Strep or What Ever

Well some how I have done it again, I have gotten strep, or at least some kind of bacterial upper respiratory infection. I always test negative for strep but show all the symptoms even the white spots on my throat. Of course then my blood work comes back and shows, wow this girl is not a liar and really is sick. I have gotten this or at least a very similar upper respiratory bacterial infection four times since June, twice in the states and now twice in Samoa. Don’t ask me why, because honestly I have no clue. Well after trying to battle what I was hopping was just a sore throat for two days in my village, the dreaded white spots appeared and I took a quite turn for the worst. My family brought me into town and I got into the doctor quick as possible and before I new it I had a nice big bag of horse tranquilizer size antibiotics. I spent the night in Apia and my friend Blakey came and visited me and made the best of my icky feelings with pizza and a movie. She also bought me some treats from America, two fitted v-necks (which are like gold here), a nice cotton black skirt which is fitted enough to pass for going out attire but long enough to be appropriate, and some tasty treats. All in all my sick night ended up being just what the doctor ordered, a night in a real bed, a hot shower, plenty of rest and some company to cheer me up. I’m headed back to my village today and am hoping I will be well enough tomorrow to still make it to the volunteer get together. Wish me well!

Here’s a list of things that don’t hold much importance in Samoa (especially the villages);

1. Facial moles
2. Facial hair on women
3. bushy or even uni-brows
4. weight in general
5. scarring, especially wide spread pock scars on legs
6. Toe nail fungus
7. visible cavities, and rotting or missing teeth

These things are just very common and really not of much importance. Its very interesting that things that in America would hold a great social stigma are really just so unimportant here.