It’s been almost a week since I’ve gotten sick and I’m only 40% bitter about it. I am eternally grateful that it wasn’t the stomach bug, or I would have 100% called my mother and asked her to come stay with me. Fevers and aches I can deal with like an adult- pure pain I can not. It stinks because it seems like my entire hall is sick. I actually would want to expand statement that to all of Rhoads- I feel like out of all the dorms we were hit hardest by the flu. One of the first years worriedly asked me if I thought we would be quarantined, and luckily I was able to pass some reassurance on and assure her that they would not do that just for something like the seasonal sickness.

Bryn Mawr was quarantined once, however! I wish I could remember all the details, but I learned about it in my history course last semester. It seemed that the area surrounding Bryn Mawr College had a horrible outbreak of the influenza, so M. Carey Thomas decided to quarantine the school in an attempt to prevent the college from breaking out. Apparently it worked.

Anyway! Being sick and in school is such a bummer because you want to be able to actively participate and do the 1000 things that you normally do, but unfortunately you’re just so tired and out of it constantly. One of my professors told the corner of sick students that if we needed to leave and go back to our rooms we could, but we just responded in a serious of coughs and affirming head shakes.

I’ve always struggled with this strangle sensation that if I’m not in class I’m not a good student. I’ll go to class when I’m feeling awful, but in my mind that’s justifiable because at least I made it to class. I’ve only missed 2 classes, both of them my senior year due to sickness. I think that this is one of the things that I’ve had the hardest time learning at Bryn Mawr- if you’re sick, like actually sick, you can and should take a day off to rest and get better, not just power through.

I think that’s something I wish I could tell first year Angela. I totally had days where I probably shouldn’t have been in class, but I felt so much pressure to go. I think that’s something I wish I could really emphasize to others.