Experiential Knowledge: Being sick in a foreign land.

Last night, I went to bed without dinner; not because I did something bad but because my stomach decided it was mad at me. I woke up this morning, not feeling sick, but not feeling great either, so I decided to just go on with my day as usual and ignore the fact that my body was telling me to slow down. I walked over 17,000 steps anyways, ignoring my body completely. I woke up around 7, went to class, climbed 3 flights of stairs to get to lunch (which was amazing by the way!), walked a few hours through Athens to find a post office and an adaptor, and then experienced 'Athens by Night' (by climbing about 42 thousand stairs, looking out at the unbelievable view, and drinking blended apples--homemade apple juice gone wrong). Looking back now, I can say that I didn't really get the experience that I was looking foreword to. Not because of anyone else, not because it wasn't as great as I expected, but because I felt like poop. The amount of sickness I felt varied throughout the day, going from feeling okay to stomach pains to pretty good to my current fever. And while walking back to my apartment, I realized that I never want to experience this feeling or miss out on any more amazing experiences ever again.

Because this is what I looked like when I finally reached my apartment...

So, I learned from unfortunate experience today, that if you are in a foreign land without your caring and comforting mother, if your body is exhausted (and you have a history of exhaustion leading to sickness), and/or if you are in any sort of pain, fever, or discomfort, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and GIVE IT WHAT IT WANTS/NEEDS!

Please don't make the mistake I did if you are ever in a similar situation. Just spend an hour in your room and nap instead of exploring. Don't wake up extra early to prance around the city when your body is craving more sleep. Don't not take Tylenol at the first sign of illness...

Please, don't do this to yourself when faced with sickness in a foreign land. Just listen to my words of very unfortunate, experiential wisdom. You will feel much better!

<3