Right when we first got in country, we had to get a bunch of immunizations. It took days since they couldn’t jab us in the arm all at once, AND they had to use both arms.
But, when I open up my WHO card (the yellow shot record thing), that bad Johnny is FILLED. Man, I am impervious to some serious shit. Or so I thought. Last year, I contracted Whooping Cough. Yes. That disease which was supposedly eradicated. I was sick for over a month. Turns out, the vaccine isn’t permanent. Bummer. I wonder when my Typhoid runs out….
Mefloquine. Fuck that shit. Malaria has to be worse than the feeling of being on Mefloquine. It has to, right? Here’s the story. The government banned Mefloquine in the US. Turns out, it causes you to freak out. I can attest that the LAST place you want to feel like there are imaginary bugs on/in you is a place where there are always bugs on/in you. We were supposed to take it every other week, but they didn’t think we would be able to remember, so they made us take it weekly. My designated day was Friday. One time, I imagined the seam on the mosquito net was a giant snake, so I attacked it. My friend, Kilo, took his on Wednesdays. It was harsh.
We have the World Center for Birds of Prey here in town, and one of the coolest animals there is the Harpy Eagle. So, when I found out they came from Suriname, I talked to the WCBP people and asked how I could help. They suggested getting the locals to find the nests. When I went into my host-brother’s bedroom, he had a stuffed Harpy Eagle hanging from his ceiling. It was really sad. Later, when I was in the village, the LAST thing I wanted was to suggest they go find eagles. The villagers ate anything that moved.
My homestay in Paramaribo was frightening. The scary part was how dirty it was. Pink eye? Check. The lady was nice enough, but it was just sooo gross! My friends came to visit me one day…and never came back again.
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