I'm allergic to Panama!

I wrote this post a few days ago. I’m just getting around to posting it. J

Before I start talking about how my face rebelled against me this week, let me talk about more successful things in my life, like translating for the US Army.

Monday through Wednesday of this week, I decided to participate in a medical event that the US Army was having in Platanilla, a town that’s a 2-hour trip from my site. I found out from my regional leader that a group of army medical officers (reserves) would be staying in my town and traveling to Platanilla every day to provide medical care for the community and dispense medicine. A lot of them don’t speak Spanish, so they are always happy to have some extra interpreters there to help things run a little bit more smoothly. Since this week is exam week at my school (aka not ideal for observations/doing my job), I decided to go help out the army.

It was really fun. I love translating because it makes me feel super useful. I was impressed by how some of the army officers got along really well with their Panamanian counterparts without spoken language. There were some Kodak moments. While there, I interpreted for optometry for a day and then for pharmacy for the next two days.

While interpreting for pharmacy, I met this amazing Pharm Tech who works in the Medical Center in Platanilla. He has been working there for 18 years and he knows EVERYONE in town. Watching him work with the people in the community was pretty inspirational. He would joke around with people when they came to pick up prescriptions, but he would also dish out some tough love sometimes. (He straight up called this one old man a liar for not being honest about his medical history.) I could write a whole paper about how awesome this guy is (he wrote a song to thank the Army for coming out and then sang it for everybody), but to sum it up, I told my pharmacist-to-be sister about him, and we’re going to go visit him when she comes to Darien.

It was pretty interested hanging out with the Army people for a couple of days. I was very impressed by the positive attitudes that some of them had about being in a new place, and on the other hand, there were times where some the officers would say some things that would make me think, “you just don’t get it.” I’ve only been in Panama for 3 months, but even though I’m not Panamanian, I think I’ve started to think of Panama as that friend or family member that you rag on all the time, but if anybody else says anything about your family or your friend, you’re ready to fight them. Ok, I wasn’t gonna fight anybody, but I’m just saying. I talk smack about Panama all the time to other Peace Corps Volunteers, but even when I complain about how Panama’s out to get me again, it’s all good-natured. I’m going to be living here for the next two years, and I love Panama. When the Army officers talk about Panama, though, something inside me goes NO, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT! Yea, you’re not going to have an easy time finding hot water anywhere, but so? Yea, there are stray dogs that wander into school classrooms, so? Yea, that bridge we have to drive over is pretty sketchy, so?* I know that I’m still American and I’m not Panamanian, so I can’t really give myself a license to say whatever I want about Panama either, but I couldn’t help but cringe on the inside at some of the conversations I had with the officers when they ask about my life here. I’m not sure if some of them understand development work, but then again I know nothing about the military, so that goes both ways.

In other news, I am allergic to Panama. I’ve never had a food allergy in my life, which makes me happy, because that means I can eat all the food I want to. I am fearful that my care-free gorging days are over, because I’m pretty sure I ate something that I’m allergic to. A few days ago my lips blew up, and then hives broke out over the bottom half of my face. It itched and burned and I had never had anything like this happen to me before, so I called the Peace Corps medical office. They said I probably ate something that I reacted to, and to take some Benadryl and drink a lot of water. I followed the doctor’s orders, and the burning/itching has mostly stopped and my face is slowly returning to normal. The meds have been making me drowsy, but I think I’m done taking them, so I can return back to my regular life.

This turn of events is pretty sad, because I’m suspicious that the papaya I ate caused the reaction. L That papaya was DELICIOUS, what do you mean I can’t eat anymore? I’m going to play it safe and stay away from mangoes because I’m afraid of breaking out again. Let me tell you why that is tragic: it’s mango season. There are mangoes EVERYWHERE. ALL OF THE TREES IN MY TOWN ARE MANGO TREES AND THE MANGOES LOOK DELICIOUS. It’s like giving a shopaholic a credit card with no limit. It’s like I’m an alcoholic living a bar. What kind of world IS this? Either way, I’m not COMPLETELY sure it was the mango that made me break out, I’m just suspicious. I’m just going to carry Benadryl in my bag from now on in case I accidentally consume the allergen again. . .since I’m not really sure what I’m allergic to. I don’t really want to have an allergy, because that means I’m not invincible anymore. L I haven’t had allergies since I was little.

Thus wraps a week of exhaustion. Between traveling to Platanilla to interpret and taking meds that make me drowsy, I am BEAT! I’m teaching the little kids tomorrow and then I’ll probably spend the day running errands and pasearing. I’ll be going over the university for the first time on Saturday (yay!). Other than that, next week is the break between trimesters, so there is no school. I have zero plans for that week, so we’ll see what I come up with to make my week interesting before we begin the new trimester.

I want to give another shout out to my Dad for keeping up with my life. I talked to my sister on the phone today (I needed to update her on my facial situation) and she mentioned that my dad has been consistently reading my blog. Kudos to you! I’ll try and keep updated pretty consistently.

Much love to everyone at home in the Carolinas! I miss you guys!

*Side note/anecdote: When I crossed that bridge on the bus the other day, the bus got stuck. We all had to get out of the bus, push it across, and get back on. I’m glad that happened on a bus with Panamanians and not with the army people. The Panamanians were griping about how the politicians need to do more for Darien and how this situation was a perfect illustration of that point, but they’re allowed to do that. This is their country and they can talk junk about their politicians all they want.