• The day the convoy fell ill
October 1, 2004
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Seasick, lovesick, homesick, food poisoning, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, sore throat. For the first time throughout the entire expedition, nearly two thirds of the convoy members fell ill on the same day. In fact, the doctor’s room number was written in bold and pasted on the wall beside the elevator for emergency purposes – the doctor was certainly kept busy.
I have never spent a night on a ferry before. Therefore, I was a little doubtful whether I would be able to endure the ten hour journey from Oran, Algeria to Alicante, Spain. However, once I got on the ferry, my fears were forgotten as I was mesmerised by the beauty of nature. The full moon was shining brightly, while the stars twinkled. As I watched the waves and felt the sea breeze blowing against my face, I could hardly believe how romantic the night felt.
I felt asleep as the ferry gently swayed to the rhythm of the sea. However, I was completely taken aback when I woke up feeling extremely sick and started throwing up. I felt drained of all my energy. In my semi-conscious state, I wondered why the cameraman was always around when I was at my worst self. And to make matters worst, out of 44 expedition members, only one had to be sea sick.
The atmosphere is completely different when most members are feeling under the weather. There was genuine concern about the health and well being of one another. It made me realise that there was nothing extraordinary about the convoy members, but the difference comes from their spirit of endurance. When you are ill and away from home, you begin to realise that you need to fight it out on your own for there is no one to pamper or fuss over you.
The expedition has left me richer in every sense of the word. It has taught me the importance of being independent – the need to adapt to the surroundings and also care for my neighbour.
On the day all of us fell ill, we realised that we were basically the same and our greatest strength comes from caring and being concerned about each other’s needs.
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