Dengue Strikes

August is here, and before I know it, it’s going to be over. What a nice contrast to the extremely sluggish months of June and July. The new volunteers arrived last month and have been split into 3 different training villages in Kampong Cham province, about 3 hrs NE of Phnom Penh. I went to help with training at the end of July, and what was supposed to be a few days turned into 2.5 weeks! I was initially scheduled for a few days, to meet all the volunteers for a seminar day and be kind of a support person. But I ended up staying to help with some technical sessions, presenting the EFC books to the volunteers and conducting mock classroom lessons with Kmai co-teachers. When I came back to site, I had some of the new volunteers with me to show them my site (PC has all the trainees visit current volunteers’ sites to get a feel for what it’s like living out on our own and with Kmai families). The volunteers were supposed to stay at my house and I was really happy to get back and see my host family and give my host sister some maps I had bought her for her birthday. But when we arrived, we discovered my host sister, Theavy, had contracted Dengue Fever and Typhoid- at the same time! Some birthday present!

I contacted our medical officer and she told me that it’d be best if we stayed at a guesthouse rather than my house. Although Dengue is not transferred person to person, it can still be transferred by mosquitoes that may have bitten her while she was sick. The incubation period in mosquitoes is around 4 days, so it was likely there were Dengue mosquitoes flying around my house. What is Dengue, you may ask? Well, Dengue is also known as Bone Break Fever. It causes severe pains in the joints and muscles and drains any remnants of energy you may have. Symptoms also include an all-encompassing body rash, fever, nausea, headaches and vomiting. Apparently, Dengue comes in waves, with certain years seeing especially high numbers of cases. Just my luck, 2010 is one of those years and people with Dengue seem to be everywhere. 3 of the new volunteers have already contracted Dengue, so I am kind of freaking out about it. But no worries- I’ve been slathering on the deet. Which is worse- Dengue Fever or possible bodily harm due to the toxicity of a repellent I am slathering all over myself? Ask me in 10 years…

So after showing off my site for a couple days, I headed back to help with training as they needed someone to help and I needed to avoid my house until my sister’s symptoms subsided. The juxtaposition of me and these new volunteers really made me realize how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come in a year. While everything seems new and confusing to them, everything seems normal and comfortable to me. I am so happy I am not in their shoes- you couldn’t pay me to go back to training. Such an awkward time. Hours of language. Learning how to use the bathroom and shower. Never-ending technical and cultural sessions. Awkward glares to and from your host family. Mosquito bites covering every exposed portion of your body. Digestive issues trying to adjust to the new food (although I still have this issue, but now only when I eat Western food). Never feeling like you have a moment to yourself. Life as a Peace Corps volunteer is so much better and easier than it was being a trainee. Helping out definitely gave me a little perspective and served as a marker of my progression into becoming a more integrated member (albeit temporary) of Cambodian society.

So what’s next on the agenda? Actually, quite a bit. I just found out the best news ever! My amazing friend Stephanie, who I went to USC with, is coming to visit me in Cambodia on September 8th! She will be here for a week, and we are still working out exactly what we’re doing, but I imagine it will involve some combination of PP, Siem Reap and visiting my site. Next week, I am going to Kampong Cham to help with training again (I have a joke with some of the staff that training has become my secondary project for the summer), and I will be there for site announcement, when the newbies find out their permanent sites…oh the tension, the nerves! After that, I will head to PP to work on some materials development stuff and meet Kealan’s parents, who will be visiting. After Steph visits, we have swear-in for the new volunteers in PP in late September. Word on the street is Prime Minister Hun Sen will be in attendance- perhaps a photo op? School starts sometime in October; if you’ve read any of my school-related blog entries, you’ll know that I never really know what’s happening here when it comes to school. So I’ll start when I start. Life is srool- literally translates to “easy” but means going well. I am s’bai na (very happy) and hope everyone back at home is as well!