dengue.

So my first time getting sick overseas, far far away from home. And it had to be that, God? This is what went through my mind for a while during the sickness I contracted. Dengue. High fevers, shivering uncontrollably in the night, unable to sleep at night, achy bones and joints, disinterested in things that usually interests me, headaches and sore eyes, and a rash that itches. It was not a fun experience, but like all of my experiences, happened for a reason.

I think it happened because it is all part of living in God's kingdom down here in Brasil. When I was still contemplating on coming here for either 3 months or 6, my friend basically made my decision for me. We hung out at school together a lot and talked about almost everything. She asked me why I am thinking 3 months instead of 6. I told her because that would get me back home in time for Christmas. I wanted to spend Christmas home with my family, just like every other year. She then rebutted by suggesting, why not stay there for Christmas? You would be able to experience something different, so why not? That statement right there is why I am still here, pushing for 5 months now. Why would I cheat myself out of an awesome, new experience by going back to something I have done for years? Christmas in Brasil was awesome by the way. If I know you personally, I will tell you why sometime.

My point? (not sure...) But maybe what I am shooting for is this: 3 months here would not have given me dengue. That could be a good thing, but I beg to differ. Getting dengue was an experience. Plain and simple. Experience is knowledge. There would have been many other experiences I would have missed out on, but dengue would have definitely been out of the picture. The sickness gave me a new perspective on life here. I would have never learned how to spot a dengue mosquito, and people would think I am an invincible white person who never gets sick. But I'm not. I'm living the Brazilian life. And I like it.

This makes sense to me in my own way. I tried my best to explain it for everyone to understand too. Sorry if I failed...