This eye infection seems to be going through cycles. The day before yesterday I thought it was clearing up, however, it came back again. There are now five of us that have contracted it (me, second of the five), and there are two more that are experiencing the 'onset' symptoms this evening. Yesterday afternoon two of us ('the infected') went back to Sorong to have our eyes checked by an ophthalmologist there. Although I'm not 100% in his diagnosis, I certainly feel better having seen a doctor, and he prescribed us some eye drops with anti-bacterial properties (but no oral anti-biotics). We came straight back this morning, and hardly missed any of the workshop.
I have reported the infection (via CUSO) to the insurance company and asked them to check up on the medications, and whether they think they fit the symptoms. I was joking with a friend via email, that maybe I would be able to convince the insurance company that I need re-patriation... you know, just in time for the holidays!?! Haha! No, it seems the doctor is quite sure this is not Trachoma, and only conjunctivitis, and will be better within the week.
We have decided to shorten the workshop back from 12 days to 7, cutting out all the field-testing. It's obvious that this infection is highly contagious, so we are afraid of bring the ailment to remote communities with already questionable health standards where access to medications is impossible!
So... will be back to Sorong on Dec. 3!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
A pretty un-fun experience!
So... we arrived in the field on Sunday afternoon for this Workshop that I have been preparing for ages, and which I am facilitating (the majority of)...
I have excruciating pain in my eyes!!! Seems my 'try anything once' theory is not just an active process (ie. I CHOOSE what I try and when)... I have some weird eye infection (which has now spread to BOTH eyes!). Check me out... uuugh!
It's painful and itchy and runny and watery and swollen and inflamed and altogether annoying and I just wish it would go away! Of course, we're here for 12 days, so I am a little worried!? Actually what worries me more are not my eyes alone, but the funny little bumps that have developed just in front of my ears on my lower jaw hinge... it doesn't seem like swollen glands, and I don't remember any glands just there from Anatomy!?
We were able to get a message back to Sorong to send meds for the eyes with someone we knew was joining us late, and today he arrived with eye cleanser and oxytetracycline. Not a fun thing to use either... after applying it my eyes were absolutely stinging and I was worried I might go blind!? What an awful feeling. But in the end, in fact, they are slightly better already, if that only means that they are half covered in goop and I can now see half of what's going on around me.
Oh yeah, did I mention that I facilitated the first day of the workshop wearing sunglasses and half-blind? Fun.
This is the most recent version... swelling and redness almost gone; in fact, probably 50 % better... well, in comparison with monday/tuesday. Now just insanely itchy!
Scary thing is... I read earlier on the internet that it is most likely trachoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world (yikes!)... so we have anti-biotics coming tomorrow and may have to cancel our field-tests, since it is highly contagious (which we already know, since several of us here have already contracted it; me from another girl on the team first, and since then, two others!)!!!
So... we arrived in the field on Sunday afternoon for this Workshop that I have been preparing for ages, and which I am facilitating (the majority of)...
I have excruciating pain in my eyes!!! Seems my 'try anything once' theory is not just an active process (ie. I CHOOSE what I try and when)... I have some weird eye infection (which has now spread to BOTH eyes!). Check me out... uuugh!
It's painful and itchy and runny and watery and swollen and inflamed and altogether annoying and I just wish it would go away! Of course, we're here for 12 days, so I am a little worried!? Actually what worries me more are not my eyes alone, but the funny little bumps that have developed just in front of my ears on my lower jaw hinge... it doesn't seem like swollen glands, and I don't remember any glands just there from Anatomy!?
We were able to get a message back to Sorong to send meds for the eyes with someone we knew was joining us late, and today he arrived with eye cleanser and oxytetracycline. Not a fun thing to use either... after applying it my eyes were absolutely stinging and I was worried I might go blind!? What an awful feeling. But in the end, in fact, they are slightly better already, if that only means that they are half covered in goop and I can now see half of what's going on around me.
Oh yeah, did I mention that I facilitated the first day of the workshop wearing sunglasses and half-blind? Fun.
