August 25, 2011
Several months ago, while I was still a resident of New Hampshire, I received an email from Justin (the middle school counselor). It was an invitation to join the AISJ staff on its annual retreat to Pilanesburg Game Park for a weekend of camping and safari drives. Without any hesitation I replied with a "yes" and immediately could not wait to set up my tent and prepare my camera!
The week of Pilanesburg was a big week. Wednesday was payday! FINALLY! Budgeting is not something I excel at; therefore, it has been quite a challenge living off VERY LITTLE rand for the past few weeks. Thursday was Open House for the Elementary School, which brought surprisingly very little stress into my life thanks to the wonderful 4th grade team I am a part of. Friday was an early release day – entirely for the purpose of allowing the staff plenty of time to get to Pilanesburg before dark! It was a great week! Except for when it wasn’t…
After Open House, I went home to pack my bag. My stomach made it clear to me it was hungry, so I had some hummus and pretzels and a glass of red wine as I rolled my sleeping bag and packed my warm clothes. As I moved on to pack the food in my duffle bag, I convinced myself having popcorn would be a great idea. When Chelsea came over to pack the cooler with the essentials (Windhook Lager, white wine, and some Hunter’s Cider), I shared a small piece of dark chocolate with my camping buddy. She left and we were all smiles as we looked ahead to what was sure to be a fantastic weekend! As if closing the door was the cue, my stomach knotted up completely. Instantly, I was overcome with nausea. I figured it was probably the ridiculous combination of food I scarfed down at 9:30 at night, and I hoped it would just settle eventually. I was wrong.
Ever since I was little, getting sick (and I mean actually getting sick) has made me cry. It’s probably a combination of the misery of the actual act paired with the awful lack of control. I am pleased to say that for the first time I can remember, no full-fledged tears escaped my eyes this time! Although I almost cried because I was miserable and alone, I reminded myself it wouldn’t help the situation. After an uncomfortable couple of hours, I finally fell into a restless sleep, only to wake at 5am with a very upset stomach. I couldn’t believe I was sick, and that there was a chance camping would not be in my future.
I went to school – not a chance I was going to call out today! I felt pretty much like crap for the whole morning. Now the tears were not far away. The thought of missing this weekend was so disappointing. Witnessing the paleness of my face and my obvious discomfort, my wonderful teammates insisted I go home and nap. The thought seemed ridiculous, but I decided to try my luck with Terry (my principal).
I have worked in two schools prior to AISJ, and I have been blessed to work for two incredible principals. Terry is no exception. He is laid back, motivated, a visionary and just plain awesome! His response to my request for a nap: “Go home. Sleep for a bit. I don’t want you to miss this weekend.” WHO SAYS THAT?! Like I said, he is awesome. So, with his blessing I went home, napped for an hour and a half, and returned to school to catch the bus. I was nowhere close to 100%, but I was ready to risk it for a weekend with the wilds of Africa.
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