About two weeks ago I got really sick and visited two hospital emergency rooms in the same day, something I hope to never do again. Two infections and a possible parasite later I really started to appreciate that if you pay extra you can end up in the private section of the hospital to receive immediate care. Just so nobody gets the wrong idea, the private section is not what I would call luxurious. The bed was pretty much a morgue stretcher covered by a threadbare sheet and no pillow or blankets.
My veins are really hard to find (don't do drugs, kids!) and I ended up getting stabbed with 8 needles for an IV before they found a vein in my foot. I have so many bruises on my arms I look like I'm in an abusive relationship. To the credit of the hospital, I don't know where else in the world you could get full blood exam results within an hour for $5 USD.
The worst part of the whole ordeal was that the day I got sick, there were people out in the streets rioting over the elections. Although I consider rioting a stupid activity, the actual people doing it are very strategic. There are about as many intersections in Managua as there are roundabouts. So if you block the roundabouts it becomes extremely difficult to get anywhere. I can't blame taxis for refusing to take me to the hospital considering the fact that I was throwing up constantly, looked like death warmed over, and living in a neighborhood full of hooligans. Considering my condition, I wasn't as persuasive as I normally am. My neighbor was kind enough to drive after I explained the situation, but not before shouting, "Oh my God!" when he first saw me walk/crawling to his house.
Nobody likes being sick. I will never in my life forget the sensation of being so incredibly thirsty, but not being able to do anything about it because I couldn't even keep down water. In some ways being really sick is a test to see who will stick around for you when you're at your worst. I want to let my Mom know that I received care on par with hers throughout the entire process from my host family and friends and work collegues. All in all, I'm no worse for wear and even came out of this experience feeling more loved by those around me.
I had just gotten used to the pitch and noise level of the fireworks people around my house set off. Much to my dismay, starting with election night they began setting off fireworks louder and more fequently. My sleep has since suffered. At least my original fear that they were gunfights has been put to rest. I bet I could get someone to show me how to make a sweet gun out of household products, but I'm not friends with any of the revolutionaries. It's a real shame.
When people told me there would be rioting after the elections I figured 5 days maximum. How wrong I was. It ended up lasting 15 days!! Fifteen days of tear gas, rubber bullets, fireworks, gang violence and reworked transport routes because there were no buses and streets were shut down. The worst part was that it was the political leaders inciting people to violence. I waited during this whole time to see if anything would come up on any international news channel. Central America in general is very undereported. I'd be willing to bet that no one reading this post heard about the dozens of people beheaded by drug gang members on a Nicaraguan bus in Guatemala. There is better coverage of the latest soccer matches on BBC than on the deaths and injuries from this election or the flooding from hurricanes in the fall.
