Today I found myself lying on the floor of a bathroom an a hospital in Africa where everyone speaks French. I had just become nauseous from seeing the needle that had just been used to take a blood sample. I had been a little bit sick off and on for a couple of days here in Rwanda so I finally decided, after much persuasion, to go see a doctor. What I though was just a common cold was beginning to look like it might be something worse. Once I gathered myself, I had to wait an hour for my diagnosis, so I decided to to go downtown with my new friend and guide to take a look around. We were able to get a ride from my guide's friend. I felt a little strange as I sat down in a Mercedes listening to American rap music, so I asked if we could listen to some Rwandan music. It sounded just the same... While downtown I was able to purchase some Rwanda football jerseys, an Arabic Red Bull, and visit "the area where the gangs are."
After seeing the city, we walked back to the clinic since our friend had to go to work. Once back at the hospital, I had to wait for another 30 minutes before I could see the doctor again. He explained to me the interesting news. Although my blood test was clean, he was sure that I had Malaria. The blood test was clean because Malaria shows itself in cycles and can be in your system yet not be visible. This is the same reason I didn't find out until now that I have it, because I actually contracted the disease 5 months ago when I was in Uganda, and it was not until now that I started to show continuous symptoms. Something that makes all of this interesting is that while in Uganda, I took every precaution to protect myself from Malaria. I took the medicine, I slept under nets, and I wore mosquito repellant everyday. I also don't even recall being bitten by a mosquito! Either way I am going to be treated for Malaria and I'm sure everything will be fine. I just thought I would let you in on another one of my exciting stories.
There will be more to come on my trip to Rwanda, so stay tuned.
-Kevin
www.awinnersjourney.com
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