This is the most recent version... swelling and redness almost gone; in fact, probably 50 % better... well, in comparison with monday/tuesday. Now just insanely itchy!
Scary thing is... I read earlier on the internet that it is most likely trachoma, the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world (yikes!)... so we have anti-biotics coming tomorrow and may have to cancel our field-tests, since it is highly contagious (which we already know, since several of us here have already contracted it; me from another girl on the team first, and since then, two others!)!!!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
So, I have been very lax in blogging of late... there's a reason for that... I've been INSANELY busy (and thus blogging has fallen lower on the priority list)! I've been preparing all of the activities for the education program, as well as creating a training session for the new education team... which we are leaving for in half an hour! We will be going into the field (the event is being held at the CI Field Station at Waiwo) for a 12-day training session including some environmental education and general education theory as well as (the majority) practical aspects of the program (with several field-tests!), and of course, lots of team-building. We also have two external facilitators coming from Jogjakarta to do a Puppetry workshop/training with the team!
It's all very exciting, and in fact, although I've been running less-formal, internal training on basic ecology and marine science, this will be the first time that this team is really coming together to get the Conservation Education Program off the ground in Raja Ampat!
(and no... the boat is STILL not here... it has had more mechanical delays, and should (crossing fingers) be here in January.
I hope that once we get back from the field I'll have a chance to fill y'all in on the last month and a half, including the CUSO Cooperant Conference (which we traveled to Bandung, Java, for) and our brief return to Jogja (after a year and a half)!
Missing you all terribly as we are trying to make plans for Christmas!
Love and Light,
Ange
It's all very exciting, and in fact, although I've been running less-formal, internal training on basic ecology and marine science, this will be the first time that this team is really coming together to get the Conservation Education Program off the ground in Raja Ampat!
(and no... the boat is STILL not here... it has had more mechanical delays, and should (crossing fingers) be here in January.
I hope that once we get back from the field I'll have a chance to fill y'all in on the last month and a half, including the CUSO Cooperant Conference (which we traveled to Bandung, Java, for) and our brief return to Jogja (after a year and a half)!
Missing you all terribly as we are trying to make plans for Christmas!
Love and Light,
Ange
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Kerupuk
As far as I can figure kerupuk literally means ‘cracker’… but it usually refers to something that has been ‘dried’ first, then fried…
The first time I tried kerupuk was actually in Canada… AGES ago at a nice Chinese Restaurant with my grandparents in Belleville – SHRIMP CRACKERS!!! Light, fluffy, … it’s still one of my favourites. Right up there with banana crackers…
So basically, this is what they look like before frying:
... and this is what they look like after (ready to be eaten):
Of course, they come in all variety of shapes and sizes, colours and flavours, depending on the base... so there's always a new taste around the corner!
As far as I can figure kerupuk literally means ‘cracker’… but it usually refers to something that has been ‘dried’ first, then fried…
The first time I tried kerupuk was actually in Canada… AGES ago at a nice Chinese Restaurant with my grandparents in Belleville – SHRIMP CRACKERS!!! Light, fluffy, … it’s still one of my favourites. Right up there with banana crackers…
So basically, this is what they look like before frying:
... and this is what they look like after (ready to be eaten):
Of course, they come in all variety of shapes and sizes, colours and flavours, depending on the base... so there's always a new taste around the corner!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
HOLY MANGOS!
Our brief return to Manado this time (on the way to the CUSO Cooperant Conference) was full of action and fun and MANGOES … more-so even than our recent holiday!
Other than hanging out with the Latin Contingent most days, and ‘clubbing’ with them a few evenings (lucky for me the theme was ‘beach party’ since club wear isn’t really part of my wardrobe!), we also took them to see the mini-monkeys, and introduced them to the wonders of reflexology and ‘the cream bath’. They don’t really go outside their norm… they spend their days going from the hotel to the stadium to the mall… they’re not really explorers, so they like it when we force them into new experiences.
