Well, today was freedom today. My fever was down and I was feeling significantly better so I was allowed the day on the town (yay!). Let me just say, I think everyone in Antakya thinks I have swine flu now. I guess I wasn’t feeling as grand as I thought as we began our trek for the day. With each step I took my headache came back and my poor lungs just panted for air. Because I couldn’t breathe through my nose, I naturally had to breathe through my mouth…which naturally led to my coughing more. Again I say, I think everyone in Antakya thinks I have swine flu.
The first bus we took I chose to sit toward the front. My body was too exhausted to make my way back. As the bus filled up, a woman came in and took her place beside me. I continued to cough, just as I’d been the entire time previous to her arrival. She looked at me once or twice. “Sorry,” I thought and would try to hold it in. But there’s no holding it in when you have to. So I coughed one more time and that’s when I see it–she taps the bus driver and asks for a mask. Now, based on the fact that she held it to her face the whole time, I don’t think it was a mask; I think it was Kleenex–but I didn’t feel it was my place to stare.
So here I am on a bus causing people to put their masks on. Really? Ok. That’s fine. At least I have my freedom.
We have to switch buses and get on another. This time it’s packed pretty full. I sit on the aisle; a woman steps on and stands alongside me. I let out a cough. With one look at me she gets off at the next stop. Did I really just cause this woman to jump ship early? Whatever. At least I have my freedom.
I move to the inside seat. A woman and her son sit down next to me. I notice the window is open so I stick my head out the window and cough (please note, my head was out the window). I look over and the mother immediately has her hand over the nose and mouth of her 3ish year old son. Really? What humored me more was when he removed her hand and proceeded to continue to chew on/lick the seat in front of him. Because really, that’s probably much more sanitary than breathing the air I, who has been taking antibiotics and tamiflu, just breathed in. I coughed again and wouldn’t you know, she covered his mouth again.
As I witnessed all these people reacting to me like I had the plague, I couldn’t help but be reminded of what we were told during our training at the beginning of the month. We were told these people feared the swine flu. We were told if you want personal space just cough and you’ll get it. I laughed then but really it’s true! And it’s sad. These people live in such fear of infirmity. I don’t even have swine flu for crying out loud but I wouldn’t have even been able to get close enough to any person to tell them that today. It just really is sad when you think about how scared they are. It makes me all the more grateful that I have a God who loves me and cares about me, even when I’m sick! It’s sad to walk around and witness a nation living in such a fear. I mean, everywhere you look people are wearing those masks for fear of getting sick when in reality, what they truly need is faith in a Savior who can heal them. As funny as this day was, it was just sad. My heart breaks for these people who don’t have this hope. These people who don’t go to sleep at night rest assured that there is a God who loves them, watching over them at all times. It’s sad that something as small as a flu has them redirecting their lives because they’re in a constant state of fear. The only thing that should cause such mass chaos in their lives is God and only because he’s changed their lives in such a radical way they don’t know what to do!
Lord, I pray for these people. I lift up each person who may have encountered my coughing today. For each individual who may be scared that they caught something from even being in my presence today, let them have caught something-let that something be you.
