Immunity

I have always prided myself on never being seriously sick to skip work or school. In fact I have ridiculed and poked fun at people who were sick every single day of the month or people who have gazillion illnesses at the same time. I should clarify few points, firstly, these people that I do ridicule are at the age of 25 and younger as of this blog post and secondly, I have had colds and runny noses but that usually lasts a day because after I put Vicks, drink mango juice and have a good night's sleep I am better in the morning. I thought this would be like that too. I figured I wouldn't be seriously sick until I am married and with kids, probably when I am 40 or older. However, all of my ambitions were dashed when I got sick on Monday, February 6th, 2012 around 6pm. My ego crashed and burned, my pride stripped of me and I ended up with a fever of 37.4 degrees, classified as a "mild fever" when I went to work the next day (Tuesday).

I was surprised, scared, nervous, angry, and confused when I got labelled with a sickness. Surprised and confused because I didn't do anything differently the previous day. I ate and drank the usual food and drink. I didn't try something new. I had my jacket to withstand Busan's "winter" weather. Nothing compared to Toronto's winter. I am always under-dressed compared to the Koreans on the street or at work, so I know I didn't feel cold. I had my usual energy while teaching on Monday and I was just heading home from Seomyeon after I attempted to get my iPhone fixed from the Apple Service Center.
This is a super old picture of me sleeping!
Shortly after 6pm, I felt my head getting warm and heavy. There were sharp pain all around my skull. It felt like my brain was swollen, trying to escape or perhaps trying to take a rest. It did just that. I blanked out on the #17 bus from Seomyeon to my place and few of the Koreans noticed that I lost my balance and was on the floor. They immediately offered me a seat and opened the window to let in some fresh air into the overly crowded heated bus. I quickly took the water bottle from my bag and drank the cold water fast as I can. I felt a bit better but my head was still hurting. I got home around 6:15pm. I rushed to get changed from my work clothes, applied Vicks to my forehead, throat, back of my neck and my nose, and then I jumped into my cozy bed. I fell asleep for 13 hours and I woke up for work feeling not great. However, I still got ready and went to work using a taxi.

At work, when I arrived at 8am, I put my bag on my desk, sat down on my chair and used the bag as a pillow to rest my head. Around 8:20am, Christine showed up, felt my forehead and asked me if I was okay. I told her, "no, my head is hurting a lot". She noticed that I wasn't the usual self. Few minutes later Yejin showed up and also noticed my state of condition. Yejin called the school nurse and informed her about my situation. I went into the nurse's office shortly after the phone call. There, the nurse checked my temperature and told me, "mild fever" while showing me the temperature of 37.4 degrees on her device. Few second later, she got a cup of water and two white tablets and told me to take it. I did what she told me to do without any questions. She informed me that it was Tylenol and that it would take affect in an hour or so. I said okay and went back to my office. When I got back Yejin told me that I could go home. I didn't really want to leave because I never had a sick day leave from any of my previous work but I knew I had to in order to get back to good health.

As soon as I got home around 9:30am, I went to sleep and woke up 6 hours later feeling a bit better. Dharma was able to bring me Tylenol and other herbal medicine for me. I felt good enough to go grab dinner as well. Wednesday I was back at work feeling 85%, which is good enough to just play games with the students on their final week of classes. Later that day, I felt much better that I was able to go to a dinner event with my friends and I didn't feel that sharp pain in my head ever again. It last approximately 36 hours but that's 1 hour too long in my books. Overall, I wish I never get this "mild fever" and that I do not have to miss any more work because of any other illnesses. I am now 100% cured and back to my energetic self. I do not want anyone to be worried after reading the first paragraph.

Oh, on a side note classes have finished! I do not have to teach until March 2nd and spring vacation has begun. I'll be trying my best to tour more across South Korea, starting with a temple visit this upcoming weekend! Well, take care everyone and see you soon!