Sick as a duck

It happened. I didn’t think it would ever happen to me. The upperclassmen warned me, and I didn’t believe them — until it was too late. Then, just as I was starting to think I was lucky, it hit me! Let me tell you. No one is safe, not from the Freshmen Flu.

Yes, six weeks into the semester, and, surprise! One night, I was up late studying in the Davis kitchen. My life was perfectly normal. Suddenly, my first sign of illness showed: the sore throat! Now, this is also when I made my first mistake. I admit that I was a little too “slunk” to take the minor irritation seriously. If I had indeed stopped to make myself a steamy cup of tea and head to bed, my immune system would have fought. But the combination of an endless stream of Yaks and homework plagued me. Just hours later, I woke up to realize that I was wrong. I lost. The Freshmen Flu is real.

That Tuesday morning really sucked. I suffered from all of the most unbearable cold symptoms: runny nose, drowsiness, sinus pressure pains, and a cough. On top of my illness, it was also raining. Yuck. Now, I almost panicked because it was my day to present in CAL 105. How was I supposed to philosophize when I couldn’t breathe? Can I even miss class in college? Should I make a doctor’s appointment? I didn’t know the answers to these questions (I’m a freshman, we don’t know things), but I decided that I can’t let this stop me! And so I threw on jeans and a sweatshirt and headed to the dining hall.

I had a plan. I took my travel mug and a to-go cup full of steamy tea with honey, and this really helped soothe my throat. When I realized that I had discovered the secret to feeling better, I knew I had to keep running up to get more hot liquids and get this virus out of my body. The lady swiping me in always asked how I was doing, and I felt so awkward because it was the fourteenth time that I was swiping in that day and I already told her that I was sick every time. But I am so glad that Pearl never judged me, because all of that tea was definitely necessary for me to fight the flu.

The other key factor in recovering from the sickness was to contain it. I spent most of my time alone, sleeping. Not only did this boost my immunity, but limiting my contact with others prevented the Flu from spreading among me and my friends. Thinking about it, I’m not surprised that most of third and fourth floor Davis was sniffling throughout the last week. It’s impossible to be immune to the Freshmen Plague. If it hasn’t caught you yet, it will find you, and it really just means that you’re the next target.