Bottoms up!

Warning: for those with weak stomachs, you may not want to keep reading.

So intestinal issues are just one of the joys of living in a developing country. My digestion problems were, however, accompanied by another special gift... an anal fissure. Yep, I ripped my anus. I realize that this may not be the most appropriate of blog posts, but living in a house with 9 people who I work with and who know my every move has allowed me to be very open about the topic. It all started while I was still in Quito. I had some discomfort, but didn't find it alarming. It continued to get worse, and one day I decided to check out said problem. In the privacy of my own room, I took a picture of my backside. Two other pre-med students and myself then studied the picture and realized a doctor's visit was necessary.

After an amusing e-mail to Bibi (our awesome country director), we were off to the American doctor in a nearby town. While being examined, the absent minded doctor kept rushing out of the room because he forgot things like gloves and a flashlight, each time flinging the door wide with my exposed tush towards the world. I couldn't help but laugh. Well, he immediately diagnosed the problem, gave me a prescription of oatmeal baths and hydrocortisone cream, and sent me on my way. Two checkups later, I am proud to say that I am healed and happy to be done with the uncomfortable examinations.

I'm not sharing this information simply to be crude, but to express the comforts of the Manna House and the loving support I receive from my fellow PDs. When I got home the night of my doctor's appointment, I was given a cake... with a hole cut out of the center.

In all seriousness, I do feel as though we are becoming a unit. We are learning how to live and work with each other, but more importantly we are becoming a support system for each other. We share in each other's difficulties in learning the language, we share in the challenges of development, we share in the love for community members, we share in tears for injustice, we share encouragement, and we definitely have our fair share of jokes.