Safe and Sick in Africa

Hello everyone, my luggage and I made it to the ship safely Sunday night. However, I've been sick as a dog, a coughing, phlegmy, achy dog.

I caught a cold on Friday night, the night before le grand depart. Perfect timing! Then the flights just made things worse. The cabins were freezing. I was shivering the whole time. Usually I love flying, but there was no joy in any of the 4 flights I took last weekend. In fact, I was almost led to believe Chicage and Brussels are on 2 different planets! The supposingly 8 hr flight went on forever and ever and ever. It doesn't help that they're showing Apollo 13 on the screen, that movie goes on forever and ever and ever too. I would sleep for a little bit, wake up due to aching back / cramped leg / coughing fit, look out the window and it's pitch dark, look up and Tom Hanks' wearing a spacesuit doing something, go back to sleep, wake up again, still dark outside, and this time Ed Harris is saying something to somebody. Repeat the above about 100 times. That's my ORD-BRU flight in a nutshell. It was the most pain I have ever endured in a seated position.

I didn't remember much about the rest of my trip. I was so numbed by pain and discomfort the chaos at the Monrovia airport didn't bother me at all. I was just thankful that the journey was finally over.

Although the journey may be over, my sickness certainly isn't. I saw the crew doctor today, and he prescribed some medication. So hopefully it'll clear up in a few days. I never thought I would become a patient before spending a single day working in the galley. On the other hand, I got to spend some time on the hospital deck, and I'm impressed by the professionalism and passion of the medical staff.

Lesson of the day: Don't fly when you're sick, but if you must, you have my deepest sympathy.