Monsoon, misery and parasites (keep the faith!)

This is the first time I have been in Nepal for the monsoon season, and though I never expected it to be pleasant, I definitely underestimated the power of hard rain. The roads in the villages are being destroyed one by one, washed away along with the little electricity there was, which is now nonexistent, and I can't walk anywhere without ending up with leeches all over my legs. I'm sweating like hell now and constantly exhausted since the roof I sleep under is made of corrugated tin. Heavy rain on a tin roof is like machine gun fire! Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night in a sweaty haze dreaming that I've just rolled over into a trench in the battle of Gallipoli; it sounds like the end of the world! The house vibrates, springs leaks all over, and the wind rattles through the walls and windows as if the whole thing were going to fly apart at any moment. Let's just say that my energy is drained and my nerves slightly shattered after rainy nights spent in the village these days.
Unfortunately, the downpour and powerful wind of the monsoon have caused our newest construction work on the neighboring school to come to a grinding halt. Mixing cement and chopping wood isn't much fun in torrential storms, but then what is? (Certainly not sleeping in a tin roofed house.)
It has also come to my attention, after a quick visit to the clinic, that the chronic vomiting and diarrhea that I have been suffering of late is not merely another case of food poisoning but; tah dah... a parasite! Apparently it's Giardia. Looking on line at how to get rid of this un-welcomed tenant, I found tips to avoid getting a parasite pretty much contradict my entire lifestyle at the moment, but I suppose it can't be helped. I'm also ragingly menstrual at the moment. I keep hoping that something will come and save me. A volunteer carrying a western wonder-drug in her first aid kid, a clinic that is affordable yet has American doctors working there. Unfortunately, there's no fast solution galloping over the horizon. And with monsoon season being the 'off' season in Nepal, all the westerners have fled to India and Laos. With no other choice at this point but to continue to carry the banner alone or otherwise, I remain trapped in Nepal. Living and eating like the locals, still no money in my pockets or plan for the near future and the pressure and humiliation of that is reaching an intolerable level. If it weren't for the hundreds of painfully adorable children in my life, I would have given up the goat long, long ago. But, when I'm feeling sorry for myself I just spit it out on the keyboard and mail it off to you people. Then I go kick around a soccer ball while balancing five children on my head a-la Dr. Seuss, and it all seems to get pushed back down inside.
Since my illness has required me to be near a working toilet, I have been spending a lot of time drawing in my room and looking up my parasite online. Unfortunately, while looking up Giardia, I came across some information about colon cleansing that I wish I had never seen. Now that I have a parasite I want to try an all natural 'cleanse' along with the medication I was given at the clinic. After reading about colonics however, I've developed an unhealthy interest. I would not advise people to learn too much about this subject, there is no going back after you've learned how many pounds of waste build up the average person has in their lower intestine or if you've read some of those 'in depth' testimonials and seen some of those photos. *shudder*
I must say though, parasite, leeches and all other things be damned, for those brief periods where the sun finally does break free from the clouds. It's damned beautiful up in the village. The corn is growing; flowers are blooming and everything is full of life with an almost unnatural green that seems to dance when the raindrops begin to fall. Those are the times that you stop and stand in the rain and think that you might be over the hump. You've left all that craziness in Kathmandu behind you, the only madness left is the madness inside and that might be there for a long, long time no matter what you do or where you end up.
I started drawing again. Pictures of the kids, pictures of the people, pictures of the old women who, for now, still think I'm the most beautiful woman they've ever seen (which mostly translates to the only blonde woman they've ever seen in person). I'll mail some photos of the drawings when I get my camera back. It's still in the village.
I understand that these letters are a mish-mosh of things and sometimes make little to no sense. You'll just have to bear with me. When my parasite is gone and the weather improves I'm sure my mail will be much more interesting as well as uplifting.
I hope that you are all doing well and have the time to send me a little hello and tell me about the beach or the pool that you just came back from (I might be stuck in Conor's apartment for at least another week while I'm taking these pills and having frequent diarrhea, so any sort of mail would more than make my day.