The Bad Week: The Aftermath

Written May 16, 2012
Fort Dauphin

    Well, this country never ceases to amaze.
    First of all, I got over my fever, thanks to the antibiotics.  I feel fine now.  All hail the great god Cipros!
    On Sunday, I heard more taunts coming from the gambling ring.  I calmly walked right into their midst and said, “If you want to talk to me like men, you’ll talk to my face.”  That seemed to get their attention.
    I talked with Dr. Jean-Claude about the Médecin-Inspecteur’s demands.
    “He only wants results on paper that he can send back to Tana,” the doctor assured me.  “He doesn’t really know what’s going on in the villages...  I’m satisfied with your work, you don’t have to worry.”
    I made new plans for a project in the future.  I don’t want to reveal the details yet, but if it happens it’ll be a creative project.  I may not know much about medicine, but I know how to get things on camera.
    My backpack was insured, and my parents should be getting another one for me.  It should get here on June 16th, when my lovely girlfriend arrives.  And even if circumstances were different, I could just buy a large backpack in the market here and make do.
    And on Monday some of the gamblers called me over to talk with them, just like I had asked that they do.  Only a few of the most immature ones called me vazaha, quietly, sneaking around the edges of the group like hyenas.  The others seemed genuinely interested in me, even contrite that they’d mocked me earlier.  I talked with them for a good hour, and we got on pretty good terms.  Could it be that the May Ninth debacle was really blessing in disguise?
    This country is strange.  My service here is one third over.  Should be a lot more strangeness to come.