Getting Sick

This week, as plenty of people have been noting, everyone is getting sick at McDaniel. This would probably usually go unnoticed, but since the illness involves such a violent reaction (vomiting for hours and hours) it has been hard to ignore. People are complaining about germs, complaining about the food in our dining facilities, but I am no stranger to the winter bug.

As someone who went to boarding school, I know that sickness in close quarters travels fast. This is especially true after vacations. The first weeks that people come back after being out and exposed to new viruses is a touchy time for any campus. It is always important to stay healthy during those first few weeks, and I remember the traditional come back from winter break and everyone gets sick during high school. This makes sense, everyone is coming in with new germs that no one has immunity for, it’s bound to infect others.

So far I have managed to avoid the bug, which is mostly a good thing. It’s only bad because I can never ‘say remember the plague of 2013? I survived that.’ I think part of what makes me good at managing illnesses is the experience I have had living close to others. Since going to boarding school I know the dangers of an illness spreading quickly and have seen it take down many victims in past years. I simply wash my hands, put on a brave face, and go about my day. Yes, this bug was a pretty nasty one, but we’re all going to be okay. It’s only been a week since the outbreak and it is already dying down.