In an unexpected turn of events, I ended up in the hospital on Thursday. On Wednesday I woke up with a stomachache, got worse over the course of the day, and came down with a fever that night. Thursday morning I went to a clinic nearby where they did some blood work. It turns out I had a pretty bad infection.

Despite what my dad thinks, this was not a ploy to get an inside look at the medical system in Peru, but I did get a little bit of a feel of what it's like for some of the patients I have worked with. Being in a foreign country where the predominant language isn't what you are most comfortable speaking is scary when you are sick. You have to put a lot of trust into the medical professionals taking care of you. It is uncomfortable and hard to accept when things are done differently from what you are used to. It's frustrating when doctors or nurses speak quickly to each other in another language and you can't follow. I had never been an inpatient in the hospital until this week, and although I wish it could have been avoided, it was a good reminder that it's no fun being in the hospital. It's so important to remember how vulnerable patients are, and that it's scary to feel like you don't have control over what's going on.

This is the view out the window of my room.

My room was HUGE! My host family joked that we should throw a party.

WOO Electrolytes! 

Today (Saturday), I am feeling a lot better and am hoping to be discharged this afternoon. The past few days have been difficult, but I have been lucky to have frequent visits from my host family, as well as daily FaceTime sessions with my parents, Sarah, and friends. 

Friday morning I couldn't sleep, and I was lucky enough to catch this sunrise over Cusco!

With luck, I'll be posting about more exciting adventures soon!