Throughout Earthbound, we have been hit with an epidemic of illness a few times, and although the basic flu doesn’t sound that bad, it spreads like wildfire when you live in close quarters with twenty other people. It’s happened a few times, where either one of us catches it from that sick baby  that seems to be on every flight, or one of us manages to catch that tummy virus right before we get on the airplane. Sickness is always a threat. As it spreads so fast with us, it’s pretty safe to say that it spreads even faster in places like refugee camps and, right now, at Standing Rock, where people are staying in teepees and it’s almost winter. Personally, I think that sickness isn’t a good thing anywhere, but especially in a house of twenty, but imagine in a refugee camp of three thousand.

The first time Earthbound experienced the sickness epidemic was on our way to Sumatra. One person got a stomach bug and it seemed that it’s spread to everyone, and they were all hurling the day before we got on the airplane (I am happy to say that I survived that one). The next incident was in Greece, where two or three people got a cold and it’s spread faster than you could snap your fingers. This virus spread out through our stay in Greece and ventured off into a small portion of our time in Italy. Finally, we have what I like to call the great plague of Earthbound, the flu. I’m sure one of us caught it on an airplane from that one screaming baby or something like that, but this one really spread, especially since everybody is sharing a room and maybe even a bed. I definitely got this one, and I got it bad. My nose was running, my body ached and worst of all, I had to miss out on activities. This didn’t only happen to me, it happened to a lot of the others around me and it really gets me thinking what would happen if we were an even bigger group.

As I mentioned we visited Greece, where there are thousands and thousands of refugees who have come seeking asylum. Sickness probably spreads even faster in these camps; think about it, three thousand people in an abandoned domestic airport where everybody is closely living. If one person goes to eat and gets sneezed on, then the cycle begins. This whole situation also gets me thinking about Standing Rock; winter is approaching for them, and they are staying in teepees and tents; illness is about to strike. I hope they get through it quickly, and it isn’t too bad.

I guess the moral of the story is if you get sick, don’t go into immediate contact with twenty other people. Practice good hygiene and wash your hands frequently. And with that, I hope that you are all in good health, and, farewell.