in the grip of la grippe

The flu struck hard and fast. I must have caught it from someone while I was out either Thursday or Friday—sore throat, severe coughing, fever, chills, headache, joint aches, runny nose, mucus, and sensitive skin. No nausea, luckily, but that may be partly because I've made an executive decision not to eat anything today. I'm resting, washing my hands every few minutes, spraying my bedding with Dettol (a Korean version of Lysol), gargling with salt water, taking aspirin, and using a multi-symptom cold medicine that the pharmacist recommended to me after I had described my symptoms to her (the twenty-something chick at the counter didn't look or sound much like a seasoned pharmacist; she seemed rather unsure of herself, and latched onto the term jong-hap gamgi-yak—multi-symptom cold medicine—when I mentioned it to her).

Later this evening, I'll bundle up, go out, and buy either some orange juice or some clementines for the Vitamin C they afford. Ever since I ran out of Vitamin C (and other pills) in the middle of the previous semester, I've felt a bit more vulnerable. It was a wonder to me that I had managed to last this long without once getting truly sick, but now, it appears my number is up. The timing couldn't be worse: I'm finishing up a major project for my Golden Goose job, and on Monday, we've got orientation. I also didn't bother to get a flu shot this year... but then again, I never do.


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