Worms

What are worms?  Worms come in many different shapes and forms.  According to Wikipedia, “worms are many different distantly related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body and no limbs.  Worms vary in size…”

In case you were wondering, this is an earthworm...

When thinking of worms, often most people will think of earthworms (the worms that you find in the ground).  When I think of these types of worms in relation to my Peace Corps service, I think of the agriculture/environment volunteers and their gardening.  Earthworms are often a very important and necessary part of that kind of work.  But the most recent worm that I had to deal with was not this kind of worm…

I found this illustration, and personally though it was somewhat helpful...

I went to the states to visit my family in December for Christmas.  I went back to Ethiopia at the beginning of January and within a couple of days being back in my town, I started feeling a little funky.  After having a bowel movement or two, I discovered why…  worms!!! AKA PARASITE!!  To be honest, there are worse things (much worse things) in this world…. But having a parasite wasn’t fun.  It was actually kind of aweful… I mean, breaking my arm into multiple pieces five years ago was much worse in the long run… but still, I would recommend NEVER EVER EVER getting sick in Ethiopia!  It’s the worst!  I was lucky and with some medication, I was better within a couple of days…

Here is a list of the symptoms that you could potentially experience while there is a parasite in your system:

• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Gas or bloating
• Dysentery (loose stools containing blood and mucus)
• Rash or itching around the rectum or vulva
• Stomach pain or tenderness
• Feeling tired
• Weight loss
• Passing a worm in your stool

All I’ll say is that I did experience some (but not quite all) of these symptoms.  I will spare you all any graphic details and not go into which I did have to deal with.  It’s safe to say that I am extremely glad that I was in my house by myself most of this time.

If you ask any Peace Corps volunteer (or are one reading this post, you would probably agree), they will probably tell you that it is inevitable that you WILL GET SICK during your two years of service.  And when you get sick, it’s one huge ordeal in itself.  It is no fun at all.  The various ailments that you may face will vary a bit depending on which country/continent you are on.  You would definitely not experience the same illnesses in Eastern Europe that you would experience if you were to be in Africa.

Within my Peace Corps experience, I have actually been very lucky.  I have really only experienced bacterial infections and colds (and the one parasite).  But I have gotten sick on an average of about once or twice every three or four months.  And being sick in Ethiopia often means being sick twice as long as you would be if you were suffering from this same sickness in the states.

Common illnesses Ethiopian volunteers experience:

• Common cold
• Flu
• Various bacterial infections
• Various parasites
• Malaria  
  
• Typhoid
• Typhus
• And the list goes on and on

So it is safe to say that if you have a weak immune system and are prone to getting sick, maybe serving as a Peace Corps volunteer is not the best life choice for you (at least in choosing to serve in Africa and maybe Latin America)… you’d maybe be okay in Europe somewhere….

So good luck with any international travel!  Stay safe and healthy!  Don’t get sick!  But just in case, always carry some anti-diarrheal medication (and some cipro wouldn’t hurt either)!