I knew I had changed. Choosing a cereal from the hundreds of options in a supermarket now confused me, food at home tasted bland, friends mostly bored me, and the rift with my parents grew wider. like it was too little too late. The next few days I walked and moved gingerly. I even slept gingerly. I wore an ugly hat that shaded my entire face and tried to stay out of the sun despite one mind-
bending experience after another: Egyptian Museum, Citadel, Giza Pyramids. It took a full week before my skin returned to its rightful paleness. When I arrived home five weeks later, Mom and Dad feigned interest in my photographs, but mostly they just celebrated that this crazy experience in my life was over. They didn’t understand my excitement when I described Cairo or practiced Arabic. I couldn’t communicate to them the awe of seeing the temples at Karnak and Luxor, gazing at hieroglyphics, or riding a felucca on the Nile. They took no interest in it at all. But I knew I had changed. Choosing a cereal from the hundreds of options in a supermarket now confused me, food at home tasted bland, friends mostly bored me, and the rift with my parents grew wider. But I still hadn’t forgotten my favorite doctor.
Timothy B. Dodd | The Physician’s Advice
Yekwahs didn’t last. On my first day in Cairo I woke up from a pre-dinner nap with a bright pink face. Dr. Yekwahs never mentioned that doxycycline causes sensitivity to sunlight, and the sting of a North African scorching ruined all the excitement of Cairo’s chaotic traffic and flowing galibyas, intriguing Zabbaleen and lovely Fatimid mosques. Mrs. Gunderson, one of the program directors, instructed me to apply cold compresses and moisturizing cream, then asked if I was taking any antibiotics. After I learned none of the other students took doxycycline, I dropped the rest of the pills in the trash, but felt
I returned to Dr. Yekwahs for my annual check-up in December, entering his office with more confidence. His slicked-back hair, doctor’s overcoat, and WVU diplomas no longer intimidated me. For the first time I greeted him with a handshake, followed by “Salaam alaikum.” One or the other caused him to snicker. “How was your trip?” he asked.
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