The previous week when we had blown through Manado, our friends at Bintang Laut said that mango season had begun, but I was disappointed when I went to the market looking for them, but came up empty-handed. But on this trip I found myself pleasantly surprised to see overflowing bins of SIX different types of Mangoes in the produce department on a quick visit to the supermarket! I didn’t even know there were so many different shapes and sizes and smells of mangoes… so I bought one of each, and brought them home to try. The names range from Mangga Madu (Honey mango) and Mangga Harum Manis (Sweet aroma mango) to some that aren’t very descriptive (have no meaning) such as Mangga Kuini, Mangga Dodol and Mangga Gole.
Then when I got to chatting about mangoes with several different folks around town (and in Jogja as well), I found out there actually may be hundreds of different types of mangoes!!! YUMMM!!!!
Upon arriving at the house, we saw our neighbours’ mango tree… exploding mangoes!
I guessed that they would no doubt be by later to get the latest gossip on us, under the guise of bringing us mangoes.... and I was right! See, not only are mangoes sweet, delicious treats, they also bind together society!
Our brief return to Manado this time (on the way to the CUSO Cooperant Conference) was full of action and fun and MANGOES … more-so even than our recent holiday!
Other than hanging out with the Latin Contingent most days, and ‘clubbing’ with them a few evenings (lucky for me the theme was ‘beach party’ since club wear isn’t really part of my wardrobe!), we also took them to see the mini-monkeys, and introduced them to the wonders of reflexology and ‘the cream bath’. They don’t really go outside their norm… they spend their days going from the hotel to the stadium to the mall… they’re not really explorers, so they like it when we force them into new experiences.
The previous week when we had blown through Manado, our friends at Bintang Laut said that mango season had begun, but I was disappointed when I went to the market looking for them, but came up empty-handed. But on this trip I found myself pleasantly surprised to see overflowing bins of SIX different types of Mangoes in the produce department on a quick visit to the supermarket! I didn’t even know there were so many different shapes and sizes and smells of mangoes… so I bought one of each, and brought them home to try. The names range from Mangga Madu (Honey mango) and Mangga Harum Manis (Sweet aroma mango) to some that aren’t very descriptive (have no meaning) such as Mangga Kuini, Mangga Dodol and Mangga Gole.
Then when I got to chatting about mangoes with several different folks around town (and in Jogja as well), I found out there actually may be hundreds of different types of mangoes!!! YUMMM!!!!
Upon arriving at the house, we saw our neighbours’ mango tree… exploding mangoes!
I guessed that they would no doubt be by later to get the latest gossip on us, under the guise of bringing us mangoes.... and I was right! See, not only are mangoes sweet, delicious treats, they also bind together society!
Thursday, November 01, 2007
More Online EyeCandy from Raja Ampat
(even though we're actually back in Jogja for a few days!)
You may be starting to think this might be a subtle coercion tactic to get some visitors coming this way... and although that would be fabulous, I really just want to share the uniqueness of Raja Ampat with all of you. Since it takes hours to upload my own pics, this is the best way!
Sea Life of Raja Ampat Slideshow from pictures taken by CI Communications team.
... and another slideshow this one showing the species that were auctioned off at the Blue Auction.
National Geographic has featured Raja Ampat in their latest issue (the link which I provided you before)... they have expanded their online offerings... you can now explore the sights, sounds and stories from them online. Use the side navigation bar to explore the various pages!
(even though we're actually back in Jogja for a few days!)
You may be starting to think this might be a subtle coercion tactic to get some visitors coming this way... and although that would be fabulous, I really just want to share the uniqueness of Raja Ampat with all of you. Since it takes hours to upload my own pics, this is the best way!
Sea Life of Raja Ampat Slideshow from pictures taken by CI Communications team.
... and another slideshow this one showing the species that were auctioned off at the Blue Auction.
National Geographic has featured Raja Ampat in their latest issue (the link which I provided you before)... they have expanded their online offerings... you can now explore the sights, sounds and stories from them online. Use the side navigation bar to explore the various pages!
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