You wouldn't believe this but I've got Chicken Pox!

It was after dinner and I went to bathe.

It's weird that I've this terrible outbreak on my forehead and face. Terrible acne and big spots. Some of it just simply filled with water. And I look (significantly) ugly.

Just a few days ago, during the 7 hours transit, I was wondering what are those 2 water spots doing on my left hand. I did ask Hmay if it might be chicken pox, but she couldn't remember her own chicken pox episode. I didn't take my own question seriously. It's just that I haven't gotten chicken pox and all these years if I felt a little sick (ie, headache or fever), I would suspect an upcoming chicken pox. But this time, it just didn't occur to me. Maybe I had been too rushed doing this and that to think about falling sick.

Afterall, I really had been feeling fine. Except for that vomitting and fever last Wednesday.

And so I was bathing and i see 3 little red spots on my tummy. The more I think and look at them, the more the possibility of "chicken pox" keep swirling around my mind.

So after I bathed, I fretted for a while, and decided that I needed to let Rev Stephen know.
If it is, I must not affect the rest of the group too.

I plucked up the courage to walk over to Rev Stephen's room, also to download my photos onto uncle Andrew's laptop..

knock knock..
"come in"
"hi uncle Andrew, here's the memory stick for today."
I paused.
"is Rev Stephen in too?"
"Yes yes, he's in the room." Uncle Andrew replied
"Rev Stephen?"
"Yes" Rev Stephen popped his head out in his usual jovial demeanour.
"er.. I think I've got chicken pox."
Silence.. deadly silence. (HAHA.. I think I gave a now-i-have-done-my-part-and-told-you,-what's-next-huh? look from me)

Rev Stephen picked up the phone and called someone.
"Bee Choo? Do you have any experience with chicken pox? We've got huizhi here and she suspects that she might have chicken pox."

Then Bee Choo came over. She looked at my pox and I will never forget that reaction .. eeewww "yes uh.. i think it is.." Oh no... it's just the 2nd day of the trip!!! I've so much more to see!!!

"No matter what, we need to get you checked" Rev Stephen in his most solemn voice, and he picked up the phone to call the Reception to get a doctor in.

"I'm not worrying. Prepare for the worst, and you'll get something in between!" Chuckled good old uncle Andrew as he downs his bottle of coke.

Apparently, Israel has rubber timing too. Their "doctor is on the way" and "in a while" took some 2 hours plus to come.

And that 2 hours.. was the most gruelling 2 hours of the trip for me.

Finally a forced confession. All along when anyone asks why am I going to Israel, I'll just say that it's cos my friend wanna come and I'm just accompanying her, which is true. But close friends do know that much as I can do a lot for my friends, no one can force me to do what I don't want to.
So I blurted out "I really wanted to come to this place. I really wanted to come here and experience the Holy Land. I want to sail across the Sea of Galilee and I want to see the Mount of Beautitudes where Jesus gave his first teaching!" I really wanted to walked where Jesus lived and suffered and died. I wanted to float on the dead sea!

Confession done.

I went to the toilet before the doctor came. Whoa..my whole front was covered with spots already.

The doctor came, "Who's the patient?"
"Me!" I said gleefully raising my hands and jumping up. I don't look sick at all.
"You? You don't look sick at all!"
"Yes, I don't look or feel sick, but I've got all these little spots here!" I stuck out my hands.

And then showed my tummy. He asked me to turn and looked at my back.
And then nodding his head, he said "yes, this is chicken pox."

Bleah.. What's next? Will I have to be quarantined? Can I take a private car and follow behind the tour bus? I really don't want to miss anything!!

"Can she travel with us?" Rev Stephen asked.
"Oh yes, she can!" The doctor replied and asked "You don't want to stay here all day, do you?"

Afterall this was like the end of the 4th day.. I should be past the most contagious stage.

I'm like.. Praise the Lord!!! I can travel with the group!!!

"Can she go into River Jordan?" Rev Stephen helped me ask further.
"Oh no, the water is very dirty. You don't want to get infected with your pox."

Okie, I'm fine with not commemorating my baptism in the Jordan River.
What matters most is that I can travel!!!

The doctor was writing the prescription when Rev Stephen peered over and commented "Oh, I think we need a translator for this". Apparently the prescription is in Hebrew.
"Oh no, only the prescription is in Hebrew. The illness is in English - Varicella - this is English. And the bill is in English - USD120."

Thank God, that this didn't happen before the trip, else I definitely would have been stuck back in Singapore!! And thank God that this happen now, when I'll be well by the time we should be going back and I won't have to be quarantined here!! And thank God that I have no fever nor any itchiness, still physically very fit to do almost anything like normal!!!

So much to thank God for!!!

Amen!!