Here I sit in a rented room in Xela, thinking fondly this time last year, when I was stuck in the hospital for a week. I remember the date well, because many of us were in Xela for Anne’s birthday party, and I spent all of it in bed with a 104 fever. As fate would have it, we were passing through Xela on the way back to our site and Anne called me: “I think the mason is trying to cheat us on the price quote; can you help me go over his calculations?” Sure, no sweat; and it was a good chance to take Anne out to dinner for her birthday a few days early, since we couldn’t work it in our schedule to be there on the exact date.

We know a fantastic Indian place that is arguably the tastiest restaurant in the entire country, so dinner was great. However, the evening spent up all night with vomiting and diahhrea was not. Lucky (for me), it was everyone else’s turn. We called the Peace Corps medical office, and they prescribed some antinausea medicine as well as taking poo samples to the local hospital… a location I know very well after my weeklong stay last year. Emily was too ill to move, so Anne stayed with her with I went into the city looking for the things we needed.

McDonalds graciously donated the cups, samples were given, and Anne offered to take Emily’s sample with hers, to save us the trip to the hospital. How’s that for friendship? Anne says the title of this picture should be “Are you ready for Peace Corps?” The recruiters never tell you that you will have to do things like carry your friend’s poop around town in a McDonald’s cup.