Greatful to be Home

I’m back and I had an awesome experience in Ghana!  Our hotel had (intermittent) wireless but my old phone had a hard time with it.  When I was able to connect, I realized that typing a blog post on a phone was not going to work.   So I’ll be posting my pics and telling you about the trip over the next week or so.  But I’m going to start a little backwards.  I’m going to start with why I am happy to be home.

If I had such a great time, why am I so glad to be home?  Well, I managed two weeks in Ghana with no problems.  We got back on Saturday night and besides being tired, I felt fine.  Then Sunday night I woke up in the middle of the night and I was SICK.  I picked up some sort of intestinal bug and I couldn't keep anything in my system.  On Monday I felt so yucky, weak, and fatigued I slept for 20 hours and the time I wasn't asleep, I spent in the bathroom.  Tuesday is when the fever hit – I spiked to 103.4.  I drenched the sheets in sweat.  Wednesday the fever and fatigue were better but the cramps started, I could barely stand up, my stomach was in knots.  By Thursday the worst was over, I still wasn't feeling 100% but my appetite was back and I got through the day without thinking I was going to die.  And today I'm finally feeling better!

My few days of sickness made me thankful for toilets that flush every time without having to add water to the tank.  I was thankful for reliably functioning air conditioning to keep me as comfortable as possible when I had a fever.  I was thankful for hot water and warm baths to relieve the cramps.  I was thankful for a soft comfy bed to snuggle in without fear of a 2 inch roach sneaking under the covers while I was asleep.  I was thankful that if I really was going to die, I could call 911 and an ambulance would arrive within a few minutes and wouldn't be stuck trying to navigate through crazy traffic.

I was lucky to get sick in this country where we have little luxuries that make such a huge difference when you’re not feeling well.  Life in Ghana can be good, but it can also be very difficult.  Getting sick made me realize many of the things we take for granted here and appreciate them so much more.