Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory -Gandhi

My best friend wrote this to me,

"Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory" -Gandhi

I have not revealed completely what has been going in my life because it's been hard to deal with. Post my appendectomy, I got a very serious double eye infection. After seeing 5 different doctors in Dar es Salaam, I was allowed to go back to my village to try to continue recovering since things seemed to be improving, slowly but surely. The biggest complaint at this point was blurry vision. I was diagnosed with a fungal eye infection and not only my doctors, but I agreed it was best for me to try recovering at my village since they take a long time to go away. But after much patience mixed with anxiety, my vision started fluctuating - getting better and then getting way worse. Jon and I were both very unsettled by my compromised vision. The Peace Corps doctor listened to our worries and fears and agreed it was best for me to get care from a more developed nation with more experienced doctors.  In under 48 hours, Jon and I got from our village to South Africa for better medical care.

It's not a fungal eye infection but something called adenoviral conjunctivitis.  The doctor put me on the right medication and my vision has improved drastically in the course of only 24 hours. I've been near tears being able to see things so well again. I see the doctor again on Monday and we go from there with the severity and condition of my eye.

In the meantime, we are surrounded by other Peace Corps volunteers who have also been medically evacuated for their own individual health conditions.  It's very nice because we are our own little support group for each other.  South Africa is just amazing. Jon and I got picked up in the airport and were simply amazed by the 5-lane highway, the cleanliness, and the development around us. It's so hard to believe that this is still Africa.

It's also been reassuring because we didn't miss any teaching last week or this week because of Easter break. I feel better knowing that I am simply missing vacation time.

So, I truly hope this is my moment of struggle in my great accomplishment of Peace Corps and that I am able to return to my village and continue teaching.