Medical Evacuation

First, I will start by apologizing for not posting in a long time. I have been extremely busy with teaching, the youth group, the workout class and preparing for graduation and my family visiting. Also, by the end of each day I am so exhausted I can do nothing but sleep. Until recently I thought being so exhausted was normal. I was very busy, so being so tired was normal, right? Well, apparently I thought wrong. It all started about two months ago. I began be so tired, that one time I even feel asleep in one of my classes! A class I was teaching! After this I called my doctor. We thought it was just because I was so busy, but then things got worse. I started to get light headed and dizzy. Work outs became harder, and I was gaining weight. When I called my doctor with these complaints, she thought it might be vertigo. So she sent some anti-vertigo medication, and also sent me to Yap State Hospital to get my blood work taken. Unfortunately Yap State Hospital doesn't do all of the blood tests that my doctor wanted done, so they send the blood work to Guam to have a tech there do all the tests. In the mean time, I also had an EKG test done. My heart rate turned out to be the problem, it was only 38 the day I took the test. However, we wanted to wait to see the blood test results. We waited and waited and waited. No news from Yap Hospital. About a month after I got my blood drawn, my doctor was very upset we still did not have the results. When she called Yap State Hospital that day, the details are unclear, but somehow, my blood never made it to Guam. We waited for a whole month, for nothing. Because of this, my medical evacuation began. I was medically evacuated from Yap to Pohnpei, where the Peace Corps doctor is located. I flew in, and I was able to rest that day. The next day, the testing began. More blood work done, and another EKG. The blood work showed a small imbalance with my thyroid hormone, but not enough to be causing all this trouble. The EKG test, showed my heart rate was now at a 35, so it was getting slower. Because of my EKG test, the Peace Corps decided that I need to see a specialist. Specifically a cardiologist and an endocrinologist. Well, fun fact about Micronesia, there are no cardiologist in the whole country. So my journey to health now continues to Bangkok, Thailand.  Another fun fact about Micronesia, the only air line that flies through here is United, so finding a last minute flight from Pohnpei to Bangkok is not easy. So, I am currently waiting in Pohnpei for my flight to Bangkok. The flight leaves tomorrow. In the mean time, I feel myself getting weaker, and weaker. I am tired all of the time, and oh am I bored. I am not really aloud to walk around, so I find myself either watching T.V. on my laptop, or checking my e-mail. Still, I feel drained. If I wasn't so eager to get better, I might be scared to be going to Bangkok. I will be having the Peace Corps doctor escort me, in case something happens on the long flight over. I will then be directly admitted into the hospital there. I will be sure to keep you all posted. I have to say, the Peace Corps has been taking very good care of me, I can tell they are concerned and just as eager as I am to get me healthy again.

It has been a while

Well the title really speaks for itself, it sure has been a while since I have posted. I apologize for that, but life kinda took over. So much has happened since ny last post, I don't really know where to start, so I will just talk about the main points. 

#1- I went to Pohnpei for IST (in service training) it was great to see all the other volunteers! I did feel a bit lonely at times since there are no other volunteers on my island, which also means no one to relate to. Overall, IST was great! Great laughs, great food, and great...well okay training (I mean does anyone really like sitting in a room for 8 hours listening to someone talk) the information is very useful though! 

#2- I changed host families. Now I really didn't want to have to change host families, but it became a necessity. Also, looking at statistics, a lot of volunteers end up having to change host families or sotes for one reason or another. The reason I changed was simply because at my old host families house I was treated like a child, not a professional adult. I understand that this is part of the culture, but over time it became harder to do my job as a Peace Corps Volunteer. So, after I teturned from Pohnpei, I moved! I love my bew host family! I feel like part of the family. The house is right on the water, this means on the weekends I get to swim and every morning I get to see the sun rise! I am truly happy where I am at now! 

#3- I joined a volleyball team. I am not very good, but the bonding with the other team mayes is amazing. We have our tournament this weekend, soo good luck to us! 

