Saturday, July 12, 2008

In Which I Try to Remember what BRAT Stands For

Our second work day was much like the first, but with more heat and less water. The water delivery to our job site failed to arrive twice and so it got to be 11:00 and we were working hard in the hot sun, and the water still hadn't come. You want to see some crabby Americans? Deny them potable water. Our apartment was also short on water this morning, so my personal water bottle was already empty when we arrived. Sadness. Thirst. I volunteered to work inside to keep away from the blazing sun, and so I wrapped wires around nails and dug holes and stayed away from the concrete.

The water eventually arrived, but the afternoon just kept getting hotter. Paulina experienced some sort of heat exhaustion and had to lie in the shade and still we worked (although I did keep her company in the shade for a bit longer than strictly necessary).

All of it made me feel old and tired, and so when the young women and Denise went out for cocktails after dinner, I opted to stay home and sleep instead. My sleep was hard and sound, but interrupted by frequent, urgent trips to the bathroom. We have a tourism day planned next. This could be the day I discover the joys of the BRAT diet.


P.S. Don't worry, Mom. I haven't written the next post, yet, but I will spoil the ending and tell you that I found some rice at the market and ate bananas and apples and rice all day. My intenstines have straightened themselves out. I mean, they are still wrapped up inside me as they should be, but they are no longer reminding me of that fact every 20 minutes.

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