April n May Food Ramblings, Recovery & Resumes

Before we get started....

Yep, a random pic of my awesome bro... well, their band Witt's End is doin' great, two gigs this month alone! I'm so proud of my baby bro who's kept it together at home, including through the passing of our grandfather, heroic WWII vet Ralph Myers. At 91 his mind was clear and his laughter contagious, his body just couldn't keep up. Kyle sang at his funeral, including his favorite Cheers to living life to the fullest gramps!

And now, full disclosure...food madness...

So apparently once a month Asuncion has a food festival that showcases all the tasty goodness that the hipster foodie movement has to offer here in Paraguay...it was delish, will definitely attend in June!

yep, tacos!

Went to see the Jungle Book in 3D...we kept it classy by BYOB our own wine and ordering fajitas in the mall, definitely gotta repeat this pronto!

My Frenchie roommate is an absolute delight and her culinary skills cease to amaze me, a simple apple upside down pie/cake of sorts paired with local ice cream, so incredible!

she's everywhere

Lentil burgers n salad

Pickle time! Spicy dills, rosemary n oregano chips...

Grillin' feast!

After lunch serenade by Purahei Soul (our neighbors Jenny y Miguel) as our landlord, Magda, sings along in Guarani....magical times @ the Casa Jardin

to warm up the fall! Wild mushroom chicken soup with homemade picked beet and watercress salad, gotta make this one again!

Veggie bbq pizza on pita bread!

 My current predicament:

So after returning from Brazil, I had a mosquito bite that I accidentally scratched open (we've all done this). I dabbed some anti-biotic ointment on it and called it a day...continued training for this 1/2 marathon, eating healthy, the whole bit.

Well, over the course of a week my left leg became very swollen (we called it the volcano) and my ankle swelled up. So I went to the pharmacy and got some staph infection antibiotics (I've had this happen before with mosquito bites or small cuts in a hot and humid climate, so I really thought I had it under control).

Anyways, my right lymph node near my hip became swollen but with the antibiotics everything drained, and after two weeks of bedrest, I was back to running, keeping the wound clean and elevated at night.

A week later (now 3 weeks in) another, this time random, wound opened up on my right leg....same volcano/ankle swelling, so I went to the hospital, and was referred to an Infectologist (yep, we have those here!).

Doc said I'd contracted a funky new strain of staph (I'm guessing at a hostel I stayed at in Brazil) and that the antibiotics that are currently sold in pharmacies here won't treat it. So, I was lanced, bandaged up, and got some strong....HELLA strong antibiotics (they make me sleepy and my tummy isn't the strongest it's been) to knock it out. I'm well on my way to recovery as of yesterday, when everything was cleaned, re-lanced for draining, and bandaged up by the doc....I'll go back Monday for test results, make sure it's not living anywhere else in my body!

Til then I have a couple of weeks to train a bit, work off this bed resting belly bulge, and finish my in person interviews. In the meantime I've caught up with my computer homework (including this blog), began learning French (I'm 25% fluent according to DuoLingo), and completing a few Database Fundamental courses for my upcoming return to Vanuatu as a consultant for a language project headed by Dr. Russell Gray (Google him, he's a pretty big deal) with the Max Planck Institute (Germany-based). 

I'm also volunteering at CCPA (Cultural Center of Asuncion, Paraguay) with the EducationUSA program, an extension of the US Embassy, to aide Paraguayan students looking to study or apply for a scholarship to study in the United States. The first workshop on Statement of Purpose (SOP) writing, for which I've had much help, had 50+ attendees! The second, on Resume/CV writing, only drew around 15, but it was cold and rainy that night. I'm hoping the next workshop will be as fruitful, as I'm working on advising a few students per week on their written work in English, which is tough! But rewarding as ever, giving back to the community feels good when they've helped you out heaps :)