plague diary - day eleven

thursday 7th may 2009

And so it begins ends. The alarm kicks in at 7am, the dulcet tones of Oasis gentle caress me awake - except I've been awake for the last hour, watching the alarm tick over. Yep, it's back to work. Well, I'm back to work, the students aren't in school until Monday. The Mexican government isn't taking this pandemic lightly, they are doing more than any other country (as far as I can tell), and have this pandemic going backwards. Knowing that the kids are back at school, the health department, in conjunction with the education department, want schools (and teachers) prepared in a way that this disease is stopped, and stopped properly. In my mind (my mind!) I already know that I will be spending the day cleaning.

I shower, and through the open window I hear sirens. I haven't heard sirens in ages. It is as if the baddies have heard the news - everything is returning to normal, we can go back to our nefariousness. The drive to work is still through partially empty streets. The good news is the dollar exchange rate is dropping. We part at the school. We've spent ten days together, locked in a small flat. It's been hell but it has been wonderful. I miss her already. I enter the gates and I am back in that world that drives me so fucking mad! The world that includes my work colleagues.

8:00 to 8:45 we stand around doing nothing.

8:45 to 9:15 we have a meeting. At the meeting all the new implementations from the government are explained. The reason that we are back, and the kids aren't, is that they want us to disinfect everything (EVERYTHING). Every surface in the school, every book, every door handle, every thing, has to be disinfected. When the children do return they will have to run "the gauntlet". This will be a team of four who will check (and question) every child for symptoms. Once the children are allowed in school there are certain things we have to do. Some of the teachers have blocked off windows, to stop the sunlight getting directly into the classroom - from now on all classrooms must be open to sun. All windows and doors must be kept open. Children should be sent to wash hands regularly. If a child sneezes it must (MUST) be into the crook of their arm. However, if (IF) a child sneezes they should be immediately removed from the classroom and sent home. They are not allowed to return to school until they have a signed doctor's note. Any sneeze! All school activities are cancelled. No assemblies, no special assemblies. No Children's Day celebrations. No Mother's Day celebrations. No morning line up. No kissing, no hugging [this is Mexico - could you imagine a British/American Education Minister coming out with an announcement of no kissing or hugging?]

At first glance this seems/appears to be slightly over dramatic. However, Mexico is where the disease started. Mexico is the one fighting this disease. And, once you get past the panic in the press in other countries, Mexico is the one country who has this thing under control. If we (and when I say we I mean Mexico - and how cool is that?) can keep our numbers stable, even reduce the numbers of infected people - then we (WE!) are doing the right thing. This isn't a case of "the horse has bolted" as I see happening around the world. This is a case of "nip it in the bud". I feel really proud of the way that this crisis has been dealt with. My people (MY people) have seen a problem, isolated a problem, dealt with a problem. The government hasn't feared a backlash (and there are elections coming in a couple of weeks), they've done what they think is right. And it has turned out to be right. Face it, in your mind you were expecting this blog to become a diary of a million+ deaths. This is Mexico a (in your mind) third world country. There was no way that they could control it. But they did, they have. My (MY) government have asked me to clean classrooms* - together we can beat this - I will clean classrooms!

9:15 to 9:55 we stand around doing nothing.

And this is where I will never be Mexican, no matter how much I use "we" or "my". I just get frustrated. I'm here to do a job. I just want to do it. We've done the standing around already, why the fuck do we have to do some more standing around? I'm hoping that this isn't Mexican. I'm hoping that this is just my colleagues. But, I have this horrible feeling that, given the opportunity between doing a job NOW or standing around, Mexicans pick: standing around. Or maybe it isn't just Mexicans because I remember this. Maybe it is me. Maybe it is me and people. I just don't like standing around doing nothing!

9:55 to 1:00 I cleaned. Yep, seriously I cleaned. Snapped on my gloves (not Marigolds, disposable gloves that made my hands really sweat) and cleaned. Used a water and chlorine based squirty thing, a huge roll of paper towels, and set about cleaning every single thing in my classroom. Every book, every desk, every surface. All clean.

I come home. I smell of bleach. We crash in front of the television. I go for a shower - although I smell of bleach, I feel dirty. We leave Facebook. We watch "Hell's Kitchen". We go to bed.

*Yes, I know - my (MY) government (the British Government) asked me to leave Mexico and come back to England.

Comments

[(S)wine]

you know (and people should know) what's really the kicker? EVERY YEAR about 36,000 people die of "regular" influenza related symptoms in the United States. 36,000. Every year. And also, swine flu has been passed to farmers and veterinarians from the animals for decades. And also, our kids should wash their hands frequently anyway...considering all the shit they touch in their daily routines (same with us, really).

[Bwana de la Beantown]

Watch for the Schweinhund flu to appear now rapidly in old Beantown. My wife's school has at least 3 cases, and the total in Machachoochoochetts wnet up by 200 plus cases.

The end is nigh. Or so says my sandwich board. No! It sez, 2 for 1 at Arby's!

[Vanessa]

"Face it, in your mind you were expecting this blog to become a diary of a million+ deaths"
For 'in your mind', read 'in your tabloid press'.

Nah, everyone blames the US for swine flu, here. Biz-arre-ly.