Coconuts can save your LIFE.

I have an amazing story to tell you. Gear up for it, because it’s pretty exciting. Seat belts on? Sige. Did you know…that a coconut can save your LIFE??? It’s true, according to our PCMO who came to speak to us the other day about intestinal parasites. This discussion on parasites of course included a discussion on diarrhea, because a Peace Corps Volunteer is not yet a Peace Corps Volunteer until they have had a solid case of diarrhea (no pun intended). The most common reason for death of young children in the Philippines is from diarrhea, which leads to dehydration. Now, when one is dehydrated, there are many choices – Gatorade, Electrolyte Tabs, water. All of these are great, but I have found out that I am extremely lucky to have the chance to be a PCV in the Philippines, and this is because of the coconuts. Yes, that’s right, the coconuts. If a person is dehydrated, all they simply have to do is find a young coconut (instructions on how to do this...keep reading) and drink the young coconut water. The amount of electrolytes in one young coconut makes it equivalent to drinking three liters of water. Now, how do they know this information? According to our PCMO, an article appeared in one of the prestigious medical journals about a case of a young child suffering from dehydration in a very remote island of the Philippines. The doctor wanted to put the child on an IV to rehydrate him, but there was no IV fluid available. The solution was to grab a young coconut and hook the child up to the young coconut directly through an IV. “Yes, three young coconuts saved that child’s life,” says our PCMO. Amazing. I think I will live longer because of all the young coconut water I’ve been drinking (because there is no purified water available at our host agency, where our trainings occur).

You might be wondering how you can find some young coconuts to enjoy for yourself. Well, it’s a good thing because I asked, “How do I know if it’s a young coconut?” The answer was simple—“Ask the vendor.” Serious. So I guess Peace Corps does not want me to climb up any coconut trees anytime soon. As my LCF says, “Coconuts can make you live longer, but they can also cause a shorter life.” When those coconuts fall, they FALL from the tree. Get.Out.Of.The.Way.

Another exciting event has occurred this week. I know you were all waiting for it and expecting it, and now the time has come. Yes, I am in love. It’s true. It’s just what Peace Corps does to a person. Who am I in love with, you ask? Well….they all have four legs and are only a few weeks old. I’m in love with PUPPIES! (Derby, quit your jealousness right now.) Wow, I had you SO fooled. The puppies were born at our host agency, where the mamadog created a small hut within a hollowed-out tree for them to live. If I didn’t have six more months of living with host families, I would claim one right now for myself. But that will have to wait. There will be PLENTY of puppies available, I am sure.

Not only this, but I have also fallen in love with all the children at my host agency. They are amazing! Each day, their smiles are so huge and they remind me why I am here!!!!!!