It seems that as the temperature changes from hot to cold, OU students develop an illness that spreads worse than the plague in medieval times. While sitting in a class taking an exam during these months of weather change, there is no silence – only sniffles and coughing. Students frequently refer to their illness as the Athens Plague.
I am currently suffering from the plague with symptoms such as a headache, a bark worse than a dog – the general sick person works. It all started when my roommate got the sniffles. We all knew it was going downhill when she began to complain about a sore throat and laid in bed for hours and hours on end watching How I Met Your Mother (okay, maybe binge-watching HIMYM isn’t a tell tale sign of illness, but it was occurring more often than normal!).
The germs began to spread rapidly in our doghouse-sized dorm room, and even though we Cloroxed everything in sight, my second roommate began to complain of her cold within days. This is when I knew I couldn’t escape it. The plague was spreading, and it was only a matter of time before it got to me, too.
Now, the plague has hit me in full force, which means Nyquil and ibuprofen are currently my best friends. These are the only things helping me make my 20-minute treks to class, although it doesn’t make getting out of bed in the morning any easier. My sincerest apologies to everyone in my classes for my constant coughing and sniffling (I swear, I’m utilizing cough drops, okay?), but I’m sure you were, or more than likely are, in my sick shoes, too.
Sadly, the vast population of OU is either suffering or recovering from the dreaded Athens Plague. The rapid spread of sickness is all too similar to the way one child’s lice manages to find their way onto every head in a third grade gym class. It’s time to pull out the Germ-X, ladies and gents; you’re going to need it.