Fever hurl

Longer-than-usual hiatus from the blogging due to combination fever, cough, turbos---s, and as of now, a plugged ear. Although I shouldn't complain. The second actually helps the third along when you're doing both simultaneously. The only problem is the mess. I've had to clean off my ankles (remember, squat toilets) a couple of times.

Sorry, that was gross. But not as gross as this: I've gotten used to looking at my poo so checking it for worms at the Peace Corps Medical Officer's request has not been a problem.

The overwhelming front-burner item has been the bombings here. Nearly every day there's a new bunch of threats or some bomb someone found or detinated somewhere in the country. They're usually all small bombs, and to call the bombers a rag-tag group would be to call a lynching mob a fully functioning democracy. But the story's long and sad, and to put it briefly the government's too busy bickering to combat the problems of ignorance and poverty that have bred and will continue to breed suicide bombers like these. I'm not scared of getting bombed. The chances are still like a billion to one of getting hurt, because they're not targeting foreigners (yet). I'm scared that Peace Corps will get scared and then we'll have to start all over or worse, just go home. As much as I'd like to take a hot shower, play some video games, and go to the Olive Garden, I really don't want to go.

And if we go, all the Bangladeshis we leave behind have to live with it while we get whisked away to let them figure it out of their own. Several times that jerk in the back of my mind (who rooted for the American swimmer over the Cameroonian), on a bad day, will think, "Screw you people! You can't figure it out, I'm out of here and you can bomb the crap out of yourselves! Y'think we love it here?" Except, to be honest, the language is more colorful in reality. And invariably following that, I slow down and remind myself that this kind of crap is why Peace Corps exists. Then I beat the maidservant and feel better. (I shouldn't have to say this, but that was a joke.)

Goal of saving world may take 5 months instead of 4 1/2.