No More Avocados

It will be a long, long time before I am ready to face another avocado.

Honestly, I love guacamole. There is no greater complement to Spicy Black Bean chips than a well prepared guacamole. However, after my latest case of food poisoning, I can't imagine eating anything containing avocados for at least a year.

This was my third case of food poisoning in two years. The other two cases took place in Central America, so they're really a whole different ball game. However, even one case of food poisoning in two years is really one case too many.

Sierra Mist, I Love You

I woke up on Friday morning with the worst feeling in the world: a raging case of food poisoning. I spent the next six hours barricaded in my bathroom, projectile vomiting. Fifteen times.

Did I mention that it was 1:30 in the morning? And that I really had to be at work the next day?

Needless to say, work didn't happen. I called the school switchboard at 5 a.m., just to let them know I cared. I e-mailed all the teachers I could reach, before sprinting back to the cool, cruel recess of the bathroom.

All of that changed when I met you. You took away my pain. You filled my very soul (and my stomach). Oh, Sierra Mist, how I love you.

Return from Guatemala

So, I'm back from Guatemala. My posts have been really erratic, which, unfortunately, I can't just blame on being gone. I could try to blame them on a horrible case of food poisoning on the small island of Ometepe on Lake Nicaragua, or the frantic rush to get my few remaining belongings and I through the protests and riots in Managua in time for my flight, but that wouldn't be totally honest. Instead, I'll just chalk it up to the crazy fun of everyday life, and typical procrastination.

Aside from an intestinal worm picked up from some bad juice on Ometepe and some lingering after effects from being shot at, I'm happy and healthy. I'm enjoying the cold, fresh water that can actually be drunk straight from the tap, and the lack of bedbugs and fleas. It's amazing how one case of bedbugs can really mess up a trip! You have to wash all of your clothes, break out the flea powder and bug spray, and avoid the classic cheek kiss used for greeting until you are bedbug and flea free. There is nothing like coming home to your own bed!

I really miss my host family and the baby. They were so incredibly sweet and kind to me. They made sure I always felt comfortable, and included me in all of the family events. I got to learn how to dance Marimba, and the grandma taught me how to wash my clothes by hand and grind rice for tamales. I will be forever grateful to them for keeping me sane and healthy.

Not An American Road Trip

Today I drank this great drink made of cocoa beans. It was sweet and a little chocolately. This is the advantage of travelling: getting to try all sorts of new foods. It balances out some of the bad parts: bumpy bus rides, food poisoning, and bed bugs. This definitely isn´t an American road trip.