This country is trying to kill us!

Okay. So over the past nearly three months, people have been getting sick off and on. This is inevitable in a dormitory environment... there are lots of germs floating around and people are living in close quarters.

However, recently, it seems that circumstances have definitely taken a turn for the worse. First, one of the day students has a horrible case of chiggers (I might have mentioned this before) that covers her entire body. Her wounds scabbed over but some are bleeding and she is now in San Jose (the capital) seeking treatment at a hospital. A few dorm students have infected insect bites as well; one was awakened last night to a scorpion in her bed, stinging her. Don't get me wrong, I still love Costa Rica, but now the health problems have reached me.


After having a sore throat for a few days, I ventured to the doctor where I was poked, prodded, and examined. When I arrived, my legs had several small red dots that looked like mosquito bites (though some were smaller), but the doctor didn't seem concerned. Instead, he was more worried, and for good reason. A) I have strep throat. Great. This resulted in a ~$60 expenditure on antibiotics at the pharmacy. B) I have some sort of infection in my ear. It may be bacterial, it may be fungal (GROSS), but overall I am not allowed to get in water again without earplugs for some time. Great. So those two things suck, but both seem treatable, and antibiotics make life way better.


However, I spent my evening tonight dining and playing a board game with my coworkers. In their air-conditioned, closed house. And at the end of the night, the 50-some "bites" on my legs have expanded exponentially. They now reach all the way up my legs and they are occurring in much greater quantities. Great. It now appears that I have either an allergic reaction or a rash. Or some kind of pox (I'm hoping not that last one). So I will be returning to the doctor tomorrow and begging that they look at it. If it isn't better by Monday, I swear I'm booking a flight to the United States for our Thanksgiving break. I must see a real doctor about this nonsense, and soon! Thankfully I chose the international coverage insurance. I love Costa Rica, but given all my suffering and that of my fellow students/employees (to wit: the aforementioned maladies, as well as dengue fever, an intestinal infection, a terrible burn, a broken arm, an ATV accident, and a back scratched up by barbed wire), I think that this country may just be trying to get rid of all us foreigners in whatever way it can

Cross your fingers for my health to return!