Birdy and Luke Get Sick

Luke And Birdy In Da Lat

Oh, the joys of getting sick! Our bodies are definitely still adjusting to the drastic change in climate, food and culture. Some days it is difficult to tell what's causing us to feel so poorly. It's a good guess that it's a mixture of any of the above, if not all three.

Happy Baby
(our Vietnamese roommates have moved
back to Hanoi, and Birdy no longer has access to cute baby therapy)

Birdy has been sick more times than she can count. She can count pretty high, too, so don't let her abhorrence of math fool you. Symptoms of living in Vietnam seem to include:

• Headaches
• Stomach aches
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Migraines
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Sore muscles
• Sore jaw
• Swelling
• Profuse sweating
• Irritated eyes
• Difficulty sleeping
• Weight loss
• Sun burn

... among other things.

You're Never Far From Your Food Source
(or the limitless pathogens and pesticides it's doused in)

Looking Good In Orange
(snorkeling trip in Nha Trang)

     Going to the doctor is an interesting experience here. We've been a few different times, but we visit the private clinic. The public hospital is cheap... and unreliable. Our fellow English teachers visited the hospital when they first arrived. They drew blood from one of them, with a used syringe. The clinic, on the other hand, is about two minutes from our house and equally inexpensive. When Birdy's stomach was revolting against her authority, she paid $3 US for the visit, $7 for an ultrasound, $4 for blood work, and roughly $7 for a plethora of antibiotics.

A Bay Along the Coast
(between Tuy Hoa and Nha Trang)

 
     And that's how it's done here: with tons of drugs. Are you sick? Here are seven different pills. Why? Because the doctor says so. They don't really tell you what's wrong with you specifically ("your stomach is confused," "you have bacteria") and are amused by the amount of questions we would ask when diagnosed and assigned enough drugs to kill an ivy-league college dorm.

     It's a good thing this country is so beautiful, or we might well go crazy. We don't feel crazy already. Not at all.