Why I am an Idiot

So, sorry for not writing any entries in a long while. Remember that handy dandy “get-better” list I wrote in the last blog? Well, let me tell you, it did absolutely nothing for my health. I visited my friend in Solo and got sick again. I went to a ritual adat and got sick again. Finally, I checked myself into a hospital to get the scoop. Two and a half weeks of recurring stomach problems and fever is never good, right? So, it turns out that I have Hepatitis, and Paratyphoid Fever. The first is caused by a virus, and the second one means that there’s a bunch of salmonella rumbling around in my belly. I can hear it. And the doctor confined me to bed rest until after Valentine’s Day. That’s when God loves me again. Once they explained to me that we were talking about my liver and my intestines, I was like, “Yes, doctor, anything you say, doctor.” I have lots of different kinds of medication and a bunch of snacks and water bottles stashed near my bed. Hurray for antibiotics! And I have to eat bubur ayam for every meal, which is the sick person’s food here. All it is, is rice that’s over-satiated with water and mashed up so that it’s soft, and then mixed with chicken soup flavoring. Yummy. Oh, and they told me that I’m not supposed to think of anything, watch movies, read the newspaper, walk around, that sort of thing. It’s so boring! (Sometimes I watch movies anyway.) Thank you, Ibu Laksmi for taking care of me! Anyway, now I can use the time to catch up on my blog.

The dumb thing, is that before I come to Indonesia, I usually get vaccinations for both of those things. But for some reason, I forgot this time around. I guess I was all kind of crazy, traveling around for weddings and conferences and trying to pack, at the same time finish my dissertation prospectus. Plus, Fulbright made me get full medical tests, for absolutely everything including every STD known to man on this green earth. So I was tired of doctors and needles. But now I know, and will remember. No matter what is going on in your life, get your shots first, before even thinking of getting on that plane!