Aralen

Oh, before I forget. Last week I met Bartolome Colon (o algo asi), pitcher for the Anaheim Angels (I think… definitely a pitcher for an Angels team, but I’m uncertain about the Anaheim part). Apparently he is from Alta Mira and was in town for a visit. How strange to come into the “central” part of my campo community and find THREE brand-new HUMMERS parked in front of the colmado. One of them even had California plates. Now, please tell me, even if you are rich and famous, why would you go to the trouble of taking a car on an international flight for a vacation?

In other news, four whole months into the Peace Corps-mandated weekly Aralen regimen, I had my first “Aralen” dream. Now, if you feel morbidly compelled to read reviews of this malaria-fighting drug (Dan Beigh gleefully did extensive research before I came here), there are some pretty interesting stories. Suffice it to say that one of the more common side effects is extremely vivid—almost hallucinatory—dreams. Normally I take my Aralen in the morning, so it must wear off enough by nighttime. Yesterday, though, I took it right before bed and had this crazy dream that I rescued a puppy (whose name I couldn’t remember) and a newborn kitten. I then put them in the bathroom and “nursed” them back to health by checking on them once a week. I was distraught at how skinny and sickly they were. It was odd though, because I was both inside and outside of the dream, knowing the whole time that it wasn’t real, but still being upset by it. So now I have another notch on my Peace Corps Moments bedpost.