The Nelson Family Indonesia

You know it intellectually. You move to another part of the world, the flora and fauna are different. Climate is different. Microbes are different. There will be issues.

One of the less glamorous aspects of working abroad is adapting to these differences, and therefore coping with the resulting issues. The tricky part is you’re never quite sure what you’re dealing with. Is it a cold? Is it the flu? Is it an intestinal issue brought on by the street food you had the night before? Or, dear Lord, could it be malaria or dengue fever brought on by one of the innumerable mosquito bites?!

Rev. Wood’s experience – which matches ours in our short three months in Indonesia so far – is this is just a part of life here. Every few weeks or so you can expect to wind up with a fever. It may last a day or two. You’re never quite sure what caused it. You just deal with it.

Caedmon came down with something Sunday. That evening I had it as well. Nobody else has gotten it. We’ve all eaten from the same places over the last few days. What the heck!?! Caedmon’s back to about 80% capacity. I hoped mine would have passed by now but last night was a second night of fever sweats and fever dreams. I trust I’m through the worst of it and tomorrow will be better.

But it’s an adjustment for a pretty darn healthy family to realize this will be an ongoing issue for each of us at different times and different ways during our stay here. Thankfully we deal with it (and each other!) pretty well. Drink lots of water (something we’re still learning how to do). Supplement with coconut water (viewed by the locals the way Gatorade is viewed by many Americans). Get plenty of rest. Be careful in the heat. And when you get laid out for a day or two with a low-grade fever, just roll with it. Tomorrow’s another day!