…a staphylococcus infection in my throat! We went to see the doctor this morning, and she met with us promptly. “All tests are still negative, except for the throat culture,” she explained, and showed me the lab reports. Now I have been directed to take ten days of Ciprofloxin, a powerful antibiotic that the FDA has only approved for “severe and life-threatening bacterial infections.” Yep, that’s Guatemala for you- they think that something it the right tool just because it is the fanciest and/or most expensive. I see so much antibiotic misuse here; since all medicines are over-the-counter, people even use antibiotics to treat viral infections (which is pointless). I’m sure that the third world is singlehandedly advancing the world crisis in antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains. But I digress.
Yesterday we went to visit our friend Anne’s site, as it is very close to Xela. She has a nice little apartment in a tiny but friendly village. It was refreshing to spend a few hours with her as she walked us around town, showing off her home. Though she’s had some trouble just like everyone else, she spoke positively and enthusiastically about her town, her coworkers, and the projects she’s working on. It seems like many of our friends are at an emotional low point in there service, so it was a great relief to spend time with someone who isn’t. It makes us feel less guilty that we’re having such a good time too.
The only other thing of interest is that we went to a strange bakery yesterday, “Bake Shop.” The locals pronounce it “BAH-kay SHOWP,” as they don’t really understand what it is: a real-life Mennonite bake shop right here in Guatemala. It was delicious, and carried such midwest American favorites as vanilla pudding filled donuts, banana bread, and “whoopie pies”. All were delicious. Here is a picture of Emily telling the workers about how her Menonite nanny used to make them whoopie pies when she was a kid.
OK, tomorrow night we should be back in our village. Thanks everyone for all your emotional support and well-wishing.