You know what they don’t tell you about studying abroad? That you’re going to get sick and it’s going to suck. Back home, I’m not really one to get sick. Of course I get the occasional cold, but other than that I cannot remember the last time I was really sick.
I can recall three times in the past month since I’ve arrived in Belgrade that I’ve been sick. That’s right, I’ve been sick essentially the whole time I’ve been here. Thankfully, I am coming to the end of what I hope to be my final sickness during my time here. But let me back up a bit…
It was our second week here when I woke up one morning with a stomach virus. Soon I came to find out that it was not only me who had been cursed with a stomach bug but two other students in our group as well. We all stayed home from class for two days and managed to make a full recovery. That doesn’t mean it didn’t suck though. While my peers were enjoying class with Serbian students, I was stranded on my couch trying to hold down any kind of food. It was not a pleasant few days in Georgia world. Thankfully, we have a few friends who are from Serbia who never hesitate to help in times of need. Aleksandra was kind enough to bring me some medicine, tea, and crackers. Without help from her and my roommate Chloe I would’ve been ten times as miserable. A few days later I was back on my feet and had made a full recovery. At least, in terms of that first sickness.
Fast forward to a week later. Guess who comes down with a cold? You got it. This girl! I normally don’t take medicine apart from the occasional cough drop but this time I gave in, took some Dayquil and managed to fight off the cold within a few days. I thought I was over it until I stayed in a hostel room in Budapest with 7 friends. I kid you not, that room must’ve been 85 degrees throughout our time in Budapest. It was like an incubator for germs. Unfortunately, on our way back to Belgrade, I could tell that some of the other girls were starting to get sick. We got back to Belgrade on Sunday night and I was feeling pretty good. Along comes Monday and guess what? I’m sick again.
I made it through class on Monday successfully and at that point it seemed to be just another common cold. Boy was I wrong. Tuesday is really when it started to go downhill for me. I started coughing like I have never coughed before. I swear it sounded like I was hacking up a lung. I pushed through and made it to class on Wednesday but that was a big mistake. At around 9:30 am on Wednesday I started sweating, then shivering, then sweating again. Not a good sign. I persisted through until lunch and then I headed home. From Wednesday afternoon until Saturday night I was in and out of sleep and my fever of 102.5 came and went as it pleased. On Thursday, another friend from Serbia (Nina) came over and brought me some medicine to help me try to fight off my fever. It worked for a bit and I thought that was the end. Silly me. Turns out it wasn’t the end. In fact, I was far from the finish line with this one. Friday rolled around and everything got worse. Fever, headache, sore throat, cough. You name it, I had it. Here I am thinking I’m going to die because I’ve never been this sick before and couldn’t remember the last time I even had a slight fever (I probably over reacted just a bit). Nina was kind enough to make me a doctor’s appointment for that afternoon. She and her mom came over and made me lunch too! Having a home cooked meal made me feel so much better after returning from the doctor.
The doctor gave me four different things to help me get better. The first was an antibiotic. They were pills that look like something I would give to my horse (by that I mean they’re massive). Turns out it’s a horrible case of strep. In addition to the antibiotic, she gave me a throat numbing spray and something to help with the fever if it decided to come back (it did). Finally, she gave me a probiotic which I thought was different. They don’t really do that in the United States. She said that they would help protect my stomach from the antibiotics. Maybe they should consider doing this in America seeing as it only seems to benefit you. The doctor also told me I had to stay home from school on Monday and Tuesday. It was a Friday when I went to see her. Why would I need to stay home for so long? If I was back in the U.S. I’d be out and about within the next two days. I have come to be grateful for this recommendation as it’s Tuesday morning and I am still not 100%. She wants to ensure that I am 100% recovered before I venture out into Belgrade again. Don’t worry, I’m surviving. Though I wouldn’t go as far to say that I am thriving at the moment.
The only thing worse than being sick, is being sick somewhere that isn’t home. I really appreciate what Nina and her mom did for me this week and I am truly lucky to have them here in Belgrade. They were able to make it feel like home for me. So yeah, sorry I’ve been off the radar this past week, I’ve just been a tad bit sick. I was able to learn something from all the time I’ve spent in bed. As soon as I’m 100% again, I’m going to try to spend a very minimal amount of time in my apartment. Instead, I am going to take advantage of all this city has to offer and cherish the remainder of my time here in Belgrade because who knows when I’ll get sick again. Also, I’m kind of sick (haha) of staring at the inside of my apartment, regardless of how great it is. I’m very much looking forward to not being sick anymore and being able to go back to class and explore this incredible city.
I feel it necessary to thank a few people who have helped me during my time of need over these past few weeks. To Aleksandra, Zile, Nina, Sonja, Chloe and everyone else who has reached out to me or helped me in anyway, thank you.
“Excuses will always be there for you. Opportunity won’t.” – Anonymous
My Serbian Sojourn 