A Plague on Both Your Houses

A pox has broken out...the chicken pox that is. Here at the orphanage there are two buildings. In the upstairs of these buildings are the dormitories. The girls sleep in one and the boys sleep in the other. Last week the youngest boy came home from school with an itchy red spot. That´s him on the left. His name is Christian, he´s 5 and is normally the sweetest little boy in the Hogar. The sisters concluded it was chicken pox. Fearing a Hogar-wide break out, they immediately pulled him our of the boys dormitory and quarantined him....in the girls dormitory.

I didn´t quite see the logic behind this, but I don´t feel I´m in a position to be telling these nuns who have worked in these types of establishments for decades how I think things should be done. What really surprised me is that the next two kids to get the pox, were boys. I figured this was a simple matter of probability. There are 16 boys and only 5 girls, and half of the girls claim they have had chicken pox already. But today, one of the girls started scratching. It now appears we have 4 kids sick and quarantined.

I feel really bad for the kids. Not only does having the chicken pox suck, but they don´t get the benefits American kids get when they are sick. For me, being sick meant skipping school, watching TV, playing video games, eating ice cream and lot´s of special attention. For the kids in the orphanage, missing school is more like a punishment than a treat. It´s the only time they get to leave the Hogar and is the only time they get to spend with kids other than the ones they live with. The kids with the chicken pox have to stay in private bedrooms away from all the other kids and there is no TV or games or ice cream. They´re locked in a room all day and are itching to jump out of their skin figuratively and literally. I try to spend time with the quarantined kids every day and they are grateful for the company. Good thing I had chicken pox and shingles when I was little, so I feel doubly protected. I am worried though, that just because I can´t get it, doesn´t mean I can´t carry it. I´m not sure if it´s possible for me to carry the germs. If so, I have the potential to infect the other Hogar where I work with this annoying illness. It breaks makes me so sad cause all the kids are so miserable. I can´t wait till they all get better and Christian is as bright and smiley as ever