Flight of the Flatus

With great relief that no ants had drilled their way into my ear drums last night, I woke up with residual excitement from the festivities from the night before and a brand-spankin' new energy to see the kids. Our last day at clinic was jam-packed with more visits (including a case of congenital cataracts!) and education about immunizations and catch-up immunization schedules. Time flew by so unbelievable fast! Just as the faces were becoming more and more familiar, and putting names to them as well, we had to say our goodbyes. Crowds of children began smothering each of us, wishing us goodbye and saying "you come visit again!"

We could still smell the lemongrass from the (in)famous "meatloaf patties" on our skin as we boarded the plane to Bangkok. It was during this flight where I began to appreciate what I learned in physics. I'm not sure if it was the dried bananas, coconut juice, meat-on-a-stick, the grass jelly drink, or just plain genetics, but I was farting like crazy on the plane. Thank God it was only an hour-long flight, 'cuz by the end of the flight, the monstrous toots started to smell oozing out of the seat cushion, which had so courageously secured them. After trying to pinpoint the culprit, I realized (with the support of resident physicist Ivan), that the reason I was farting so much was because at that cruising altitude, my intestinal pressure was much higher than the surrounding pressure, causing that oh-so-pleasant odor that Quincy and Kristen could not get enough of.