Part 1: The Path I Have Followed

In order for you to follow me on my journey to recovery, I believe you need to know the path I have traveled. I will try and make it short and sweet. As I find writing tiring, this is part one of two.

I found taking my A Level exams in 2009 highly stressful and other issues made the situation worse.  During this time my health noticeably started to deteriorate.

After my A Levels I took a ‘Gap Year’ and in 2010 embarked on my travelling adventures. At times it was challenging, but I loved every minute and would do it all over again! In the near future, my plan is to visit many exotic countries and go on the incredible adventures have I read about on the site ‘Explorers Connect’.

In January 2010 I visited Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Patagonia and Argentina. Throughout my time there I noticed how tired I was compared with other travellers and started to become self-conscious of my bloated abdomen. While in Argentina I stayed on an estancia to improve my polo, but sadly could not take full advantage of the experience due to severe back pain and tiredness.  I assumed all of these symptoms were due to trying new food, adjusting to new countries and a pulled muscle or two, also just plain bad luck!

Salt Flats, Bolivia

After two months I arrived back home. My parents were very worried about my health but the doctors said I was fine.  I was determined my health was not going to ruin my gap year and having had so much fun in South America, I planned a trip to Namibia and India independently! You might think I was mad, and looking back I would have to agree with you!

In March 2012 I set off for India.  India is a very magical place; it took my breath away and opened my mind to a whole new world. The country and its people hold a special place in my heart and I am just itching to go back again.

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

It was my third night in India and last in Agra when my body decided to rebel against me.  I spent the entire night in a hideous blue bathroom dripping with sweat, my head down the toilet and with the ‘comforting’ noise of cockroaches scuttling around me. I thought this minor episode was a bout of food poisoning and that it was also normal for the effects to last a few days.

Soon after my ordeal in Agra I caught an aeroplane to Bangalore and on arriving, my family friend took me over the road to their hospital and I was re-hydrated immediately. I stayed with them for the next few days and lived off peanut butter spread on toast, coconut water and papaya. To this day I can no longer stomach the thought of papaya and the smell sends me straight back to this time in India!

Two weeks later I travelled to Mysore to finally begin my volunteer position as an English as a foreign language teacher at Ordandi.  Ordandi is a refuge for girls who have been taken off the streets and given accommodation and education. I loved teaching the girls and they were all absolutely delightful, you can see one of them below!

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Everyday I took a short walk to and from Ordandi, which I found very tiresome and especially in the late afternoon having spent a full day teaching.  I began to notice that I was struggling; I felt my battery was running on empty no matter how long I slept, my body ached and my limbs felt like lead, I no longer had an appetite yet my clothes were becoming tight, my abdomen was bloating and I fluctuated between constipation and diarrhoea.  Having been warned about ‘Delhi Belly’ and other illnesses you can pick up in India, I thought that these symptoms would pass with time, but unfortunately they did not.

At the end of my time in India I was happy and also sorry to be leaving.  I wanted to go somewhere more similar to home; a place that was clean, less frenetic and had a cuisine I was more familiar with. However I was sad to be leaving behind the landscape, colours and extraordinary lifestyle.

One of my favorite pictures of India

I arrived in Windhoek, Namibia May 2012 and was greeted by a brilliant blue, cloudless sky.  Relief flooded through me as the sun soaked into me and I instantly felt much better. Namibia is breathtaking and one of the most beautiful countries I have visited. The stark contrast between the blue sky and orange soil, with its incredible biodiversity and topography makes it an amazing place to visit.

Sand Dunes, Sossusvlei Namib Desert, Nambia

Watering Hole, Etosha National Park

Within about two weeks of volunteering on a conservation and big cat rehabilitation programme, I ended up in hospital over night due to vomiting and dehydration. There was concern that I had an infection or virus, but all my blood tests came back clear and the next day I felt much better so returned to the programme.

With retrospect I was clearly very unwell before I left for South America and while in India and Namibia. There were lots of little things that I was feeling and experiencing whilst travelling which I considered at the time to be normal, but were actually abnormal. The most apparent in Namibia, when carrying out conservation tasks in the morning, including wire rolling and tree cutting.  The other volunteers were always full of energy, whereas I struggled to stay awake and it became a joke about how weak I was. Embarrassingly I was demoted to collecting the twigs and holding the wires, because I could not cut through the wood or wire! I also slept during the afternoon while the other volunteers socialised.

Looking back I do not know how I managed to push through my travels and have an absolutely fabulous time.  However this provides me with full confidence that I am capable of recovering and will go on to fulfil my dreams.  My stubbornness will now come in handy, as I refuse point blank to let this illness prevent me from living my life (and most importantly visiting Antarctica!).   I absolutely love the quote below because I know that with persistence and strength of determination I will recover in the long run.