A Week in the Life of a PCV: Day Five

Today was essentially a “sick day”.  Nothing to write home about, but I’ve made this silly seven-day commitment!

4:45AM – WHY AM I AWAKE?  Ugh.  Unable to fall back asleep, I put on a movie (which took me the next 5 hours to watch because eventually I started drifting in and out of sleep).

10:00AM – Woke up for real.  It rained all morning, I had no obligations and a gross case of the sniffles, so I decided to stay home in my pajamas and spend a few hours studying for the GRE.

2:00PM – Break time for mac & cheese and “How I Met Your Mother”!  Considered going outside to socialize and get some fresh air, but my nose was runny, my eyes watery, my throat scratchy, my head achey, and I simply had no desire to change out of my pajamas.  Poor Maria.   (Complain complain complain!  Can you imagine how much I’d whine if I fell sick with something real such as malaria?  Ha!)

4:00PM  --  Snuggled up under tons of blankets, chitchatting with friends on the interweb while waiting for Michel to call.  Michel is fish farmer who is just starting to dig his first ponds.  We made plans to meet Friday evening; he said he’d call when he’s ready.

4:30PM  --  Still no word from Michel.  Unfortunately, I had written his number on a scrap of paper, and soon after lost it.  I walked over to his house, only to find that he was not at home.  Instead of our scheduled meeting, I went for a brief walk with Michel’s aunt, accompanying her to the boutique where she had left her cellphone to charge for the day since the power has been out in her side of the village for the past week.  On my way home I stopped to chat with my neighbors, Carol and Michael.

6:00PM  --  I keep seeing articles pop up about this guy who has eaten Chipotle for a gazillion days in a row.  Now, I have learned to adapt and be satisfied with whatever food is available to me.  I no longer request certain goodies in care packages and I am not usually discontented by the lack of variety in my village diet.  However, whenever a friend posts pictures or articles about food on the internet, a flood of cravings washes over me and I become immensely aware of all the happy foods that I am missing out on. (I’ve even started compiling a list: pizza, calzones, raviolis, grilled cheese, quesadillas, pretty much anything with cheese, frozen peas, mint chocolate chip ice cream, all ice cream, sprinkles, milkshakes, brownies, brownie batter, brownies right when they come out of the oven and are still warm and gooey, cookie dough, waffles, bagels, Multigrain Cheerios, Life, all other delicious cereals, Pirates’ Booty, goldfish, granny smith apples, candy, candy, candy, chocolate, etc.)

So anyways, reading about Chipotle Man made my mouth water.

BUT WAIT!  I can have delicious food too, if only I put a little bit of effort into it!  I was so tempted to take the easy route and just have oatmeal for dinner, but I don’t know how many more times I can stand to read about this guy who has been eating Chipotle every single day unless I too, get to eat something extra delicious!

So thank you, Chipotle Man, for inspiring me to make veggie fajitas tonight with homemade tortillas!

Om nom nommm!!!

P.S.  Sniffles are the worst!!! 

P.P.S. In hindsight, I should be grateful for how lucky I am to have the medical care and health status that I do.  Many of my Cameroonian friends fall sick with illnesses much worse than the common cold, and either cannot afford treatment or the hospital cannot properly diagnose them.  A close friend has been stuck in the hospital for a week simply because the doctors have no idea what her illness is.  She will need to be transferred to a more skilled hospital in Yaounde if they cannot figure it out soon.  I'll think twice next time I complain about the sniffles!  (And then I'll probably continue to whine anyways, like the big baby that I am.  But at least I'll be more cognizant!)  --Added July 26th