Yesterday, I woke up feeling pretty sick but decided to make my way to the market so I could buy lots of fruits packed with vitamins. After my quick trip, I felt too tired to walk the half mile home so I hired a bicycle “taxi.” There are no real taxi’s in Nyanza and your choice for public transport is either a moto (vespa/scooter) taxi or bike. I usually take motos when necessity demands but there were only bike taxis around.
So there I am, sitting sidesaddle on the back of a young man;s bike “taxi” and he is huffing and puffing up the hills. I definitely could have walked it easier, even in my weakened state. At one point, we both had to get off so he could walk the bike. But, I was instructed to get back on, so I sat on the back, clutching my brown bag of fruits and feeling like I might as well be carried in a litter.
On the positive side, I told some of the older neighborhood kids I was sick and they have been amazing about keeping everyone away from my gate. I tried to go to school today because my Senior 4’s don’t have a chem teacher so they have like 3 free hours a day where they just sit around, but I left after 2 classes. People were shocked I was there with a stuffy nose, “You must, um, a, love, the work Janie” one teacher said to me, shortly before I decided it was time to go.
It surprises me that in a country where people are sick all the time, people are total bugs outs about it. “Hopital, hopital” several people have said to me. Maybe it is because illness’ turn serious quickly here, but having a bad cold affords you the same sympathy that the loss of a limb would at home. That, of course, is just fine with me.
Once again, I'm jealous of the inexplicable Nyanza-Shyorongi disconnect. When I was sick last week, housebound with my innards essentially purified, my DOS called and was like, "Um, Jo, when will you submit your grades?" Way to go, Shyorongi community spirit!
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