Sickness

09/22/05

Last night I ate the 'last supper' with Michael (he leaves for Nairobi tonight, and I am sad to see him go. He's a cool guy and it was nice to have someone like him around. I just flashed to when he told me that he was 13 the first time he saw television.) On my way back to my simba, as I worked my combo padlock, a frog jumped off my roof and onto my head. I thought about catching it and licking it to see if I hallucinated, but realized that's its probably poisonous if anything. I drank a beer and wrote until late. I woke up with a headache.

I feel ill. Too much sun, a lot of walking, a lot of shaking hands with the sick, with kids, eating with my hands. One coke one fanta, the stress of standing in front of 200 girls and talking. No food since breakfast except for a bit of dry ugali and one piece of chicken. Its now 8pm. Throat ache, light headed, chills, a fever. I'll just hope that's it's a cold or flu or something. I can't seem to get enough oxygen to my brain. A shiver runs up my spine, over to my left… another starts rumbling but I suppress it. My head is too hot, my body is too cold. I hope I beat this by tomorrow. I'm actually surprised I haven't got sick before this.

We interviewed a lady today who was very down but isn't taking ART. She was accepted to the same MSF program that Robert is in, but hasn't gone in over a year due to lack of funds for transport. I took a special interest in her, I want to interview her next week when she is still down, and then get her going to MSF and taking her ART and then interview her again before I go, when hopefully she's feeling better.

We went to Dede Girls Secondary School (Mrs. Kaundh is the headmistress) to (I thought) view the activities of their HIV/AIDS extra curricular club. It turns out Robert and I were the guest speakers in front of a crowd of 200. We were the experts to answer any of their questions. It was a bit nerve racking but felt good to answer their questions about HIV/AIDS and encourage them to test, protect themselves, etc.

Last week Mrs. Kaundh had said she wanted me to visit a friend who was sick and un-accepting of her status (believed that a witch had curses her.) Today she told me that she died. Part of me, a twisted part I think, was extremely disappointed, not that she had died, but that I wasn't able to film her first. Because how compelling would that have been. Is that sick? Am I getting desensitized?

I've gotta lie down.

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