Malaria Update

I hope my malaria is gone.

The drugs were worse than the parasite.

I took 2 days off work to catch up on things at home (using malaria as an excuse) and karma got me back. The last day on meds knocked me down - I needed 2 more days, but I sucked it up. Apparently *everyone* knows (except the white girl) that the meds make you feel very lethargic, give you a garbage-y stomach, headaches, and take away your appetite. Basically all the things that you might feel if you had malaria. I didn't eat anything for 2 days - I just couldn't.

I'm feeling much better now, but I may test again in a couple of days to make sure that I have no more microscopic guests in my body.

I have malaria!

Seriously. I can't believe it. I don't feel a thing.

I went to get checked for some other not-so-nice symptoms that I don't particularly care to describe, but I can summarize by saying that I thought it might be amoebas. They took a finger-prick blood sample (and other unpleasant things) and a couple of hours later told me I had malaria. I asked the doctor about having no symptoms and he said I clearly don't have the worst kind (p. falciparum). And apparently I don't have amoebas either.

For you tropical medicine enthusiasts:
I was prescribed artemisinin (natural and derivative), which is a very old, very well-known treatment for malaria, but has been passed over for a long time in favor of other treatments like mefloquine. Malaria is becoming resistant to those drugs, however and now artemisenin is being "rediscovered." It kind of makes me feel wierd, though. Oh well - there are only 5 days of treatment.

In the mean time, I'm taking a couple of days break from work. Malaria might explain why I've felt so tired, although it has been called 'the great immitator' since its symptoms often mimic those of other problems. Either way, it's a good excuse to get some rest.

(Almost) Getting Robbed

Twice now, I’ve nearly been a robbery victim.

The first time was when I was waiting for a bus to leave. It was not full and there were 2 guys. One tried to distract me by making me think he had dropped some coins under my seat, while the second guy tried to put his hand in my bag while I (ostensibly) went looking for the coins. A pretty clever scheme, except I saw the second guy’s hand going for my bag and slapped it away while yelling at them. They couldn’t get out of the bus fast enough.

The second time was a bit more intimidating. I was walking home from work at 4:30 IN THE AFTERNOON ON A BUSY STREET and two guys came up behind me, much too close for my comfort. Just as I was going to stop and let them pass, one of them cut the strap of my bag that I had slung across my body (I don’t trust just a shoulder – too easy to snatch). We had a bit of a tug-of-war, which I won and the guy ran off while I screamed at him F&@* OFF!!! Kind of a knee-jerk reaction. I think the second guy was supposed to grab the now-free bag, but I looked him right in the eye and asked if the other guy was his friend – he just slunk off into the bushes.

Some friends were able to identify the would-be thief and I found out that this was his regular “day at the office” when he robbed some other tourists, but got caught. He was sentenced for 6 years. It only felt slightly satisfactory – he’ll probably come out of jail smarter and a better thief.

Personal security here is a bit of a misnomer. It’s pretty hard to guarantee it sometimes. I know of many friends who have been robbed in Arusha, and some them very violently. One friend in particular has told me about being threatened with big bush knives (just a few months ago) and guns, and even one time being stabbed with a screw-driver. This is not a person who is involved in the kinds of activities that would invite violent attacks. Every time, it was when he was walking home at night. All the locals here profess a willingness to fight tooth and nail to prevent someone else from stealing their hard-earned money or stuff. On the one hand I can understand – money and stuff doesn’t come easily here. Who wants to lose it at the drop of a hat? But it’s not worth a life, is it?

These kinds of things make me nervous. If I can have someone more or less pull a knife out on me on a busy street and no one does anything –what can happen at night in a town with almost no street lights? Nine out of ten times, I am fine, but there’s always that one time….