Thank you all for your posts regarding my host sister. I appreciate all the advice and support and I have a small victory to share. I decided that giving Ibuprofen to her, though a good step, simply was not enough. Her vomiting for days and being in so much pain just did not seem normal so yesterday I pulled my "i'm a health volunteer" card and recommended that she go to see the doctor at the hospital (aka. not a 'traditional' healer). She agreed and thanked me profusely and then I also mentioned it to mom, and as of last night she promised that she would go today! As I have not yet been home I have no idea if it has actually happened, but I am hopeful. At least I know that they take me seriously.
I promise to provide updates. Baby steps....
Hello! My name is Caitlin Givens and on March 13th 2007, I leave for the Peace Corps in Senegal, where I will be working as a Rural Preventative Health Educator. This is my first contribution to the Peace Corps' third mission, to "help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans." Please follow along, post lots of comments, and enjoy!
Senegal
Where is Senegal?
Blog Archive
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2007
(86)
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April
(16)
- Spawolfranglaar du Noord
- Week 5
- Site Placement!!!!
- Talibes
- Demyst??
- being culturally integrated..
- Infantile Language Acquisition
- When Cockroaches Attack!!
- Thanks
- PICTURES!!!
- feeling helpless, independence day etc.
- Living a paperless life...
- "Im rockin' the bin bin"
- Letters and packages!
- Davis Enterprise Article
- Pulaar, Internet, Illness, cell phones, and the like
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April
(16)
About Me
Reading List
Running list of books read in country:
Le Petit Prince (for the 9th time), St. Exupery
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
No Logo, Naomi Klein
Strange Pilgrims, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (aka. my favorite author)
Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
The Alchemist, Paul Coelho
Phantoms in the Brain, V.S. Ramachadran & Sandra Blakeslee
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende
Kissing in Manhattan, Peter Schickler
The Worst Hard Time, Timothy Egan
A Long Way Down, Nicholas Hornby
Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder (inspirational!)
The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
Le Petit Prince (for the 9th time), St. Exupery
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
No Logo, Naomi Klein
Strange Pilgrims, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (aka. my favorite author)
Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
The Alchemist, Paul Coelho
Phantoms in the Brain, V.S. Ramachadran & Sandra Blakeslee
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
The House of Spirits, Isabel Allende
Kissing in Manhattan, Peter Schickler
The Worst Hard Time, Timothy Egan
A Long Way Down, Nicholas Hornby
Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder (inspirational!)
The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
Package Suggestions
Because people have often sent me emails wondering what I need, and what’s best to send me, I am putting up a permanent running list of things that I will always appreciate. And of course, getting anything in the mail is always exciting so please feel free to be creative.
Food (think things that won’t go bad easily)
Packaged soups
Boxed macaroni
Granola
Real ground coffee, not flavored. (All we can buy here is instant NesCafe).
Coffee filters
Flavored instant oatmeal
Tea
Snack bars (Cliff, GeniSoy, things of this nature)
Instant packaged dinners
Dried fruit
Nuts
CHOCOLATE
Cereal
Tunafish
Spices (for cooking at the regional house)
Anything involving ingredients for MEXICAN FOOD!
Toiletry Items
Anything that smells good!
Entertainment
DVDs (movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, etc. All will go to the regional house and many PCVs will benefit)
Books!
Already read copies of the Economist (PLEASE!)
Crappy magazines (People, Glamour, Cosmo etc.)
Gifts for my family (think very small)
Candy
Gummi Bear Vitamins (the kids think they’re getting candy and I don’t feel guilty for giving them junk)
School supplies (pens and notebooks especially)
Earrings for my sisters
Bubbles (they LOVE bubbles)
Food (think things that won’t go bad easily)
Packaged soups
Boxed macaroni
Granola
Real ground coffee, not flavored. (All we can buy here is instant NesCafe).
Coffee filters
Flavored instant oatmeal
Tea
Snack bars (Cliff, GeniSoy, things of this nature)
Instant packaged dinners
Dried fruit
Nuts
CHOCOLATE
Cereal
Tunafish
Spices (for cooking at the regional house)
Anything involving ingredients for MEXICAN FOOD!
Toiletry Items
Anything that smells good!
Entertainment
DVDs (movies, TV shows, stand-up comedy, etc. All will go to the regional house and many PCVs will benefit)
Books!
Already read copies of the Economist (PLEASE!)
Crappy magazines (People, Glamour, Cosmo etc.)
Gifts for my family (think very small)
Candy
Gummi Bear Vitamins (the kids think they’re getting candy and I don’t feel guilty for giving them junk)
School supplies (pens and notebooks especially)
Earrings for my sisters
Bubbles (they LOVE bubbles)
DISCLAIMER
This website expresses the views of Caitlin Givens, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States Peace Corps or any other institution or organization named on this website.
1 comment:
hi there!! i'm so glad you convinced her. i was going to say "the pill" but was pretty sure that was unhelpful.
also, i'm sure you got enough suggestions already but just in case you come across it again with other women in the area: try taking the ibprofin starting the day before if you know when that is. i've also heard elevate your legs. hot water container thing like lisa said on the other blog post--you know that squishy kind?--is def a good one. let me know if you guys don't have those there and i can mail you one in a care package for your sister if she still has pretty bad cramps after the doctor (hopefully the vomiting stops--i can't even imagine). hot towels might work in the meantime. you can also fill a sock or something sock like with rice and heat it up--normally i'd microwave but seeing as how that's probably not realistic, i'm sure there's some way you could heat it... and put it on the lower back/stomach--maybe while in fetal position for good measure.
lets see, what else...zinc, vitamin b (i think b6)... i read somewhere online to reduce salt and sugar and caffeine intakes the week before. and also pelvic exercises lying down-but i can't think of any. well...
i miss you and i hope you're having a wonderful time, it certainly sounds like it from the blogs! book worthy really. i will write you my own novella in a letter soon. kinda like this "comment"...oops! xoxox
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