Being Sick Away From Home

The challenges, growth, and reflections on feeling crummy 4,000+ miles away from home:

“The hardest thing to do is leaving your comfort zone. But you have to let go of the life you’re familiar with and take the risk to live the life you dream about.” T. Arigo

Working with children is an extremely fun and rewarding job, however, it certainly comes with the inherent risk of getting sick. Unfortunately, I have been out of action since Friday with a horrible sore throat, no voice at all, and a cough after a week of being sneezed on by little children. After being away from home a month now, I have finally been hit with the first real wave of homesickness and while I have had the time of my life here in Peru, there is also the not-so-glamerous side of travel that comes with being away for so long. Being so sick away from home has given me new perspectives, challenges, and opportunities for growth that have taught me a lot about what comes with independence and authentic travel experiences. 

Being in this position I am recognizing many things I miss about home as well as practicing appreciating the things and people around me here. 

Some things I am missing from home:

• My parents

• My dog Tucker and cuddling with my cat Luna

• Comfort foods 

• Hot and steamy showers 

• My warm bed 

• The warmth of Colorado summers – this year's winter in Cusco has been getting so many people sick and the chilly nights have been hard for recovering.   

Some things I am grateful for here:

• My incredible homestay dad Victor who has taken care of me around the clock making tea (particularly an infusion of fresh ginger, limes, honey, cinnamon, and cloves), chicken soup, and his grandma's old home remedies. He has accompanied me to the clinic late at night without me having to ask and been such a kind support to me. I am sure I would be struggling much more without him and I feel so lucky to have gotten such a caring homestay placement. Tonight he came home from the grocery store with an extra fuzzy blanket for me to make sure I am as warm as possible.

• Cheap and accessible healthcare. A doctor was at my apartment to treat me within 20 minutes of requesting one and the night I went to the clinic I was back at my apartment in bed 45 minutes after I left for the clinic. 

• Housemates who have been kind, understanding, helpful, and cheered me up while I feel so sick. One is sick with me and the other was sick the whole week before I came so we have bonded over our dislike of bronchitis and unfortunately high rates of contact with sick children.

• A flexible schedule and program that has allowed me to take some days to rest and recover at home. 

• The independence and skills this experience has helped me to grow.

• The many many tea options available in my homestay house! Drinking tea with every meal is a popular part of Peruvian culture so even before I got sick there would always be a group tea time at breakfast and dinner. Being sick, I am now drinking at least 10 cups of tea per day and I am extremely grateful for the immense variety of options to choose from. My personal favorites in the house are menta muña (andean mint), coca, and green tea with fresh lime and honey.

• Being able to Facetime with the people I love, even though they are far away I am so grateful I can still connect with them.

Getting sick is all a part of the experience, a part that I expected to come up sooner or later. It has revealed some more of the challenges with longer-term traveling and showed me how much I can miss my home comforts and family when I don’t feel well. But it has also taught me how to be in uncomfortable situations when I am in a completely new environment and showed me that there is always love and support around me, no matter how far I am from home. 

Taking the time to step back and rest when there are so many exciting things to do and experience – especially when I know my time here is limited and seems to fly so quickly – is hard. Finding the balance between taking care of myself while also getting the most I can out of each day has been an important learning experience and definitely takes a lot of self control, patience, and practice listening to what is best for me. It is an important life skill that will benefit me in the future and one that I know often takes a lot more time for people to develop. Practicing taking care of myself, setting my own boundaries, and recognizing my needs is a skill I know I will continue to grow throughout this gap year and the rest of my life and I am grateful that this challenge is helping me grow. A big part of growth, travel, and independence are the things that push me in new ways and test my ability to embrace every part of this incredible experience – to live and grow in all the unique situations and challenges it has brought me. 

“Whenever you feel uncomfortable, instead of retreating back into your old comfort zone, pat yourself on the back and say, “I must be growing,” and continue moving forward.” T. Harv Eker