I Don't Want a Sunbath, Just My Mom

So far I've successfully avoided the infamous "Delhi Belly" (knock on wood), but I recently found myself handling a high fever, congestion and cold. I started feeling very ill at the school and my preference not to use medicine was getting lost in translation with the nurse, who speaks virtually no English. She and the rest of the staff were very kind and had the best intentions for me while I was ill, but they had some odd suggestions for how I should get better.

First, the nurse kept bringing me pills that she couldn't really identify, just say that they are "fever pills." She almost held me down to take them until I finally could communicate through one of the students that I did not wish to take any more. Then, after she took my temperature to find that it was 102 degrees, she said, "You are hot, red in face. You need a sunbath." I said, "Excuse me?" Then she made me go lay in the sun, despite more protests on my part. I have never been so hot and uncomfortable in my life. Later in the day she took my temperature and at 101 degrees, she said, "Normal!" Some of the teachers and staff advised that I not eat rice because it was bad for my health. Rice is the essential part of EVERY single meal at the school. If I don't eat it, I'll starve. Considering how I was feeling at the time, starvation didn't seem so bad.

For those concerned, the fever and other symptoms are gone, and I am feeling like myself again, although my struggles rendered me virtually useless during my final days at the school. It also made me question my ability to care for myslef. I'm 24-years-old, have been living away from my parents for six years now, and felt mature enough to go to the other side of the planet, yet the only thing I wanted while I was sick was my mom.