The one with the Medical Evacuation

What is Med-Evac? Peace Corps loves it’s abbreviations… this one is much more obvious though, not like APCD, COS, VRF, PCMO…..a Medical Evacuation is when a volunteer is sent out of his or her host country for medical care that cannot be provided at post. Sometimes the evacuation is to another country within the volunteer’s region, and sometimes it is to Peace Corps headquarters in Washington DC, depending completely on the issue at hand. A med-evac can last up to 45 days; at that point if the issue cannot be resolved or stabilized the volunteer goes through a med-sep (medical separation) from Peace Corps (an honorable discharge due to a medical condition that prevents the volunteer from being able to successfully complete his or her service).

Why am I on med-evac? The decision was made between the PCMO’s (Peace Corps Medical Officers) in Honduras and OMS (Office of Medical Services) in Washington. I have developed a condition that they want to monitor and stabilize, and make sure I am healthy enough to go back to Honduras. My chances are good for getting approved to go back to country, but I will probably be here for the majority of the 45-day span.

What does med-evac in Washington DC entail? I am put up at an apartment-style hotel in one of six rooms that Peace Corps leases out for med-evac’d volunteers. I am given a stipend for food (along with a complementary continental breakfast provided at the hotel). I have daily/semi-daily appointments with medical staff at the Peace Corps office. I can meet other evacuated volunteers serving around the world. My time without appointments is my own free time (yesterday I found the White House!). Once I am more settled and less flustered, I will hopefully start working on my manual.

How do I feel about the process thus far? I am impressed. Peace Corps really has made a commitment to its volunteers and I have be treated with nothing but the utmost respect from staff here in Washington. They even sent someone to the airport to bring me to the hotel because my flight came in late and they didn’t want me to have to worry about getting a taxi (even though staff in Honduras had already given me a sufficient amount of dollars to cover the cab fare). The people I am working with are wonderful- empathetic, concerned, and determined to fix the situation. I was given an extra sweater my first day because my case nurse thought I looked cold (she was right). Just walking by the office, seeing large photographs of volunteers serving with quotes from JFK, I am proud to be part of such a passionate organization.

When I first arrived at the office, someone working in the reception room (a former volunteer in Guatemala) said he wanted to guess where I was coming from based solely on my presentation. He guessed Ghana, Africa- he said I looked “too clean” to be coming from Latin America. Hahahaaha. I told him I had already taken 2 (awesome) showers in the 10 hours since my arrival. He understood, and we shared a moment of solidarity based on our service in neighboring countries.

The difference a year makes....

The teachers at my kinder once again threw a birthday celebration in my honor, just as they did last year, complete with a pinata, cake and lots of hugs.

Last year I turned 23 just a few weeks after getting to site. Though I hadn't quite found my spot in Gracias yet, I was well on my way to making new friends:


Last week, I turned 24 after having been here for over a year:


You can't see all of the changes that have taken place over this past year in these pictures, but they're there.... Also, please take note that this year, the kids are waving at the camera (wonder who they picked that up from.....)

Peace Corps Pounds

In everything I read pre-Peace Corps, it all said the same about weight: Girls tend to gain it, guys tend to lose it. After being in Peace Corps for over a year, I can confirm to this statement. From talking with frustrated female volunteers, and seeing a few male volunteers waste away…. It’s true! But WHY? Honestly, it probably has more to do with the person than the sex, but it is awfully intriguing to see the truth in that statement, and wonder if it has more to due with the trend of pre-Peace Corps lifestyles among men and women or if it is an actual difference in the physical reaction to Peace Corps countries/new foods/different climates, etc.

Why have I gained weight? I blame this mostly on how a different lifestyle coincides with a different exercise routine. I don’t think it has to do with food anymore. It certainly did during the first three months when my host families were feeding me lard-saturated grease balls three times a day (they use copious amounts of oil and lard in almost all dishes here). But I have been living on my own for almost a year…. I rarely have snacks. I eat less than I did living in states due to more complicated preparation processes and sometimes the heat affects my appetite. When I do eat, I eat mainly vegetables! Veggies mixed with scrambled eggs, veggies inside a tortilla, raw veggies, veggies mixed with pasta or rice if I’m feeling ambitious! I don’t think the way I eat here would cause me to gain weight, if anything you’d think it would do the opposite.

Before coming to Honduras, I went to the gym 4-6 days a week, not for that long, maybe an hour, and I certainly didn’t stray much from the basic elliptical or treadmill (or sometimes those fun rowing machines!). But I’ve realized that those machines burn more calories than walking or jogging outside. I exercise in site, but it’s complicated. If I go walking, it has to be before it gets dark. Sometimes my schedule allows for that, and sometimes it requires me to wake up super-dooper-early and go before work (which usually results in snoozing through my alarm). In rainy season it is even more difficult to plan and stick to a routine because the sky could open up at any minute. Rainy season is half of the year. Also, exercising outside at times makes me more stressed out when it use to help me relax, due mainly to excessive and rude male attention. My mom has sent me a few workout DVDs, and I do them in my room sometimes to hide from the cat-calls, but it’s just not cutting it. Depending on the week, I usually do some sort of exercise minimal 3 times a week, maximum 5 which sounds normal, but I think compared to my life before Honduras, it’s not enough to keep the weight off.

I come from a larger family, we’ve got it in our genes. You have to work really hard to maintain a healthy weight. That’s easy to do when you’ve got the resources, but just eating well isn’t enough. I’m not complaining (though it’s frustrating). I wanted to share this well-circulated statement of how women tend to put on weight during service while men tend to lose weight, and share my personal experience in regards to weight changes. I've accepted the fact that I can do everything in my power given the circumstances, but this just might have to get put on the back-burner until I become a member at a gym after my service. I know there are far more important things in life, and it’s not like I’ve gained one hundred pounds. I just thought it was an interesting topic!