Monday, August 2.

I've been thinking a lot about malaria lately.

When I went to the travel clinic before coming here, my drill sergeant of a nurse related to me the horror stories of malaria and the utter diligence I, as a vulnerable traveler, must employ to defend myself from the malaria-riddled bloodthirsty African mosquito. I was terrified of being bitten. I've been taking my Doxycyclene religiously after every breakfast, and applying my 30 percent DEET every evening. My mosquito net is my safe house, protecting me from the vicious hordes of six-legged bloodsuckers as I sleep.

I haven't seen more than ten mosquitoes since I've been here. I think half of those skeeters have dined on my blood, because I've acquired a whopping total of five mosquito bites (each that itched like hell for half an hour and then disappeared). Two weeks in, I realize my chances of coming down with aches and a fever are slim to none. I also realize that I'm not the only overseas volunteer with malaria paranoia. The CCS volunteers have a running joke:

"I have a headache." "That's probably malaria."

"I'm cold." "Ooh, that can be a symptom of malaria."

"My ankles are swollen." "Whoa, that's gotta be malaria." "But I hiked Kilimanjaro today." "Yeah, but you have aches in your legs, too."

"I stubbed my toe." "TOTALLY malaria. You're done."

In other words, if you take precautions, you will more than likely be just fine. But the sliver of doubt is still there. Partly because every local you meet has either had malaria, or knows someone who's had it. It is here, prevalent like the common cold, just not always overtly obvious. Not everyone has a mosquito net--some volunteers handed them out to the neighborhood kids a few days ago. A lot of people don't have access to medications that treat it, let alone the means to prevent it.

So I don't know what to think about that. Except that every person should have a net, for free. What's crazy is that I think a certain former U.S. president from Texas made an initiative out of that one at some point. Hrmm...

P.S. From the waist down, it's all one solid ache. I'm walking like a sailor with scurvy. Mt. Kilimanjaro: 1, Out-of-Shape Wannabe Mountain Climber: 0.

But, it's probably malaria, in any case.