bird flu - part deux?

my children got to live out every kids dream this morning.

last night i was drifting off to sleep when the phone rang. it was stephanie, with the news (via cora) that school was closed five days early for easter break, to resume 31 march.

what? why? according to our friends in the government, they are closing the schools as a precautionary measure, after two students have died of the flu over the past couple of weeks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/world/asia/14flu.html?ref=world

doesn't this seem a little....well....on the overcautionary side?

apparently not. hong kong is still haunted by SARS, (which was five years ago...amazing!) where the government was criticised for being too slow to act. so now, they're taking no chances.

when we were kids we used to dream of this sort of thing. school closing because of some illness....but it really happens here. unreal! the kids are going to grow up and be able to tell friends, "that happened to me once....school really did close once for a week...." and of course then they'll be all cross that they weren't older and couldn't really enjoy it more.

speaking of which, schools are only closed at the primary levels and below. secondary school students are expected to be at school. needless to say they feel very ripped off. they would relish a week off.

no one is taking the whole flu epidemic too seriously. no one has made contingency exit plans, because an epidemic just doesn't seem likely. i know we've been praying that our rent will decrease, but i don't think it will happen this way. i think it is the government trying to be careful and proactive, etc. and to make the kids love them.

sebastian and his cronies were thrilled to spend the day playing, while the triplets were quite sad not to be at small world christian kindergarten and their teachers there. the kids are having a tiny vocabulary explosion right now, except it's more like parroting.

today jasper was talking with his sisters about tallinn's dad. i was evesdropping.

"he is a very cool guy," jasper opined. his sisters nodded.

sela put in her two cents worth. "but tara is very gorgeous, and funny."

sela continued talking, because she is rarely a one sentence person, and then carys summed up, "they are a nice family."

sebastian meanwhile, was steadily eating sweet and sour meatballs, his favourite dish.

Comments

[joeinvegas]

Well, why shouldn't they be holding interesting discussions. They do sound pretty good.

[Holly T.]

Prayers are with you that things are not serious and it is overcautionary. Enjoy all the fun sayings...get yourself a journal (or maybe you blog is your journal!) and scribble them down right away as Luke says the funniest things that I can't seem to get quite right again after I let a couple days go by.
Blessings,
Holly

[Auntie Pammie]

Why couldnt there have been one of these "pandemics" when we were in school. I swear we would have had to go if there had been a nuclear explosion and the air was raining down radioactive dust on us.... ( just kidding if you read this Mom)...
I love the kids conversation,, unreal!!
Auntie Pammie oxox

[Dad aka Grandad Blake]

I remember those wonderful days 28 years ago when you,Pam and Graeme got the bad news that schols in Yellowknife would only close when there was a blizzard or when it was minus 50.
Love to all....Dad

[Dad aka Grandad Blake]

In 1980 we use to spell school as schol during blizzards and minus 50 temperatures. Something to do with the bad spell of weather.

LOve to all....Dad