A Speech About Vampires & HIV/AIDS

In the first semester, we had a subject called "Techniques of Argumentation & Debate". For the exam, you had to give a speech either on a topic chosen beforehand, in which case you'd have to prepare your speech in time, or on a topic chosen on the spot. Because the evaluation of the first category was a bit more harsh, I chose the second category. For the improvised speech, you had to choose 3 numbers from 1 to 100, and then choose a topic associated with one of the numbers. The topic I chose was "Whether vampires can or cannot acquire HIV/AIDS". Here, I'm going to translate what I wrote. Have fun! :) 

"To start with, we're Romanian. The most well-known fact about us is that we're vampires. Now, I never woke up with scars of bites on my neck, but that's just because it's too hot in Craiova for vampires. Still, I have a feeling that around the region of Banat or Transylvania there should be more of them. That's why I want to discuss a subject related to the health of vampires, namely why they can acquire the HIV/AIDS and how we can protect ourselves. 

First off, we know that the HIV is transmitted through the contact of bodily fluids. Imagine this: a person infected with the virus is bitten by a vampire. Consequently, all the swallowed blood will be metabolised into the vampire's system, and it will most likely affect said vampire's health in the typical way. Thus, the same symptoms will be present: fever, chronic exhaustion, diarrhea, proneness to herpes, and shingles (zoster virus) etc. Thus, I would dare to say that Freddie Mercury would've still acquired the HIV, even if he was a vampire. 

Second, since it's transmitted both genetically and through the mother's milk, children of vampires married to infected people can still acquire the disease. Here's an example: what if the action of the series "Castlevania" took place in the late 80's or early 90's instead of the 1400s? If Vlad "Dracula" Țepeș married Lisa Fahrenheit, a woman who might've had the HIV, their son, Adrian, would've been born with the disease. Even if he hadn't been born with the virus, he would've acquired it from his mother's milk. 

But wait, vampires don't have an immune system, do they? They couldn't possibly contract the HIV, right? Wrong! Even if that were true, the possibility of acquiring the disease might be even higher. But because they are undead creatures, I would argue they are fully revived, and that includes the immune system. This system can be a compromised or weak one anyway, depending on the era and the former life of each. For instance, picture Oscar Wilde. He was a sickly child, had a chaotic lifestyle, and had his immune system weakened by the time he spent in prison. If he was revived as a vampire during the peak of the HIV pandemic, he would've contracted it anyway. 

To sum it all up, I would say that yes, vampires can acquire the HIV/AIDS. But I would conclude with a few pieces of advice: do protect yourself when go for "action" ;), pay attention to the contact with the blood of others, and if you're vampires, please brush your teeth intently! Thank you so much!"

Guess the Fear

Creative writing. Choose one of the following (or any other phobia) and describe a day in the life of a person/character living with this fear: abandonment, being laughed at, being touched, birds, change, commitment, failure, falling in love, flying, leaving the house, accidents, an animal, being buried alive, disease or germs, fire, ghosts, growing old, pain, people, public speaking, storms, violence, water. DO NOT MENTION THE FEAR! 

(Source: BRAN, R. (2024). ENGLISH FOR PSYCHOLOGY.) 

This was an exercise we had during our most recent English course. As you may know by now, I love English, and I love creative writing. Of course I wrote something myself! Still, when I read it out loud, I had to read it twice because I was stumbling upon my words, and I just blurted out the whole thing very quickly, as if to get rid of it. My gods, was it embarrassing! 😅 The text isn't particularly good (I'd go as far as to say it's shit, even though I've polished it a bit 🙃), but at least I (try to) own it. Maybe you'll enjoy reading it, but try to guess the fear described as well! Here's what I wrote: 

"The school felt busier than usual when Michael entered through the doors; all the lights seemed brighter, all the sounds seemed louder. This drove him insane. The freckled boy was watching his every step with the attention of a hawk. Then he hears a shout: 

'Look at little Michael! He's all red in the face, he looks like he just caught chickenpox!' 

The roar of laughter freezes him, and blanks his mind. He's paralysed. He's desperate in his will to disappear. But in his agony, he hears a calm, and very familiar voice: 

'What's wrong, little M?' 

His only friend, George, was slowly approaching in his crutches. Now, after noticing his understanding look, Michael felt safe. 

'Thank you!' the boy whispered. Michael could finally breathe in relief."