As the lovely Jen Poe says, I'mma 'tie a bow around' my trip to Ukraine. I realize that I missed out on telling you all the fun things that happened during my last week (a bunch actually did happen, so I feel like you guys ought to know).
A picture of the cool kids I got to stay with this summer... I miss them already!!
So Friday was great, until I felt like I had a fever and had to slow down a bit. I took some ibuprofen and thought nothing of it, until I started feeling feverish again on Saturday while at a friend's house for dinner. By the time I got home, I had a low grade fever. No probs- I was going to just sleep it off like a champ.
Sunday was supposed to be one of the most interesting days since I've been here. I was planning to go with the family I'm staying with to a friend's dacha (kind of like a summer home, only WAY less glamorous than you're thinking right now.... pretty much a shack on a plot of land with fruit trees, gardens, and a swimming hole. Maybe not a summer home in Tuscany, but it makes for a pretty fun day away.) but I couldn't because I had a fever of 103.5 and my throat was literally on fire (not literally... but a stronger sense than figuratively). I was pretty bummed- I was looking forward to seeing more of life in Ukraine and getting to talk more with them, but unfortunately I wasn't able to do it. Instead, I laid in bed all day with the A/C cranked to 18 C covered in ice packs while trying to remember how close my fever was to the grade of fever that causes brain damage (105 causes brain damage... i think i came out of it unscathed).
Not the ideal way to spend the last Sunday in Odessa.
Sunday was supposed to be one of the most interesting days since I've been here. I was planning to go with the family I'm staying with to a friend's dacha (kind of like a summer home, only WAY less glamorous than you're thinking right now.... pretty much a shack on a plot of land with fruit trees, gardens, and a swimming hole. Maybe not a summer home in Tuscany, but it makes for a pretty fun day away.) but I couldn't because I had a fever of 103.5 and my throat was literally on fire (not literally... but a stronger sense than figuratively). I was pretty bummed- I was looking forward to seeing more of life in Ukraine and getting to talk more with them, but unfortunately I wasn't able to do it. Instead, I laid in bed all day with the A/C cranked to 18 C covered in ice packs while trying to remember how close my fever was to the grade of fever that causes brain damage (105 causes brain damage... i think i came out of it unscathed).
Not the ideal way to spend the last Sunday in Odessa.
The worst part was that later on Sunday, I was supposed to go and spend three days living at my language helper (Valya)'s house and just hang out with her for a while. This did not happen, as I was battling some terrible disease. My fever eventually went down and the next day (Monday) I went to the doctor for the second time since being in Ukraine. After looking at my throat, she immediately said I had strep, but that she had to do a few tests just in case, because I either had strep or diphtheria... either a minor communicable disease or something that could kill me... whatevs... nbd.
Being the optimist that I am, I decided that I would diagnose myself with strep, since the strep test would take 2 weeks and I only had less than one left in Ukraine and I didn't feel quite bad enough to have diphtheria. Kurt got me meds from the аптека and I was good to go- I just couldn't touch anything or anyone for 48 hours, which is tough to do in a house where there are young kids who love to give hugs (see first photo).
After a few days on medication, I felt better and was able to go to my language teacher (Tatiyana)'s house for dinner on Wednesday. It was a good last night in Ukraine with friends and my adopted family for the summer. The next morning (Thursday), I flew from Odessa to Istanbul, and Istanbul to Newark, NJ. I was planning on continuing on to Chicago, but weather cancelled my next flight.
Thankfully, though, my parents' house is 2-ish hours from Newark, so instead of sleeping in the airport until my new flight on Saturday, they just came and picked me up! It was great- being able to sleep and be crabby in my own room, watch Batman 3 with my sister, and go to Friendly's. After a kind-of homecoming, I jetted off to Chicago for debrief at TEAM's headquarters in Wheaton until Tuesday of this week.
Now it's Friday and I am home in good 'ol Berks County. If you're around and want to hang out, text/call/FB me- I would love to see you!
Thankfully, though, my parents' house is 2-ish hours from Newark, so instead of sleeping in the airport until my new flight on Saturday, they just came and picked me up! It was great- being able to sleep and be crabby in my own room, watch Batman 3 with my sister, and go to Friendly's. After a kind-of homecoming, I jetted off to Chicago for debrief at TEAM's headquarters in Wheaton until Tuesday of this week.
Now it's Friday and I am home in good 'ol Berks County. If you're around and want to hang out, text/call/FB me- I would love to see you!
I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a giant THANK YOU to all of you who so faithfully supported me in prayer, in finances, and in encouragement. I really appreciated the support of you, my family and friends, as I was in Ukraine this summer. It was such an amazing experience for me that I am still trying to put into words without putting people to sleep, so bear with me. I have learned so much and hope to apply what I've learned to life and ministry in the future. Stay tuned for an exciting update next week... you won't want to miss it!
THANKS AGAIN!!!