#4- I am still teaching my workout/ boxing class there times a week. I have lost some students because it was tok hard for them, but I have one that comes everyday and hasnt missed one! She makes it all worth it for me! Plus it's a good workout for me! I think I am going to start another blog on my health and fitness as a Peace Corps Volunteer, so stay tuned! 

#5- I have a local boyfriend, my mom will probably kill me for talking about this on my blog, but I feel like it is a very important part of my life here and has really taught me a lot about the culture. Here in Yap, if you are in a relationship, it is a complete secret from everyone. Especially your parents and relatives. Once they find out, you are basically married. They do this as a sign of respect. They don't want to introduce their parents to multiple boyfriends or girlfriends. There is also absolutely no PDA! Men and women do most activities seperate so finding time together is a struggle. It is a miracle that this population is still procreating! My boyfriend and me are lucky, we both enjoy sports, this means we get to spend time together at the complex, which is also healthy. We are also lucky because my host mom approves of him, but he is still not aloud at the house or to even walk into my village (he lives in the village next to mine) this is also done as a sign or respect. I am still learning, but I am happy 😍. 

#6- I am soon going to be joining an organization called "women and sports" which promotes women to play sports, and all sports, even ones that target men. More on that after the first meeting. 

#7- I am going to the Outer Islands next weekend to visit another Peace Corps Volunteer. I am very excited, but a little nervous to be flying on sucha small plane. 

Well I think that's all the main points! Keep an eye out for new posts and my new blog! Miss and love you all!! 

Oh also forgot to mention, Yap Day happened, which is like the 4th of July in the U.S., but everyone dresses local! Below is a picture of me and the bf on Yap Day! 

Home for the Holidays

Different.... That is how I would explain my trip home, all in one word. I know this sounds very cliche but everything is exactly the same, but I see everything differently. Let me start from the beginning. December was a crazy month in Yap. The typhoon came in the beginning of the month, followed by the local dance performance followed by countless hours working with the youth group on their Christmas program. I was always busy, and never home. This was good because it didn't give me a lot of time to think about coming home. I knew that it was slowly approaching. It is really hard to explain my feelings on this topic. Of course I was beyond excited to go home, see my family whom I have miss so much words can't even explain it. I was excited to sleep in my big comfortable bed. I was excited to wear pants and not sweat. I was excited for SNOW(which normally I hate). With all this excitement came nerves. I was nervous that it would be extremely difficult to go back to Yap after being home. I was sad that I spent all this time helping my students prepair for the Christmas program, yet I would not be able to see them sing. Finally, I was anxious about how different things would be at home. I have traveled quite a bit, but this is the longest I have been away from home my whole life. Seven months, I mean, a lot could change in seven months, that is almost long enough for a child to be born. So, I had all this anxiety and all these nerves with no idea what to expect. I mean, people try to prepair you for reverse culture shock, but no matter how many people tell you, you just have to feel it for yourself. I thought I was prepaired.

