Malaria round two??

Hey all,

Okay life is back on track now. I just came out of a couple of frustrating days dealing with a mysterious illness. There is nothing more irritating in the world than having to stay in bed in a place like this. I went to the health clinic this morning after I started to get a little concerned... won't bore you with the symptoms. Tests for malaria came out negative, but they decided to treat me for it anyway since the parasites sometimes hide in the liver. Good news- after the first dose I feel amazing! I guess I had malaria since I feel better now??? I'll probably never know for sure. Either way life is back on track. Honestly, there probably isn't a better place in the world to get sick with an illness like that. It is very common here and the doctors know exactly how to treat it. I remember going to my doctor in Chicago after having it last time, and in the end I had to explain to him that malaria is spread by mosquitos, not by human contact!! Absolutely clueless.

Things are still going quite well here. Yesterday I had an incredible meeting with Professor Nketia, definitely one of the highlights of my life as a musician! I forced myself to suck it up and ignore my symptoms for an hour and a half while I spoke with him. In the end I walked away from our conversation more excited than ever about what I am doing and with more confidence than ever that what I am doing has the potential to actually do some good and is not just me having a good time!

Tomorrow I leave for Cape Coast to attend a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra of music written by composition students. I am truly thankful that I am feeling better because this could be key to my research since instrumental art music is rarely performed here. Other interviews are still going very well. There are many open doors right now and the fun part is just beginning. Things have really picked up here as I get to know people around me better. A couple of my contacts' families have opened their doors to me in a very moving way. This means much more home-cooked food!

Okay, short and random post for now. Family and friends, I will respond to emails soon. I hope everybody is well!

Patrick