Guatemala Just Gets Keeps Getting Grosser

I’ve had some observations recently that I wanted to share with everyone about SPA and the celebration we attended with our friends on Sunday and building latrines with our friend Charlotte at the beginning of the week, but I’ve had no time to write about them all. Then I had something happen that stopped the show. I just pooped out a worm. It wasn’t tiny. We’re estimating that fully stretched it was probably between 10 and 12 inches. Though we don’t know for sure, as we never saw both ends of it at the same time. I am incredibly grossed out. Really, Guatemala? Really?

This country has managed to make me feel like one of the most disgusting beings to walk the earth. Seriously. I’ve broken all boundaries. Amoebas that went on misdiagnosed for a few weeks until I was a bloated, nauseous, sick mess. Giardia until I spent nights writhing in pain from bloating and the worst smelling gas I’ve ever, well, smelt, not once but TWICE. Flue free for five years until this past February after receiving both the regular flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine. Sick to the point that I had to take suppositories to stop throwing up. Not to mention the little things like how I get a cold about once every two months here and haven’t had acne this bad since I was a teenager and I NEVER feel like I’m really clean. Now this.

It all started out pleasantly enough, we were in Antigua on Wednesday morning, the morning before our Close of Service Conference started. We went out to the Bagel Barn for breakfast with some friends. I drank, as is my custom, a large mug of coffee with my tasty breakfast and walked back to the hotel. Ironically, on the walk we were talking with our friend Joe about traumatic poop experiences, because we’ve all had them, and we’re all close enough and now shameless enough to share these things. I arrived at the hotel, grabbed my book, went to the bathroom. As I turned around to flush the toilet I almost screamed. “I’ve beat them all on the trauma front,” I thought. There it was, unmistakeable white, dead and floating in the bowl.

We were staying in a Peace Corps favorite hostal, all the rooms around us occupied by our friends and fellow volunteers. “Shut the door, shut the window. Get in here and take a picture,” I said to Jaime. He looked frightened. “I just pooped a worm, and it’s huge,” I whispered, still in shock. Thing is, before we left for Peace Corps, our friends daughter, who is rather into all things gross, told us that if one of us ever pooped a worm she wanted to see a picture. The picture was for Elena, and for the PC nurses.

Here in Guatemala, we’ve learned to deal with things by sharing, so within about 20 minutes, all of our friends at the hotel knew about the worm and had seen the picture. Jaime shared it mostly. I left the hotel and went shoping. The picture is too gross to post. If you want to see it, if you REALLY want to see it, email Fletch and request the photo. But I refuse to post it. This is disconcerting on many levels.

1) I poop in a latrine on a regular basis, which means I never turn around to flush the toilet. How many worms might I have already passed without knowing it?

2) How many other worms are currently inhabiting my intestines? I am on a three day medication to kill all of them, and as the nurse said, “Don’t be alarmed, you might be defecating worms for up to a week after you finish the pills.” Ok, not alarmed, but a little traumatized.

3) Everyone asked, “Didn’t you feel them? Didn’t you feel extra hungry, or weak, or a loss of appetite, or an upset stomach?” NO, no, no, no, and no. Thing is, my stomach just doesn’t feel peachy here. It hasn’t since training. I’m used to feeling tired because if not phsyically exhausting Guatemala is always emotionally exhausting. I always have mild diarrhea. I’ve been doing a lot of physical labor recently and just got over another terrible cold, so feeling weak felt normal. The only thing I can remember is that a few weeks ago while traveling I felt like I was going to throw up every night before I went to bed. I just thought I was road weary. It’s kind of disturbing to me how I can exist with such huge parasites feeding off me and never ever notice. Gross.

So that’s my story. It’s gross. I feel terrible, more emotionally than phsyically. I dread having to go the bathroom. Who knows what I’ll find next? And yet, in all of this I think, “Well, now I know what Guatemalas go through.” I think of children with worms, pregnant women with worms, men eating stacks of tortillas, they’re bellies full of worms who steal their nutrition. It makes me thankful I’ve been taking my vitamins. Maybe I’ve needed that extra boost more than I knew… And also, can I just say, I’m kind of glad to be going home soon. Guatemala, you are at once such a beautiful place yet so disgusting.