It has been a few days since my original post and although I had started this same post on Friday the following events prevented it being competed and posted…
Friday May 30,2014
So it is my first full day in Brazil that involved no security, safety talks, or tiny seats! I woke up at about 0900 feeling much refreshed after my good night sleep. After getting ready for the day I set out to find food as my last meal had been lunch the day before. With an empty stomach I knew I needed to find… The church I would be going to tomorrow (I know I am so like my father!) So I proceeded to get directions where the owners wife kindly drew me a little map and informed me that this journey would not be a short one, but with nothing else to do but to explore I was ok with that! So I set out, my stomach would just have to wait (and wait it did!) Before I left I wanted to see if the beach I had seen pictures of was really as beautiful as the pictures of it were. I hiked up the dunes and looked over one of the most pristine beaches I had ever seen, there were few people, the water was clear and the sand soft. I walked down to the water and felt the coolness of it wash over my sandy feet. But my stomach soon reminded me I was on a mission so I turned around hiked back up and headed down the road. Let me tell you, she was not lying when she said it was not going to be a short journey! I walked till one road ended then I turned anddddd… walked till it ended I then made another turn and walked down that road tillllllllllll it ENDED, then I turned right and realized the house numbers were only growing and then I had to do it… What I had come here to do…. USE MY PORTUGUESE with a stranger no less so I mustered the courage, turned to a woman in her yard and said ” Licença! Minha portuguese è não bom, mas eu preciso ir a isso endereço! (translated that is “Excuse me! My Portuguese is not good but I need to go to this address!) whilst showing her where I was supposed to be. She then pointed me in the right direction and when I arrived at the church there was a group of men unloading some pews into the church. So I once again introed with the basics then I asked if this was the correct church, after some rough communication I learned it was, that they were in fact members of the church and were happy that I had found the church. After our conversation my stomach then returned to its original thought of food so I walked a little further and bought some groceries (that I forgot I would have to carry all the way back the Hostel!). When I realized that it would be an extremely long walk with these groceries I decided I would try the bus system, so I asked if the certain bus came this direction and I set down to wait and wait I did, for probably over an hour. After about 5 buses had passed by and none of them were mine I gave up, thinking I could have already been back by then! So I re-strapped my backpack and began the trek back. Sooooo…. I GOT LOST!!!!! Not only was I my mind tired from trying to navigate but my body was exhausted and I was fading fast because they last time I had eaten seemed like ages ago and it was now approaching 1400!
I spotted A woman pulling into her driveway and as she exited her car I asked once again for help. She looked at the address and her faced showed no recognition and then she informed me that she didn’t know where it was either, at that point I felt very lost! When she saw the utter disappointment in my eyes she kindly said that she could look it up on the computer for me and I thanked her. Around this time her husband came out, she explained and he said he would go and look. So we stayed and talked through her gate about myself and her. I learned that about 15 years ago she had lived in LA for a while to learn English but now most of what she new was gone and I told her about what I was studying and how I planned to move to Brazil when I was done with school. Her husband came back out and said that the address was actually fairly close and then she said she could drive me! I was ecstatic, I told her thank you and she drove me the 3 minutes to my hostel. I was finally back where unloaded my groceries, at some fruites, crackers and cheese relaxed in my bed for a bit and fell asleep at about 1800!
Sabbath May 31, 2014
During my sleep the night before I had awoken a few times with an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach but soon fell back asleep. I woke up at about 0700 to get ready and hopefully meet a bus that would take me close to the church. As I walked down the road I didn’t feel quite right but hoped the feeling would go away and I waited for the bus. I waited for a good 40 minutes and after such a long time I begin to doubt I was in the right place so I walked across the street and to inquire if the bus I needed came to that particular location and as the person began to respond the bus drove past! So I knew the next bus would not come for another hour so I hiked back to the hostel to see if the owner would be willing to take me, and he was. So I was off to church on the back of a motor bike in my dress! When I got to church I was warmly greeted by everyone and ushered to sit for Sabbath School, but it all started to go down hill from there. I began to feel overwhelmingly tired and my stomach began to revolt against me. I tried drinking some water, going to the bathroom and evening downing some horribly tasting nausea pills but to no avail! So at the end of Sabbath School I had made the decision that I would go outside to get some air and if that did not help I would have to find a bus back or walk back to the hostel. I went to the corridor and I nice woman asked if I was ok and I told her that I did not feel so well and I told her that I was probably going to have to go back to my hostel and then she did the nicest thing, she offered for me to come back to her house, she said she would take care of me and had some medicine that could probably help me. So we headed off to her house, which was rather interesting considering she nor the person driving understood or spoke english but when we arrived at her house I found out that her daughter actually spoke english quite well. They gave me some tea, some lemon medicine and offered for me to lie down, they also said that I really needed to eat something so they cut up an apple and I ate about 1 piece in 10 minutes. As time passed on I began to feel worse and worse, I felt light headed, like I had a fever, my head hurt worse, and the liquid that should be in my stomach was lingering in my throat eagerly wanting to exit. After about three hours I went to the bathroom and after I came out I began to shake and tremble uncontrollably and it was then they insisted that I go to the hospital as things were only getting worse. So off we went, me trembling barley able to hold my own weight with bowl in my hand for any incidents that might occur.
When we got to emergency room one person went in before to see how many people were in front and after finding out there were only 4 they brought me in where they described what was happening, got my information, took my tempature, and sent me to wait to see the doctor. It only took a few minutes before I was called back and when the doctor saw what I was experiencing she concluded that I was very dehydrated and that I had some sort of bacterial infection in my stomach. So I was sent upstairs to get an IV that included hydrants and pain medication for my stomach and then on top of that some pills for my stomcah. When the nurse came in to put the needle in my arm ( let it be know that even when I was a baby no needle made cry when stuck in me!) I screamed and thrashed, it was one of the most painful experiences I have had in my life! after the initial pain was over and the slow drip of medicine was going into my arm I just laid there. I talked some with Mary but after a while she decided that she was going to run home to pick me up something to eat and I fell asleep. When I woke up it was about an hour and a half later and she had returned, the nurses said I wasn’t allowed to eat anything until my blood test came back. At about 2000 my test finally came back and they let me leave. Mary said that she didn’t want me staying by myself for the night so she said that I would sleep at her house for the night.
Sunday June 1, 2014
Sunday I woke up at around 0900 and at some fruit for breakfast because I was feeling much better. Mary then made my appointment for the doctor as a check up. I got ready and we headed out. After the doctor gave me the all clear and list of things I could and couldn’t eat for the next couple of days and some medicine I would have to take twice a day for the next week we headed to the grocery store for me to pick up some food and then I was dropped back at my hostel where I spent the rest of the day relaxing and chilling out.
