugs and he scolded me for not coming to see him earlier.

On my way back I decided to stop at the mall to have dinner and catch a film. Molly joined me, which was lovely. I really wanted to watch "The Best, Exotic Marigold Hotel" which was an absolutely wonderful film and exactly what I needed. If you haven't heard of it, it's about a group of elderly British people who are all at points in their lives when they need a radical change. They all decide on moving to India where a new hotel for the "elderly and beautiful". When they arrive, they find  that their expectations were far too high. The hotel is not in working conditions and is run by a young Indian man (Dev Patel). It's the story of how each of their lives drastically changes by being in such a different place and experiencing new and wonderful things. Even though these people were in the Golden Age of their lives and English and in India, this movie was totally relevant to the things I've been feeling here. It was hilarious and also had a few of my favorite people in it, including Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, two of the most fabulous women in the world. I so want to be Maggie Smith when I grow old. I definitely recommend the movie to anyone.

When I came back to the room I passed out from exhaustion. I woke up today feel even worse because now I have icky clogged up everything: nose, ears, etc. It's miserable and I can't taste anything. Oh well, I guess a few more days in my room won't kill me and I have lovely friends who are taking care of me, including my room mate who wakes me up every morning with a cup of tea. She's delightful. I am blessed to have good friends and the access to medication. Hopefully I can kick this thing out soon!