The Moorean Thanksgiving
For our second year in a row, Adam and I have been away from
home on Thanksgiving. And it’s a tradition that we might just continue as long
as we can! Quite obviously, Tahitian culture does not celebrate Thanksgiving,
so the island day went on as usual: paradise-like and as gorgeous as ever.
We decided that the only natural thing to do on this very special
day in Moorea was: to jet ski! So, we rented a jet ski for an hour, jumping
waves and touring the island unlike ever before. It was an incredible experience
and one we’re so very thankful for. Giggling in my husband’s ear while dashing
across the water was unforgettable. As was the Jolly Rancher blueness of the
ocean.
Returning to dry land, Adam and I rinsed the salt water from
our faces and made our way to the pool for a few drinks (he was feeling much better than the day before) and some relaxation.
They make it quite easy here to do both at the same time. Their gigantically
large infinity pool comes complete with a swim up bar!
Reading, swimming, and flirting comprised the rest of our
day until dinner. Well, the flirting didn’t stop at dinner actually! Adam and I
dressed up as much as we could and made our way to The Mayflower resturaunt for
a very un-American Thanksgiving meal: lasagna!
It was scrumptious, but we
maybe, ever-so-slightly missed the turkey dinner that most families were
enjoying back home. But we did as best we could with what was on the menu, and
chose a place to dine that at least sounded somewhat
Thanksgiving-ish!
Our night from there got a bit messy. Usually, the
tryptophan from the turkey has everyone worn out an hour after eating. Buttons
come unhooked and zippers unzip. But nothing that simple happened last night.
Instead, for some unknown reason, my eyes began swelling. Oh baby, so romantic. A few hours later, my
mouth looked like that of an ape’s. (My poor husband!) And then, I could feel my throat
constricting. By that time, it was
2 AM and we were panicked. (There are no 24-hour pharmacies on Moorea and I
didn’t even think to bring Benadryl on the trip). We called the front desk for
help, but they couldn’t do much of anything – they only carry Advil. Our only
option was the hospital. So, a taxi was called immediately and we rushed to the hospital…30 minutes away.
Our driver sped as fast as he could and got us there in 25 minutes. We
were dropped off at the emergency entrance and admitted into room #2, where
they tried their hardest to understand what was happening to me; neither the
nurse nor the doctor spoke much English. From the looks of my face and the
choking action Adam was making with his hands, they got the point and gave me
some form of Claritin and prednisone (? I think…whatever the stuff is that
reduces swelling). They put us up in another room and told us that we needed to
wait there 3 hours before leaving to make sure that the swelling of my throat
had subsided. Fair enough. So, we lay sardine-like on a twin hospital bed and
slept as best we could from 3 AM until 6 AM when they finally released me. My
throat felt (obviously) much better after the meds, as did my eyes. And though
this entire disaster could have been handled quite swiftly with the pop of a
Benadryl, we had to learn the hard way. Never again am I leaving to a foreign
country without a small emergency medical kit, complete with: Benadryl, Tums,
Pepto, (more) Aloe Vera, (more) sunscreen, and Claritin. Expensive experience
is what Adam calls times like these. I’m just hoping that it’s not literally as
expensive as my horrid imagination is telling me. Who knows how much 6 pills, a
bottle of water, a 2 AM visit, and a 3 hour stay costs in Moorea…
But I can say: Adam and I felt very thankful for our health yesterday and the medical assistance
we were given when we needed it the most. What a ride! I swear, Adam and I are
never far away from epic story after epic story. Even in paradise.
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