Taking a Sick Day

Being sick in Burkina is not easy. None of the usual comforts of home are available. All I wanted to do was curl up under my down comforter in my big, comfy bed at home and watch movies all day and eat soup and saltines! I missed my parents and grandma checking in on me and my dad bringing me hot and sour soup. When you’re sick in village, it’s really difficult to explain to the villagers. Burkinabe don’t share the same concept of sickness. When a Burkinabe is sick, they have a really bad case of malaria where their bodies are shutting down. There is no in between- you’re either extremely ill, or you’re still fine to work. Burkinabe work really hard, so naturally, they work through illnesses where we would normally be inclined to take a sick day in bed or go see a doctor. So, trying to explain to my village that I’m really sick, I can’t continue with normal daily activities and no, I don’t want one million visitors today, was nearly impossible.

I was first sick after attending my neighbor’s wedding in village. We ate and drank family style with most of the village. All of this sharing and a lack of any hand washing led to two weeks of misery. I got a bacterial infection over New Years. After some rounds of antibiotics, I was feeling better right in time for my birthday, which turned out to be a great celebration! After one blissful week of good health and contentedness, I went to a nearby city for a training session. The second I got there, my New Year’s symptoms returned and I became a squatter in my friend’s apartment because I was too sick to return to site.

So, that’s how my first sick leave in the capital began. I’m recovering from my second bacterial infection in my stomach this month, so I was brought in to see one of the Peace Corps medical officers (PCMO’s). I realized that something needs to change in my village life because I can’t be sick like this anymore. I need to get my health under control so I can be a better volunteer. It’s a challenge being happy and outgoing in village when you’re feeling sick. My sicknesses are most likely caused by my family style meals with my neighbors. There are twenty people eating tô and sauce out of the same bowls with their hands- and these hands do a lot of work and come into contact with a lot of germs throughout the day. Washing hands when they’re dirty is such a simple concept to us, but it’s a foreign concept to my village because soap is a luxury, not a necessity. So, my first little project is going to be educating my neighbors on hygiene and healthy lifestyles. I’m not sure what I’m going to do exactly, but I’ll keep you updated! I need to find a balance between integrating well in to the community and not giving up my own health to do it.

I’m feeling a lot better now and I’m ready to head back to village!