Colombia Medical Emergency Update

I know you are probably wondering how things worked out with the MRSA in Colombia. Long story short, I was totally fine. I thought it could be fun to show a little bit of my healing process. If you hate this, don't read it.

Brownie Oreo shake

My first day back, I made my family these really elaborate shakes. In Colombia, I lived literally next door to this place that made these amazing shake creations. I decided to make some for my family because I had been saving them to eat with my mom. It was delicious and I would definitely make it again. I even rimmed the Mason jar I put the shake in with chocolate and added Oreo. I topped it off with a brownie, more Oreos, and homemade hot fudge. There was also homemade hot fudge drizzled on the inside. It was delicious.

One blessing in disguise of being home earlier was being able to find a job. The day after I got home, I began applying to all sorts of jobs. This was mid-November, so I was able to find work as a seasonal worker with Kohl's. I ended up becoming one of their heads of Customer Service. I quite honestly really enjoyed that job, despite some of the customers being absolute nightmares. For the most part, everyone was super nice, and the coworkers there were some of my favorites that I have ever had. I really like working and staying busy, so I'm glad I was able to have this job and find a bit more funding for the next part of my South America trip.

Another benefit of coming home early was being able to dance with my friends again. I absolutely love to dance and began dancing when I was 3. I stopped when I was 8 other than a quick hip hop stint when I was 12 because I was on the swim team, which was too competitive to allow time for other sports. I got back into dance at 18 through a dirty dancing class and have loved it ever since. I go at least once a week when I'm in town.

I've included these dance videos for your benefit so you can see that my elbow still wouldn't bend. Getting up and down was a challenge as I was unable to put pressure on one of my elbows. The second video, this was the only time I was able to be in the crab walking position. I pushed myself only for this video. This is also one of my all-time favorite dances, so you're welcome for this absolutely fantastic dance with my super hot girl friends.

Last day with my boondoggle

Six days after the boondoggle was put in, I was able to take it out. To do this, I did not have to go back to the ER. Instead, I took a quick picture for posterity that you can see here before I grabbed a pair of scissors and cut it out myself. The holes where the boondoggle had been inserted healed nicely. I'm writing this nearly a year and a half later, and I can say now that I barely have scars from the entry. My scars from the rest of the sores that were infected with MRSA are still scarred. I definitely have a darker tint of skin where each of these sores was. However, I don't really care if I have scars because I believe they are just a way to show you have lived.

Overall, I would not recommend getting MRSA and having to emergency fly home from a trip. If you do, make sure you look at the positive side of things and definitely take tons of pictures and videos for posterity!