    Affer a last minute flight change, I began my journey back home for the holidays on December 21st, 2014. I flew from Yap to Guam, Guam to Tokyo, Tokyo to Denver. Thanks to a little help from a glass of wine I was able to sleep the whole flight from Tokyo to Denver. After going through customs I finally walked through the glass doors to the greeting area. Here I instantly found my parents and sister. They were still looking for me in the crowed. I could tell they were tired. They had waited over 2 hours for me   (we can thank customs for that, or the wonderfull airline I flew on, take your pick) This is the type of moment you see in movies. You never really appreciate this moment until you live it. My mom was the first to see me, she screamed! She then came running toward me, arms wide, followed by my sister, and then my dad (who was video taping this whole incounter). This moment was exactly how I had pictured it to be. We then told stories and smiled and hugged all the way to the car. We continued talking all the way to Chilli's, where I finally ate chips and salsa and a salad (two things I missed desperatly). I was not prepaired for the effects this rich food would have on my stomach. Let's just say that my stomach hasn't been the same since being home. All food here is too rich for me. We spent the night talking and showing pictures. I explained the culture of Yap, talked about my wonderful students and went to bed early. The next day, jet legged, I woke up at 4am with no ability to go back to bed. Since I was awake, I decided to have my first cup of REAL coffee, not instant coffee. This was amazing! After the first day, I started to notice how things had changed. Correction, things at home were exactly the same, exaclty! I had changed. Physically a little bit (10lbs heavier to be exact) but mentally a lot! I am not used to wearing make-up or doing my hair. I always felt beautiful like this in Yap. At home, I found myself doing my hair and makeup for days I spent in the house. Why did I feel the need to conform to society. I still don't know the answer to this. I also noticed a change when I went to the gym for the first time. I can not believe what some girls wear to the gym! You are there to workout not find a boyfriend. Then I began to notice the little things in life that are senseless that people care so much about. Yes, having a new car is nice, and having the new I phone is cool. And yes, getting dressed up and going out with friends is still fun! But, after going through everything that I have been in the past seven months... I am different. I think listening to my students sing is nice. I think decorating the local church for Christmas is cool, and I think putting on my long loose skirt with no make up and hair in a bun and teaching my students is fun. Now, don't worry.. I still love being home, but now I am not worried about wanting to go back. I alone am the only person that knows the hardships I have faced while on this journey, but I also know now that I will come out of this whole experience with strength to do anything I want. Even though, I am not worried about my return to Yap, I do desperately wish I could take my mom, dad, and sister with me.  Well, I am going to enjoy the rest of my vacation at home, I will write again once I return to Yap! 'Till then!

Typhoon damage

Local dance practice

Typhoon

As you have all noticed my blogs have become less and less! This is because my life has gotten busier and busier. Paddling ended and I thought things would die down a bit. I was wrong. One week after paddling finished I was asked to join a local dance, which we would be performing in 2 weeks. I told them yes but I was really unsure if I was going to be able to learn this dance in time. It began to consume my life. I was practicing during all of my breaks, before school and after school. Not only was the dance moves making me nervous, but also the fact that the local dances are performed topless! We also started planning the Christmas program for the youth and we had a radio skit to do. Life as a Peace Corps became very unpeaceful. I had simple said yes to too many things and I was extremly stressed out. Then at the begining of the week there was talk about a possible typhoon headed our way. I didnt pay much attention to it because in such a small island people make a big deal about small things. However, this was not a small thing. The typhoon started heading right for us! The Peace Corps activated the emergency action plan and all volunteers were evacuated from our homes and put into a hotel. Many of the volunteers were happy to be able to get a warm shower and sleep in a real bed. I however, was not ver excited. It was very hard for me to leave my village. It was a very weird feeling saying good bye to my host family, kind of like I was abandoning them. The typhoon came and went and at the nice secure hotel we were in I could barley tell any bad weather was happening outside. The next morning when the sun came out I took a walk around town to see the damage. I saw whole trees tipped over with roots out of the ground. I saw roofs ripped off houses and I saw a lot of sea weed all over the roads. There were a couple pipes broken so extra water flooded some roads. I wanted to get back to my village to see the damage there, but I had to wait for the clear from Peace Corps. This was extremly hard for me. I sat around all day and waited and waited while I could have been helping clean my village or helping at the school (which was also a shelter) evenually at 4pm I was able to go home, but then came the trouble of finding a way home. All taxi and buses werent running. I finally found a ride from a friend. The village was a mess! Trees all over the roads! Phone lines and power lines ripped down, it was very sad to see. It is bow the night after the typhoon and the power is still out at my house. No one knows when it will be back on. Tomorrow is the offical dance and after this weekend things will die down again. Just in time for my vacation back home for Christmas! 

STRESSED

Well, one of the teachers has to leave the island for health reasons, so for the next 2 weeks we are down a teacher, the school was already down one before he left! So I offered my only off period to teach health to the 7th graders. I did this because I don't want the students running around and I want them to have a structured class, but the more I think about it the more steessed I get. I am also going to help with the kids paddling practice on Mondays. All of a sudden I have no time to lesson plan or even breath it feels like! I do best when I am busy and I know these next few weeks will fly by! It's only Tuesday and I cant wait for Friday already! I am however excited to teach health, I think I have a lot to offer the kids on the subject! Maybe the first thing I will teach is that being stressed is unhealthy 😉