Day 21: Tuesday, May 27. I think one or two of the students may have been a little startled today when I told them that we would be on a plane headed home in exactly two weeks. That, more than anything else, may have been the reason for the flurry of activity. All three cameras are checked out pretty much all week. I am "checked out," too. Students reserve my time if they want me to go with them to their churches, usually serving as a translator.

Kim and I were awakened at 12:30 a.m. (this is officially the next day, but I'm including it here) by a phone call from one of the students. It seems his roommate was having stomach pain, with episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. We both dressed quickly and headed for the hotel, a few blocks' walk from our apartment. We tried calling Filiberto's cell phone but gone no answer. The student and a few others were on the couches in the lobby. Kim went over to talk with them and get more info, while I went to the hotel desk to speak with the night manager. He was prepared to call an ambulance but I suggested we call Filiberto. He tried the office number (which I knew would do no good) and his cell number, finally getting an answer on his house phone. He had left his cell phone in the other room when he went to bed. Had I been clear-headed, I would've thought to call his home phone, too, but I don't have the number saved on my cell phone, like I do his number.

In any event, his advice was to call the on-call doctor. It seems there is always one available on rotation. The desk clerk called and about 10 minutes later a young woman with a black bag arrived. The clerk gave us a meeting room where she could examine him and I stayed to translate. She gave him a shot for the nausea, which seemed to work almost immediately, and a prescription for anti-diarrheal medicine, which she said he should fill only if he needs it after a night's sleep. She also gave him some pills for fever/pain (acetaminophen or something similar, I'm guessing). He went back to bed, and Kim and I walked back to our apartment to do the same.

That makes three students out of 17 now who have had to see doctors for medical issues (one of those three had to be seen twice). Study abroad teachers do more than just teach. Spouses of study abroad teachers, though not paid, also are part of the staff. I'm sure others may not be as good as Kim when it comes to helping with the students, but having her here is a tremendous help.