So, the reason that I wasn't able to finish yesterday's entry before going to bed, despite getting back around 5:30 p.m., was because I was sick. When I say sick, I mean we left Chaplain Alfred's house and I ran upstairs to the bathroom, knowing that something that I ate within the past few days had hit my stomach and was not making friends. Almost immediately following that, I began one of the worst nights that I have ever experienced.
I got in the shower and could tell that I was getting sick. The chills were starting and the water couldn't be warm enough. By the time that I got out of the shower, I was starting to get very cold. At one point, I felt just as cold as if I had been put into a walk-in refrigerator and was just hanging out. I was able to warm up under the blankets, but let any of my skin touch the air and the shaking began pretty much immediately.
Then came the stomach cramps. This was pain like I have never experienced in my life. Curling up in the fetal position helped to a degree, but they came in waves. If I turned over or moved much in any way, they started again. There was a moment when I thought that maybe I would "dispel" of what was inside of me, but all it ended up being was me wrapped in a towel for warmth, hovered over on the floor of the bathroom repeating, "Please God, let this stop. Please don't let me die." I truly thought for a while that I was either going to die of the pain or from one of my organs inside of me shutting down before I could get medical treatment.
I thank God that Brian and Brad were next door when I went to get them. They sat with me and made me as comfortable as possible, putting pillows under me, getting me some Coke to help settle my stomach, and praying over me. After about an hour and a bottle of Coke, my body succeeded at getting rid of whatever it was that was inside of my stomach making me so miserable. I felt undoubtably better, but my temperature was still climbing, peaking at 103.8. I took a lukewarm shower to try to decrease it, which I'm not sure if it helped or not. At least by then I was able to mostly comfortably lie down and rest, which was essential because I was so weak at that point that I couldn't do much else. All I was able to do was lie in bed and try to control my breathing since my heart rate was so high.
About an hour and a half later, my fever was starting to break and I was able to get some more sleep. By the time that morning rolled around, my stomach was feeling fine (except for a few extra bathroom trips), but I still had a little bit of a fever (around 100). The timing of it actually worked out fairly well because out of all the days, this was probably the best and easiest for me to miss since the other three were going to be teaching at a pastor's conference. So, I stayed behind at the hotel and slept for most of the day. What little food that I did get into my system was high in sugar content (I have had more sodas in the past 24 hours than I have combined in the past 3 years), so I was able to keep my energy stores up high enough to fight.
By the time 4 p.m. rolled around, my fever was down even more and I felt pretty good. I was hoping that this would be the case because we had been invited to Metouchellah's brother's, Simon, dowry party. He will be getting married in a few months, and this is where the parents debate over how much the groom's family will pay the bride's family for her. Even though the price has already been decided beforehand, this is a customary event before the wedding. It was quite an honor to be invited, and I was so glad to be feeling well enough to go.
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| There were dancers to open the ceremony and then at a couple other parts during it. |
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| The father of the bride during negotiations |
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| Metouchellah calling Simon on the phone to have him present himself after negotiations are completed |
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| The future bride coming in |
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| Simon going to meet his future bride who is being blocked by her brother, who is her protector |
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| The happy couple |
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| Greeting Simon's parents at the negotiation table |
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| Just before the opening of the gifts. She got a tiara and he got a trophy. The trophy symbolized that many other men were trying to get his future bride, but he won the prize. |
It was a beautiful ceremony, and very different than anything I had ever seen before. There were many people there, including members of parliament, but we were seated front row. They were quite honored to have the mizungu group there, and we were honored to be invited.
Tomorrow will be our last day of activities before heading back on Saturday. We will be going to visit one of the local villages and delivering school supplies and clothing to the children and families. God willing, I will be feeling fine and won't have any more issues. May you all have a wonderful evening. God Bless!
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