NumerousPast

Money. The same reason people agree to spend six months in bed for NASA. I was paid rather well for the ordeal.

Yes. Thank god.

I was waiting for this one! So, the first thing you notice when showering after going without for so long is this slimy feeling. That's because the dead skin that's been building on you combines with the water to create this goo. Once that layer is scrubbed off, it starts to feel like a normal shower. However, the process takes a while. I showered for an hour, waited for the hot water to come back, and then showered for another hour. Probably overkill, but a shower at that point is as much psychological as it is hygienic at that point. It goes without saying though that I've never taken a better shower in my life. And no, I didn't still smell. But I imagine a routine shower would not have accomplished the job.

That shirt is disposed of due to how horrifying it became. And the socks ended up with holes in the heels and crustier than a 14 year old's jizz tube.

Oh yes.I got rashes and massive outbreaks of acne. Sebum buildup is insane. Rashes grew in areas that collect a lot of sweat, like the armpits and groin. My back and shoulders got covered in acne after a couple weeks, but by the second month it had all disappeared. The rashes remained though. I needed a cream to treat them.

So, socially, this is easily the worst thing I've ever experienced. Dealing with random strangers who like you're homeless is one thing, but knowing that you've reached a level of disgusting that even people who love you cannot bear is another. I'm not equipped to comment on the finer details, as I'm not one of the scientists analyzing the results, but living it was hell. I understood why they didn't want me around. I was literally a health hazard. But there's something about knowing that people's tolerance of you is conditional that's deeply unsettling.