See you in 7 weeks

Well, tomorrow morning I'll be up at the crack of dawn to get my flight to the Sepik. The language group is called Sos Kundi. I've got my small backpack and two small cardboard boxes packed with all the possessions I need for 7 weeks.

It's going to be really hot and humid where we're going, so that will be interesting. I will probably get a heat rash, so I'm taking talc to help prevent it, and cream to stop the itching.

We've heard that they are building a new toilet for us. That was very exciting news! It will be nice and clean and not smelly for the first week.

I think I will be able to recharge my camera batteries with a solar panel set up that we are bringing with us, so I won't have to worry about conserving the batteries, which is great.

There won't be any new blog posts for the 7 weeks and you'll get used to not checking it for a while, so write a reminder on your calendar/diary to start checking my blog again after 23rd June. I will have lots of stories to share when I get back and will be updating frequently.

Off to the village soon

On Wednesday I'll be leaving to go to the village with my housemate Elvira and another single lady, Correna. We're going to a village in an area called the Sepik Plains. We won't be right on the Sepik river, but there'll be other rivers in the area. The airport we will be flying to is called Tinboli, and that comes up on Google searches. We will be living in a village not far from Tinboli, about a 40 minute walk away.

Today I have been doing a few things to get ready for going. Firstly, I had a little panic in the shower when I thought about my Thermarest (sleeping mat). I had the terrible thought that I'd left it at Madang when I went there at Easter as I hadn't noticed it the other day when I was getting something out of the bag where I store it and I couldn't remember attaching it to my backpack when we left Madang. Fortunately when I looked for it in the bag, there it was - I was so happy!! Actually I only just realised a minute ago that I didn't even take it to Madang, that's why I couldn't remember taking it home! I must be going crazy!!

This morning I went to Correna's house to soak my mosquito net in permethrin to make the mozzies stay away from my net. Then in the afternoon I went to a nice lady's house and she sewed up and made a travel pillow for me. So I'm beginning to get my things together and organised for leaving on Wednesday.

Bush dancing

On Saturday night there was an Australian Bush Dance on and I went to it. I enjoy dancing and had lots of fun. I danced nearly every dance and this was 2 days after I started malaria treatment. The tablets work well! I was sick with malaria mid-week, and up and dancing on the weekend! I feel so well now that it's hard to believe that I even had malaria last week. I know I didn't imagine it though, because I had a positive blood test.

Not so bad

Last night after I wrote I went to bed. I felt hot and still had a temperature, but it didn't get too bad. This cycle wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I don't think I'll have another cycle now that I've started the treatment, but I might be feeling a bit weak and tired for a few days.

Rather cold

I have been having chills for the past 2.5 hours and I think they only just stopped, but they hadn't when I started writing this. I have also had aches and still have them, but I think the chills may have just finished. My temperature has been around 38 tonight, so it's not too bad.

Still okay

Just a little update to say that I am still feeling okay. I am feeling a bit weak and tired though, that's all. Maybe the treatment has stopped the cycles already, or maybe I go through another cycle in a few hours. Just have to wait and see.

Positive blood test

I went to the clinic this morning and got a blood test done, and they rang me a little bit later with the result. It was positive!! Yay! Yes, it is good to have a positive blood test because I knew I had malaria and I just needed the doctors to agree with me, so that I could start the treatment.

The test was taken when I was not experiencing symptoms so malaria is less likely to show up, but it did thankfully. The doctor said that I had a lot of malaria in my blood. If there was a lot there when I was feeling good, then I imagine that there would be more when I am in a cycle.

I have taken the first treatment dose, but I am expecting another cycle tonight, and a pretty nasty one at that. What I had last night was not nice and I think tonight will be worse. If I have a lot of malaria, I think the first dose is not going to stop the malaria tonight.

I am loving being between cycles just now and feeling fine. That's great. It's nice to get a break from being sick. I think in that way malaria is better than the flu. You just have to wait for the flu to get better, but malaria gives you a break AND you can take medicine to get better.