If there’s one thing I didn’t expect to happen as often as it has during service, it’s getting sick. It’s been this way since the third or fourth week of training: getting a fever, being so exhausted from training, getting dehydrated, getting a fever again, stomach issues, colds, sinus infections, bladder infections, falling off my bike, liver problems, infected cuts, the list goes on. Since arriving at site, it’s almost become a bimonthly ritual. Getting sick, taking prescribed medicine, feeling better, then getting sick again for some other reason. At this point, I’ve been asked, “sakit apa?” and told, “cepat sembuh, ya!” too many times by community members and family that I’ve lost count. By the time this post is published, I’ve been to the clinic, for either blood work or tests, ten times in the past four months, all for different reasons. Indonesia is hot and humid, and is the perfect place for germs and bacteria to grow, get comfy and spread. Stress, air quality, cleanliness and change in diet has a lot to do with it as well. Coming from such a different climate, and eating much differently (not white rice everyday, much more green vegetables, for example) has taken a toll on how my body works. The biggest impact has been the adjustment to living in a community, and culture that is different than home, and with that, dealing with the everyday stresses of working with Indonesian counterparts. It’s not all sunshines and roses, which I’ve made clear in prior posts, and this has shown on how my body has worked in the last few months.
Studies have shown that short-term stress can boost the immune system, but chronic stress, that is, stress that has been developing throughout a longer period of time (a semester for example), has a significant effect on the immune system that ultimately manifest an illness. I don’t think I’ve been significantly stressed in the last two months, mostly because not much has been going on at site. I haven’t taught since the end of April, Ramadan holidays slowed things down, then we had Idul Fitri, and then I went to the beach for several days with my friends.
Fresh from my trip to the beach in June, I remember feeling tired, but thought it was just from traveling and being out in the equatorial sun for so many days. The following day was halal bihalal, a tradition in Indonesian schools where teachers line up and shake *every* student’s hand as students ask for forgiveness for any wrongdoing. That following weekend I felt fine, just tired, and spent most of Saturday and Sunday lounging in my room. The following week continued like that, Monday was fine, and Tuesday morning as fine as well, and I went to school to finish up some things, since it was the official last week of the school year. That afternoon though, as I was riding my bike the 500 meters home, I noticed I wasn’t feeling well. My body was strangely really achey, my joints started hurting, and my muscles felt sore out of nowhere. I got home, went to bed, and essentially was bedridden for the next five days. Low grade fever and crippling body aches that kept me from walking, looking at my phone, or doing literally anything, were the main symptoms, along with a few more. I was first sent to the lab in Kediri, tests were inconclusive, I was sent back when I was feeling better the following week, then I was sent to Surabaya for five days. Maybe it was dengue, maybe chikungunya. I stayed in a hotel, all provided by Peace Corps, and visited the doctors, had more blood drawn, and had an ultrasound done to check on my organs. Fun stuff!
In a lot of ways I was really scared, because Peace Corps doctors didn’t know what was the matter and didn’t know how long I would be in Surabaya, but I was already feeling better by that point. My liver and spleen weren’t looking great, so more tests had to be done. This was also right before my trip to Bali, so when the doctors called me Wednesday morning asking me to be in Surabaya by the afternoon, I quickly had to pack not only for an unknown amount of time in the city, but also packed for my week-long trip, since there was potential for me not going back to site before that. At that point I didn’t know if my liver was failing, or if I had a fatal blood infection, or it I just bad bug that was going around. If things get worse, Indonesia volunteers first go to Bangkok, Thailand. If things are worse than that, volunteers go back to the States. In the Peace Corps, if you are sick for more than a continuous 45 days, then you may get medically separated and end service.
By the time I was approved to go on my trip, I was already feeling fine. However, with an already shoddy immune system and both airport and plane full of germs, I managed to get sick once again. This time, it was an ear infection, head cold and a sore throat. While I can officially say I am completely better now, after almost a month of feeling sick, the last several weeks were brutal. And while I wasn’t feeling my best self while at the beach and in the middle of yoga classes, I still made the best of the trip, which I’ll be writing about in my next post.
So, after that long-winded explanation of what’s gone down since being here, I’ve made a few observations. If there’s anything I can say about Indonesian culture and getting sick, it’s that people are there for you. This is one thing I still haven't gotten used to. Once I explained to my counterparts that I was sick and couldn’t go to school, within minutes there were five people at my house, including my two counterparts, two vice principals, and my principal (I am not hyperbolizing). At that point, I could barely get out of my bed, so when my host sister came to my door to tell me I had guests, I wanted to scream. For me, and lot of Americans, we just want to be left alone when we’re sick. I don’t want visitors, I don’t want to chat, I want to be left alone to allow in my self pity. However, I see the Indonesian way as an extension of the friendly-neighbor culture. People truly care. I even noticed this when my bapak was admitted into the hospital after an operation. When I visited him with my family, we stayed by his side for three hours. They even brought a rug from home, laid it out next to his bed, and set up drinks and snacks for other visitors. I think I counted at least twenty family members that not only visited, but stayed at the hospital that night. It’s very different than home. While hand sanitizer isn’t as readily available as in the US, most people that are sick are instantly clad with those surgical face masks in order not to spread their germs. Another thing I realized, during my time of being ill, was that a lot of people told me that it was a “sick season” and that a lot of people got sick because of the sudden change of climate this time of year. So while the doctors right now think I initially got sick from a virus while away, maybe it's because it’s getting colder here...
So, I’ve gotten through the last 10 months of service with some bumps, I’m still here, I’m still on antibiotics, and I’m excited to get back into running, doing things with my family and community and start teaching next week. Things could be a lot worse. Also, Peace Corps provides complete healthcare coverage, that’s something not everyone can say they have. Also, if there’s any good from getting sick often, it’s that I’m going to have the strongest immune system when I’m back home. Next post will be much lighter, don't worry... look out for my Bali recap next week. Sampai jumpa.
Here's an update for you: the mystery virus I had back in June was actually mono, or Epstein-Barr virus! joy!
A Young Woman on her Death Bed, Unknown, 1621.