It was a matter of time. We're told it happens to everyone at least once. Still, I never anticipated reenacting the food poisoning scene from Bridemaids with my husband (if you have seen the movie, you're laughing/throwing up in your mouth a little. If you haven't seen the movie you should.)
Thanksgiving was great. We had a nice dinner at the Ambassadors house with about 12 other guests. We then departed for round two at our friend's home for the large young-dip crowd Thanksgiving where I discovered that my sweet potato souffle (read Miller's - thanks for the recipe!) and green bean casserole had been fully consumed. We stayed late and enjoyed time with new friends, laughing and eating dessert.
Saturday we went to the NGO Bazaar (it occurs once per month) and the German Christmas Bazaar. Yes, you read that correctly. Once a year, the German community in Addis puts on a bazaar where delicious German treats are sold alongside handmade crafts for Christmas such as advent wreaths and ornaments. We were surprised at both events by the quality and craftsmanship of each item sold. By the time we left the NGO Bazaar, every family member's birthday gift had been determined for the year. Later that evening, we returned to our friend's home to finish off the Thanksgiving leftovers from the party.
Then Saturday night arrived...
From 2am to 2pm, Mark and I were mindblowingly ill. Around 1pm, I had been trying to get liquids inside of me for hours with no success. I would sip, throw up, sip, throw up... you get the picture. We called the after hours nurse at the Embassy, who asked us to rotate sips of apple juice and water and try to get in a few crackers. Mark had only vomited once, so this was a plausible request. For me, not so much. By 2:30PM, we were at the Embassy clinic. It's the closest thing we have to a hospital here. The nurse practitioner met us there. She gave Mark oral hydration packets and hooked me into an IV. She then took our vitals. Both of us were running a fever and had low blood pressure. My heart rate was significantly elevated as well. We looked terrible and felt worse. I stopped and thought about taking a picture of how miserable we appeared, and then thought better of it. I hadn't been able to urinate since 5AM so I warned the nurse that this was going to take a while. And it did. We went through 3 bags of fluid before I was "functioning" again. By the time we left the Embassy at 6:30 we were beginning to feel better and could walk without fear of passing out.
We returned to the hotel, giant bag of meds in hand, and asked for a linen change in our room. This was the highlight of our day. Not only did we desperately need clean towels and a fresh bed, but we also had the chance to meet Hannah, the after-hours housekeeper on premise. She's (a) a nurse (b) 9 weeks preggo and (c) an angel. She came over and wiped me down with a cold compress, cleaned up the room, made sure that room service was bringing us toast and water, and called later just to check on us. For all of the many shortcomings that Ethiopia has to offer, it's people are not it. They know of few boundaries, embrace everyone as their own, and are so quick to offer support, advice and a warm hug.
We survived our Bridesmaids moment and are able to laugh about it. If you found this post to be a little TMI, you should know that I've spared you 99% of the embarrassing and hilarious details.
We awoke this morning hungry. That's a good sign. Mark is going to work for a half-day and I'm continuing to rest and drink fluids. Hopefully we'll be as good as new by tomorrow.
What about y'all? Any interesting post-Thanksgiving tummy tumbles? No? Hmm. How was Thanksgiving football? We missed that. Black Friday deals?
Thanksgiving was great. We had a nice dinner at the Ambassadors house with about 12 other guests. We then departed for round two at our friend's home for the large young-dip crowd Thanksgiving where I discovered that my sweet potato souffle (read Miller's - thanks for the recipe!) and green bean casserole had been fully consumed. We stayed late and enjoyed time with new friends, laughing and eating dessert.
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| Ambassador Booth |
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| Proof that the event really does occur. |
Then Saturday night arrived...
From 2am to 2pm, Mark and I were mindblowingly ill. Around 1pm, I had been trying to get liquids inside of me for hours with no success. I would sip, throw up, sip, throw up... you get the picture. We called the after hours nurse at the Embassy, who asked us to rotate sips of apple juice and water and try to get in a few crackers. Mark had only vomited once, so this was a plausible request. For me, not so much. By 2:30PM, we were at the Embassy clinic. It's the closest thing we have to a hospital here. The nurse practitioner met us there. She gave Mark oral hydration packets and hooked me into an IV. She then took our vitals. Both of us were running a fever and had low blood pressure. My heart rate was significantly elevated as well. We looked terrible and felt worse. I stopped and thought about taking a picture of how miserable we appeared, and then thought better of it. I hadn't been able to urinate since 5AM so I warned the nurse that this was going to take a while. And it did. We went through 3 bags of fluid before I was "functioning" again. By the time we left the Embassy at 6:30 we were beginning to feel better and could walk without fear of passing out.
We returned to the hotel, giant bag of meds in hand, and asked for a linen change in our room. This was the highlight of our day. Not only did we desperately need clean towels and a fresh bed, but we also had the chance to meet Hannah, the after-hours housekeeper on premise. She's (a) a nurse (b) 9 weeks preggo and (c) an angel. She came over and wiped me down with a cold compress, cleaned up the room, made sure that room service was bringing us toast and water, and called later just to check on us. For all of the many shortcomings that Ethiopia has to offer, it's people are not it. They know of few boundaries, embrace everyone as their own, and are so quick to offer support, advice and a warm hug.
We survived our Bridesmaids moment and are able to laugh about it. If you found this post to be a little TMI, you should know that I've spared you 99% of the embarrassing and hilarious details.
We awoke this morning hungry. That's a good sign. Mark is going to work for a half-day and I'm continuing to rest and drink fluids. Hopefully we'll be as good as new by tomorrow.
What about y'all? Any interesting post-Thanksgiving tummy tumbles? No? Hmm. How was Thanksgiving football? We missed that. Black Friday deals?
Hey Laurie---so sorry to hear about your turkey tumbles!! But glad the souffle turned out well -- hope y'all are feeling better over there! Wish I could bring you some homemade chicken noodle soup...
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