Paleface

This past Wednesday, Becki and I went to Santo Domingo with the other first year teachers to begin the long process of getting our visas to live here. When I first heard the news of the trip, I was excited because I am always happy to see other parts of the country. That excitement quickly passed when I realized that this particular trip was the medical exam of the process because I assumed that the exam would involve needles and blood. I was right.

In preparation for the trip, I loaded my pockets with suckers, cookies, and an apple. Anything that would help me feel better in case I started feeling sick. So when the nurse called me to the small, cramped room in the back to have a seat in her chair, there were bulges in both front pockets of all my snacks. I had my iPod playing loudly as I sat in her chair. I closed my eyes, started praying, and gave her my left arm. Not all prayers are answered as I would like though. I felt myself losing it. I pulled out my sucker but unfortunately, that only made me feel worse. And with inopportune timing, I forgot how to say "to lay down". With that phrase gone from my vocabulary, I could only tell the nurse that I didn't want to stand up and that I wanted the floor. She wouldn't let me though so I continued my misery in her chair. Finally, they let Becki come back to me and she helped me walk across the hall to the only spot where I could lay down. After 10 minutes and one apple, I finally felt good enough to walk out. Their eyes followed me out as if they were expecting me to collapse at any moment. I made it out though, thankful that the exam was behind me.