Edited By: Mythili Kamath
The quintessential UG2023 experience: falling victim to the freshers flu (at least that’s what we call it) in the first week of the new semester.
What was it like? Falling sick in the first week of the next four years of your life?
Heading to the infirmary alone with heavy steps and a sniffling nose, probably a fever clouding my brain, I think at first,
Mummi ki yaad aa rahi hai yaar
(I miss my mom man)
And then,
Arushi, this is so underwhelming.
I was supposed to go to my first class with wide eyes, not a massive pack of tissues and a runny nose. I was supposed to stay up at night till four, not fall to pieces on my bed at night. From socializing over Dolo and Saridon, making people soup, agonizing over the cleanliness of water coolers and finding other people with the same symptoms as you, O Week was an unconventional bonding experience for the entire batch.
Falling sick in the comfort of my own home, knowing that I’m going to be force fed kadha, knowing that I’ll have tasteless but comforting chicken noodle soup waiting for me, knowing that my mom will scold me for being irresponsible while massaging my head, the Ashokan experience of being sick does not measure up (or that is what it felt like the first time around).
Being sick in an environment wherein everyone is concerned for your wellbeing brings solace. However, battling to survive even when your body is failing you is truly humbling. That walk from the mess to the room is excruciating. Mess food stops tasting like anything, assignments start piling up and even getting a doctor’s note for classes seems like a pain.
You use your sickness as an excuse to miss classes, but feel stumped before the next quiz. You go to the library to get some work done, but rush out in under 20 min because you are freezing. You put on your shoes to go to the dhaba, but the chai seems so far away.
Should I hug my friend? Should I wear a mask? Should I get tested? Should I start drinking bottled water?
The realization dawns: you have become concerned for your own health. You want to get better. You take responsibility for your wellbeing. You are too tired of sickness. And soon…
You feel like an adult.
Is this truly what growing up feels like? Being there for yourself at your worst? Having an internal and eternal drive to get better?
You stop rushing to Amul everytime you feel like having something sweet, because your throat is so sore you cannot speak. You choose dal chawal over fiery cheese fries because your stomach hurts. You buy a huge packet of salt from the tuck shop to gargle with that stays with you for the rest of the semester. You stand alone in the pantry late at night warming water in a borrowed pan, hoping to find some relief for your cold.
You choose.
It takes a staggering amount of courage, to say the least. You become the traditional epicureanist, prioritizing moderation and self control to ensure future happiness.
You sleep some more, you pop another dolo, you avoid gol gappe when everyone else has a plate. Your fever subsides, the sniffle becomes an occasional sneeze, the cough becomes a light irritation in your throat. The napkins stop piling up and you begin showering again. Life gets a lot better.
Then you hit your period.
Great.
You are surrounded by people who care about you, though. The love spreads every time someone brings something from Kitkat to your room, when someone makes you bland maggi, massages your head, checks up on you, sits beside you when a thermometer is up your mouth, walks you to the infirmary, and especially, when they offer to proxy your attendance.
People ask if your fever went down while sitting in your room discussing comfort meals and homely remedies. It is reassuring, just discussing things with your chosen family. Which rasananda soup is the best? What is the delivery number for THC? Is meftal spas better? Or Combiflam? You ask and are answered, you are asked and you answer.
You realize that the experience of being sick is not just about you, it’s about how you fit into this tapestry of people – how you bond over being at your worst physically. College makes even sickness collective. I feel empowered to be a part of people growing and fighting alongside each other. I start feeling safe. And this community starts feeling like home.