Advertisement
Published: July 24th 2009
Well, guess who was cleaning her room this morning and uncovered another CHAGAS beetle? Yes, folks, 3 chagas bugs in 8 months. After I killed the first two back in December or January or whenever, I paid to put on a zinc roof. I love my roof. It was a good decision. But apparently there are chagas beetles in the house, as it´s made of adobe, and they are migrating to my room, which is made of cement blocks.
Anyway. So months ago the health brigade people in my site came and put notices up about Chagas, while also putting abate in the pilas for the mosquitos and fumigating the houses and latrines. Great.
But I just found another one. So when they came and put up the signs and I was like ¨This is why I put on a roof! Because I already killed two!¨ But in Spanish. And they had the audacity to tell me that I should have CAUGHT the bug to bring it to the health center to see if it is in fact carrying the Chagas parasite.
Right.
Back to this morning. Cleaning. Listening to some good ole country music, Sugarland, and wham! A beetle! I IMMEDIATELY step on it as soon as I realize what it is. And oh boy did some black thick blood squirt out and it smelled FOUL. Having squished it, I then got a baggie and picked it up... and as I was grabbing it - bag turned inside out over my hand - it moved. I tied the bag and watched it CONTINUE TO LIVE even as its life force was squirted all over my floor and was bleeding out while in the baggie.
I took the bag and beetle to my neighbor who is part of the health brigade. She said to take it to the leader who owns the venta up the hill. So I took it up there and he wrote down my town and my name and was ready to take it out of the bag to put it on the paper to take to the labrotory... and the damn thing was still alive!
He kept it in the bag.
He´s going to let me know what the lab says. Meanwhile, I called the Peace Corps health center and said I´d like to be tested for Chagas. Have I been bitten? I don´t think so. But who the hell knows, and as long as the American Government put me down here and is paying for my medical care, I´ll have the blood test, thank you. And they can send me to a cardiologist while they´re at it and reevaluate my heart after losing exactly 80 pounds. Yup. 232 to 152.
Speaking of governments. ExPres Zelaya has set up HQ in Estelí and is marching to his border to enter his country of Honduras today. Fortunately he´s marching to Las Manos in Nueva Segovia and not to El Espino where Lenin is working today-tonight.
From our Safety & Security guru´s email:
Ex-president Manuel Zelaya is currently in Estelí and is expected to March this afternoon to Las Manos, Nueva Segovia and attempt to enter his country and reclaim his presidency. Reports from the Honduras side inform that hundreds of Zelaya supporters have moved to the border area to meet the ex-president and protect his re-entry from the military. The government “de facto”, gave the military and the police force the order to apprehend Zelaya if he crosses into Honduran territory.
Fun times. Naturally, the whole family is worried about Lenin working tonight. Even though Zelaya says he´s headed to Las Manos and not to El Espino, who knows what´ll go down at either of the border towns.... since there are only two border towns between Nicaragua and Honduras.
More to come when I .... know more..... about Chagas and hearts and border patrols...
........10 minutes later after checking cnn.com....
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/07/24/honduras.political.turmoil/index.html
LAS MANOS, Nicaragua (CNN) -- Ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya walked under a border chain Friday and returned to his country nearly a month after being removed by a military-led coup.
Supporters cheer as deposed leader Jose Manuel Zelaya crosses into Honduras Friday.
"I am not afraid when I work for a just and noble cause," Zelaya said to someone on a cell phone moments after crossing the border, surrounded by scores of cheering supporters.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.142s; Tpl: 0.044s; cc: 6; qc: 26; dbt: 0.0922s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Mom
non-member comment
Well, the news.....
Well, so you've heard what CNN has to say, and I, too, would be, like, FRANTIC about Lenin up guarding the border AND about all of you that are up to the North so far. What has the Peace Corps said about these safety issues?? Any word from them yet? You have other volunteers up in those mountains, too, right? It all sounds so very close to you (Estelli!!) and so volatile!! Yes, I agree. And while at the cardiologist, have him point you toward the thyroid man; OK? Love you, Molly.