Why am I sick?

So despite starting the semester feeling a bit dodgy after a big Central American holiday and spending $400 pesos on some freaking medicine to fix me (the meds DID work but I remain suspicious of Mexican Doctors and their over enthusiastic prescribing methods) I have remained relatively... well VERY healthy for a good 3 months. Despite a lifestyle that would make my mother cringe, a country where there are a myriad of different types of germs to enjoy and the fact that I am accustomed to very clean Australian conditions I have been quite lucky... especially when a week worth of bum shots and exotic infections are not uncommon amongst us exchange students.

But last week disaster struck. Sitting in class I heard a loud growl. Actually I'm pretty sure that everyone heard my growl. And it persisted. And it just would not stop! After about 5 minutes of growling I realised that it was my STOMACH that was involuntarily making that growling sound and then came the downward pressure on my intestines. It was a make or break situation. And it didn't stop there! For almost a week the growling, the discomfort, the strange coloured and shaped poos and the general feeling of sickness dominated my life.

BUT I HAVE A STOMACH OF STEEL!! I cried. Let it stop! I beg I implore!! Why was this happening to me after 3 months in Mexico and almost 4 and a half of travelling? I hadn't been doing any thing differently... and lets face it... shouldn't my body be used to the baddies by now and be a lean (HA!) mean bacteria fighting machine? Well, lets face it... my body obviously decided to tell me now "fuck you Gabby! This is for the 4 months (3 years?) of abuse!" I have run over and over in my head what the reason could be... and I still ponder if there's something I'm missing.

THE CULPRITS

Greasy, oily, delicious Mexican food

 So don't get me wrong, the food here is delicious! Incredible even! But there is something lacking... or should I say there is an excess of one particular food group. A mexican food pyramid would probably include at the bottom: corn, grease, fat, chicharron (which is really just a nice way of saying pig fat), tortillas, carbohydrates, more grease, greasy meat, salsa, chilli and cheese. As for those Vitamins and minerals, the fruit and veg that have nutritionists and health addicts frothing at the mouth, well they probably belong at the very top just after tequila and cerveza. In fact, I think the only vegetables I can boast in my diet are those that are chopped up into my salsa and smeared all over my greasy hamburger that I get every day for lunch... or those pieces of pineapple that they occasionally chuck into my tacos. Mmmm... tacos! Now I'm hungry again! Maybe after 10kg or so and about a million grams of liquidified fat my body has decided that grease is bad and that it wants to punish me.

Bacteria

Another food and water related culprit could also be those pesky bacteria that lurk in... well almost everything. As far as I am concerned, there are 2 types of bacteria: the type which will kill anything in its path, like E-coli or Salmonella. No matter how accustomed any Mexican is to the local food and lots of grease, a dangerous food poisoning bug can beat anyone to a pulp. Luckily this type is relatively rare and not likely to have happened (I think my stomach would be screaming rather than growling if this were the case). The second type is that which affects foreigners and gringos who are not used to the local fare. Obviously pretty much all Mexicans are and generally those who have spent enough time in a place to become accustomed to the crap are fine. And after being in South America and Central America for a combined total of over a year without any incident I was beginning to think "what ever could Mexico throw at me to upset my iron stomach?" Well obviously it came up with something. Gracias.

Alcohol

So as pretty much any exchange student can attest, the exchange experience usually always involves partying like a rockstar, no matter where. And of course being one to always seize the day I have rarely said no to a sneaky cerveza or the rum and coke being thrust upon me. Of course I would hardly say that I am a party animal by any means. My Australian upbringing ensures that I am a complete and total alcoholic whose eyes are bigger than my liver almost always, but being a lazy bum I tend to drink hard for one night followed by a LOT of sleep. But of course all the late nights and tequila shots can't be good for me, and there comes a time in ones life when the old liver and kidneys scheme plot and conspire with the rest of the body to shut down for a while and give the old alcohol a bit of a rest. Although I would hardly say that I have been drinking more than usual. So it could just be mala suerte or something else. Or maybe its time for a complete booze detox... Only Joking! What a load of crap!

Stress of Uni

 Its a hard life being an exchange student, constantly worrying about money, passing (so that I don't have to pay back my $7000 in scholarships) and writing essays in Spanish. Oh yes the writing essays in Spanish part is a fucker! Especially for people like me who just CANNOT get their propositions correct (nor a million other grammatical intricacies) to save my life. Add on top of that the fact that this grasshopper has sung all semester. So while for 3 months I mocked those who never did anything fun because of tarea and ensayos, that at the time seemed like a mere myth, I am now wishing I had never been born now that I have at least 3 assessment items a week for the duration of the semester. Many of which are not simple dick around assignments. 

LOL!!! Stress! What a joke! I may have a crap load of assignments but in reality I have no job, I have 10 hours of classes a week (assuming that I rock up to all of them) and I only have to pass! Which here (and especially for exchange students) is almost idiot proof (I say idiot proof because I haven't passed yet!).

So why was I sick for a week? Well who really cares. I'm better now! So that is all that matters. Back to the booze, the greasy food, the food of questionable hygiene purchased from street merchants who have probably been having a bat all over the food (sour cream ehhhh) and continuing to do my assignments to a crap quality at the 11th hour because...

And that is all...