Quarantined.

quarantine |ˈkwôrənˌtēn| noun
a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed : many animals die in quarantine.

I've given a hearty attempt to avoiding "The Plague" silently and slowly taking out missionary after missionary at New Staff Training. Sadly, my body succumbed and yesterday I was stricken with this nasty virus floating around and last night I was rocking a pretty wicked fever. I had been sort of preparing myself to get sick because being in such tight spaces with nearly 300 people, let's be realistic: it's more likely that one will contract this pleasant bug than that they won't. When my roommate Jess was taken out earlier this week I knew it wouldn't be long before I, too, would give in. One of my friends was telling me it was all about "mind over matter," but I don't think it worked.

The way this flu has usually manifested itself has been with vomiting or diarrhea and headaches for a day or two, and then a day where you feel better so you think you're better and start hanging around people again, but you're actually still contagious and you just infected all of your friends. It started in the married staff wing and when people became aware of the outbreak we tried to quarantine them so that it wouldn't get out to all the other missionaries, since we are in such close quarters. I remember when we found out that it got into some of the other missionary wings and Jenne and I were mildly freaking out, as though it was a deadly disease. Perhaps we overreacted. Although after feeling the way I did last night I sure wouldn't have mind crawling up and dying, no joke.

I woke up this morning and was feeling a bit better so I put on a nice dress, went to Mass and even walked in the Eucharistic procession we had out onto the campus for Corpus Christi. I saw Jenne after and she pulled out her nurse card (because she actually is one) and sent me to my room to be quarantined. Dangit. So now here I am, in a dorm room on a beautiful Sunday while all my friends are floating on the Kickapoo River. God is good though, this could have happened during the week and I'd have to miss classes, Lord knows I don't want to do that! Any prayers that I'm better by tomorrow would be great! Thanks a ton!

God bless,
Kelsey Marie