Sunday, March 2, 2008

Sickness, Worms and Tranchilas (however you spell that)

Sickness, Worms and tranchilas
Today was not a great day for me, I was sick. It started last night when I came home from another Sunday of church all day; I got home at about 8:30 pm as usual and was really hungry as I had not had supper. I had sustained myself with a few muffins here and there and a bag of Cheetos during the afternoon but I needed some real food. So when I got off the panga I headed for a food stand and got 2 tostadas with grilled beef, I was debating getting 3 but decided that because I was going to go to bed right afterwards I didn’t want to eat that much. As it turned out they were huge and 2 was plenty and I was feeling quite full, not overly full but just really full....I went right to bed. I couldn’t fall asleep as I was feeling very bloated and my stomach felt really hard, now I would like t o say that I have a nice hard stomach all the time but that is just not the case. I felt very uncomfortable and tossed about most of the night. In the morning I was still not feeling well, I was not nauseous just feeling very bloated. I was in the bathroom when I noticed a bunch of little white worms on the floor, very odd and a bit alarming. I got a broom and swept them up and then noticed there were more worms in every corner, including my bedroom.....what is going on? Where are they coming from? Because of all the sand I sweep my floors 2 or 3 times a day and I always wash my floor everyday sometimes twice a day and I have never noticed worms before anywhere. So I frantically sweep everywhere and wash my floors with bleach all the while not feeling great at all.....still just feeling like I should poke myself with a needle and let some air out. I kept trying to throw up but that wasn’t working for me. I felt I needed to empty myself somehow but it just wasn’t happening. I also washed my rooftop with bleach and the stairs coming up just in case the worms came from there; I checked all my garbages but could just not figure out where the worms came from. Once I had them all cleaned up they didn’t come back and I did keep my eye out for them. Around lunch time I was finally able to throw up and felt a little better, I even managed to do all my laundry but later in the afternoon I felt all tight and bloated again. I was supposed to go to Madero at 4:00 to help with the sewing projects but the thought of taking a boat and bus ride almost made me sicker so I decided that I would just stay home, I am after all just a volunteer. I spent most of the afternoon in bed, and never left the house at all. Before I went to bed I turned on the water valve as I believe I was told to do and lifted the lid to my water tank to see how much water was in it and a big black tranchala scurried off the edge...yikkes! I slammed the lid shut and pulled myself together and decided I had imagined him and lifted the lid again just to send him scurrying to the other side...He was as big as my hand, including fingers and black and furry. I decided then and there that it would no longer be any of my business how much water was in the tank. I will run out when I run out. I’m a little nervous that the tank is right beside my door. I’m telling myself that the water tank has been his home for many years and that he is quite comfortable there and has no desire to relocate, as long as the snoopy gringa will stop peeking at him and leave him alone. I wonder what he eats in there. I guess I’m also drinking tranchilla poop.....could explain the stomach troubles....nah, couldn’t be.
I went to bed hoping I would feel better in the morning and hopefully no worms. My stomach and the worms are both a mystery, I just hope they are not related in some way.

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