Exploiding Computer and Butt

While I was writing an e-mail the other day, I mocked Lindsey's propensity to hammer on the keys when typing. Two seconds later, the computer screen went blue and gave me a sweet message of system instability. The computer restarted a few seconds later and then gave me an even better message, "failure to locate operating system". So, to tell a long story short, the computer completely crapped out, I went into town to buy some Chinese versions of Windows, four of which didn't work, then borrowed a Dell system recovery CD from Nick and the computer started working again. Yet, everything on the hard-drive was gone. I lost a lot of stuff I have written and countless other things. Mostly lots of little stuff, but things that just irk you to have lost. So, that started my fun week.

Later that day, when I laid down to go to bed Sunday night, my stomach felt a little off and I could sense trouble was brewing. Let me pause here to warn of the openness that China and the Peace Corp has allowed me to talk about my bowel movements and fill you in on some China poop facts.

I thought it was rather comical a few months ago when I was on the phone with my parents and I told them I felt a little sick to my stomach and had diarrhea. "Oh my, are you OK?", they asked me, sounding rather concerned. I laughed a little and said, "Yeah, I'm fine, everyone here gets diarrhea at least once a week...at least once a week." This is due to the spiciness of the food, how everything is cooked in oil, how the water isn't safe to drink, and the fact that everything is grown using human feces and is not washed very well or with the feces contaminated water. So, we have to wash everything and boil all of our water (Lindsey has a home video with a scene where her friend drinks a glass of water straight from the sink...Chinese heads turn in confusion after seeing this) but, something slips through every once in awhile. Lastly, there is a parasite called Giardhea that over 70% of the Chinese have, but is not tested for in China. The parasite causes stomach aches, diarrhea, cramps, and lots of other fun things. Lindsey had it. Greg thinks he has it and I have a sneaking suspicion that I have it. Yeah! Peace Corp! Don't worry, the parasite is only fatal in rare cases and you can get rid of it by taken some pills, but it is a little stubborn.

So, I fall asleep on Sunday night thinking things are going to be alright, but man was I wrong. At about 1:30 in the morning I woke up and slowly made my way to the bathroom for the first time. I ended up pissing out my butt for a bit and everything felt a little better, but there were still some rumblings. I went back to bed and laid down for about ten minutes and then strolled back to the bathroom to pee (out my butt) some more. Then, something that hasn't happened to me in years (I think the last time was when I was about 6 or 7 and I ate Mac n' Cheese, laid in bed, and then threw noodles up all over the floor through my mouth and nose). Thankfully, the sink is right next to the toilet and I could get two things done at once. I ended up spending the whole night going back and forth to the bathroom, threw up a few times, and generally, felt like dying. We took my temperature sometime in the morning and I had a fever of about 101...celcius. After sipping some water and taking some aspirin type pills I started feeling a lot better around 8:00. If it wasn't for Dr. Aysta (Lindsey), I don't know what I would have done. I felt so bad because I kept her up all night and she had class at 7 the next day, which she still went to. I ended up spending Monday laying in bed getting sentimental watching Christmas specials, then I watched Annie Hall and China Town. I'm finally starting to feel better, but man. Conclusion: Being sick is crappy.

(Some of the pictures are from a little day long bike trip I took on Friday to a village about 4o km away. I made it there by lunch, bought some noodles, and started back. It was a great trip because it's just nice to enjoy some fresh air away from the city and actually see grass and trees.)