By: Nicole Gonzalez, Houston American Youth Leader

When you first arrive to a foreign country, you feel energized and ready to take on the adventures that await. Your immune system is strong and your body is at it’s 100%.

As the days go by, you realize that you haven’t slept as much as you would like and the lack of sleep has taken a toll on you. You ate something that your stomach did not receive well and now you’re taking medicine to help calm that indigestion. You went out one cold night without a jacket and now you find yourself blowing your nose every 10 minutes.

The point is: you’re bound to feel ill at some point during your trip so you have to find ways to stay healthy. Here are a few tips:

1. Sleep
Sleep is very very very important. If you’re constantly sleeping past 12am because your host brother wants to watch movies, you’re going to have trouble waking up and participating in group activities so sleep early and try bonding with your host family before midnight.

2. Eat Wisely
Being in a new country means that you will be eager to try all the dishes and foods that country has to offer, but before you get too carried away, remember that your body isn’t accustomed and it may take a while to adjust to the new diet. It’s essential to have chewable Pepto- Bismol tablets, Tums, or Alka-Seltzers tablets to help ease indigestion.

3. Beware of Altitude Sickness
This one is especially important if high altitudes makes you sick. Cuenca is located 8,400 feet above sea level which means you might feel nauseous or lightheaded on the bus ride up there. If you’re not sure if you have altitude sickness, it wouldn’t hurt to have some altitude sickness medication in your first aid kit just in case.

4. Know your limits
As an American Youth Leader, everyday in Ecuador is filled with mini field lessons and activities that can wear you down. It’s normal to want to push yourself to complete every activity, but you also have to know your limits. If you’re not feeling well or you know that a potential decision could impact your health, I would think twice and really evaluate if that hike up Cajas National Park is really worth it.

Personally, I have only gotten sick once on this trip and it was due to the altitude. Cajas National Park is 14,000 meters above sea level and it really affected my body. I felt weak and I had a bad headache. I decided that I needed sleep, water, and medication to help me get through it. After 14 hours of sleep, 3 dosages of Tylenol, and lots of water- I was back to normal.