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Step 17Once You're Back
Dustin Says:
Culture shock can be a pretty serious, make sure to get a reasonable amount of sleep and eat well. Pay extra close attention to your body after you return. Feeling hungry, tired, slighty sick, dull? It might be a regular part of returning to your old lifestyle and leaving the excitement of the road behind but you might have brought back more than just luggage. That's right, the rest of the world has hordes of parasites, bacteria and virii just waiting to climb on board. Shitting blood is a sure sign you should visit a medical professional but there are other more subtle signs as well. Perhaps you have a strange persistent rash (it might be caused by inflamed tissue that occurs as a result of vastly increased white blood cell counts). Did you acquire a new allergy to something you've always eaten? Diarrhea, fatigue, anemia, strange blisters, excess farting (seriously)?
Regular doctors might be able to figure out what's going on, but I'd highly recommend looking up a doctor that specializes in "Tropical Medicine." Chances are it's going to be very, very difficult to diagnose what you have and they are going to give you a massive dose of antibiotics, seemingly for the hell of it. You can make this more effective by avoiding antibiotics in a reasonable responsible way as much as possible. You can also take acidophilus (available at most health food stores) to restore the balance of good bacteria in your stomach.
Star:
Getting back may also take some extra mental unwinding. Be prepared for this. Especially if you're traveling solo, you may become unused to talking to other human beings. When you get back, friends will want to know all about what you've seen, where you've been, the adventures you've had, and it may take a few days to process your memories into tell-able stories. Keeping a journal and writing every day can help, or writing everything down as soon as you get back can help. If it happens to you, know that the effect is common, and give yourself some space to decompress.
Culture shock can be a pretty serious, make sure to get a reasonable amount of sleep and eat well. Pay extra close attention to your body after you return. Feeling hungry, tired, slighty sick, dull? It might be a regular part of returning to your old lifestyle and leaving the excitement of the road behind but you might have brought back more than just luggage. That's right, the rest of the world has hordes of parasites, bacteria and virii just waiting to climb on board. Shitting blood is a sure sign you should visit a medical professional but there are other more subtle signs as well. Perhaps you have a strange persistent rash (it might be caused by inflamed tissue that occurs as a result of vastly increased white blood cell counts). Did you acquire a new allergy to something you've always eaten? Diarrhea, fatigue, anemia, strange blisters, excess farting (seriously)?
Regular doctors might be able to figure out what's going on, but I'd highly recommend looking up a doctor that specializes in "Tropical Medicine." Chances are it's going to be very, very difficult to diagnose what you have and they are going to give you a massive dose of antibiotics, seemingly for the hell of it. You can make this more effective by avoiding antibiotics in a reasonable responsible way as much as possible. You can also take acidophilus (available at most health food stores) to restore the balance of good bacteria in your stomach.
Star:
Getting back may also take some extra mental unwinding. Be prepared for this. Especially if you're traveling solo, you may become unused to talking to other human beings. When you get back, friends will want to know all about what you've seen, where you've been, the adventures you've had, and it may take a few days to process your memories into tell-able stories. Keeping a journal and writing every day can help, or writing everything down as soon as you get back can help. If it happens to you, know that the effect is common, and give yourself some space to decompress.
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Nov 3, 2008. 7:30 PMlightwalk333
says:
Was checking out bicycle instrucs n found this read. Truly hmmm... the fantastic voyage. Great tropical trip advice and the unwinding. Couldn't get that thru to my friends when I got home. I get really homesick for travel. Be at it soon though. GREAT tip on the carnivals and base work. MAD LOVE N RESPECT
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