I am exactly 2,216 miles away from home Caracas, Venezuela and if you didn’t know, Caracas is a city with a constant spring; not as crazy as seasons in Boston! During my first week here I had rain, sun, unbearable heat and wind. All of those in one week! Before coming to school in Boston, I did my research, and even though I thought I knew what to expect, I never thought it was going to be as bipolar as I have experienced through my first month here at Bentley University. To my great luck *insert sarcastic eye-roll here* this constant change from hot to cold ended in me getting sick.
We all know how it starts, that uneasy feeling in the back of your throat. That feeling you have that makes your heart race because you know that is just the beginning of a terrible week. Then came the terrible cough and fever – every freshman’s nightmare during their first month away from home.
But how can we avoid it? College halls are where germs breed and thrive, I could foresee my inevitable illness when I heard the first coughs coming from my floor mates. Why didn’t I read the signs earlier? Why didn’t they recommend to bring a face mask with the packing list?
Nevertheless, the rest of my illness was a blur. From CVS trips with an overwhelming amount of flu medicine options to choose from, to accidentally picking the nighttime version (how was I supposed to know? We don’t have as many medicines where I’m from!), and ultimately trying not to doze off in class complete with head bobbing and total confusion – this flu I thought I would be immune to was kicking my a$$.
You know when you really reallyyy don’t want your professor to call on you? Well my voice sounded like a dying cat that week, and my professor was kind enough to call on me constantly *insert second sarcastic eye-roll*
Being sick was my first big obstacle to overcome, and it was hard because I’m away from home and in a very different place, with apparently medicines for the night and medicines for the day. On the bright side of this experience, I now know how to take my temperature all by myself, and the importance of reading medicine labels, and hey, maybe even climbing those Bentley stairs kicked the sick out of me.
For future reference, just wash your hands and avoid the kid in your hall with the running nose. I know I will avoid everyone that is sick from no on! Lastly, just make sure you have honey, lemon and tea in your dorm and you will be all set. Try avoiding Tylenol nighttime, unless you want to be sleeping all day.
I can’t wait to see what the winter brings, I’m ready!