Bacteria, Bummer!!

So I think the raw cows milk or the rivers or yet another source of being foreign and not adapting has led to some new inhabitants in my body. Which has not been fun. I have been in the capital of Santo Domingo for 4.5 days now, killing creatures inside me. I've come to find that little creatures are annoying outside you and just plain painful inside.

I have never been this sick before, which is a testament both to my fortunate good health thus far and my pain here. Normally, a person with bacteria has a level of 2-3. Being the intense, over-achiever that I am, I was able to push that level to 8-10, which means 3-5 times the amount of diahrreah, pain, etc. It's hard to tell sometimes if I am getting better or just getting really used to it. But the 3-day, bacteria-killing medicine ends tomorrow at 12:30pm, about 24-hours before I have to be at the airport to fly home. Hopefully the symptoms will end by then too. Hopefully I will have enough energy tomorrow to be able to travel the 2 hours back to El Seibo, pack and travel back here with two huge suitcases.

Definitely not the ending I was expecting for the summer. But I've come to understand that sometimes you just have to say "All's well that .... ends." It's kind of a nice circle in some ways- sick the first weekend and sick the last week. That's the physical definition of closure.

Can you mix cement? Cause I can!

So Thursday and Friday I traveled to San Pedro to meet up with a group of 36 awesome American teenagers (mainly seniors in high school) from Calvary Church in PA to do some serious construction work. I squeezed my way into all their plans, even getting to stay 5 girls to 3 beds (yeah, that was fun, the bedroom became just a bed with a walkway). Basically, air-conditioning, amazing food and instant friendships. What an incredible blessing! I hadnt realized how much I had really really been missing having friends, connecting with people and especially praising God with people (havent been able to connect that way in El Seibo).

So the days were spent mixing cement and I learned why in the states we use cement mixers... it's really hard work! You have to mix the sand and cement when its dry, then add water and mix again, then transport it in buckets to the dirt floor, then start all over again. Luckily there were a lot of us (at times too many) to take shifts. Plus the boys were pure work-horses. (We may be equal, but we are not the same- I can NOT shovel like they can).

I cried when they all left to go to the airport. Probably less for missing them and more for wanting to be the one leaving. Little did I know...
(for pics, check out facebook until I post some)