Bad Way to Find Out They Care

I get regular reminders that there a good number of people in my community who really care for me and consider me a part of their family or community. The reminders can include some free oranges or bananas, a simple smile or hug, or even a special invite. This past week I had an evening full of reminders.

Last Wednesday I was heading down from my site to my city to go do my weekly grocery shopping, and was still fighting a pretty tough cold (though the worst had definitely past). I was in a pickup truck amongst many people who had hopped on at various points throughout the trip, but also happened to be joined by one of my boyfriend's sisters and her husband (Tere and Nelson). Their presence made me extremely thankful towards the very end of the ride when I started to feel light-headed and short of breath. I turned to Tere and told her I wasn't feeling very well and she and Nelson helped me out when I nearly fainted. The pickup stopped at the bottom of the hill and with their help I climbed out of the truck, paid the driver, and hopped on a bus to my city. After sitting down for a few minutes, drinking some water, and some deep breathing I was feeling relatively normal when I arrived in Chalatenango. Part of me knew that I should call the Peace Corps doctor though since I had fainted about a month ago (for the first time in my life) and have had two other recent spells in the States. The Peace Corps doctor wanted me to come into the capital, so instead of grocery shopping I hopped on another bus to San Salvador with my grocery bags in tow and no spare clothes or toiletries. After X-rays and blood tests we confirmed that everything seemed to be fine (minus the pesky cold), and the near faint was random.

The moral of this story wasn't my health though. That afternoon I got five calls from different members of my community checking in on me. Word travels fast (and I had missed a meeting), and people were concerned about me and my health. In the States I doubt a neighbor would ever notice if you didn't come home one night and would definitely not call you to check in. It just is a great example of the caring and kind nature of the people here.