Memoirs of a Swine Flu Victim

Hello everyone!

I've been back in Idaho for a month now, and haven't actually told you I made it. Well I did, and have had three glorious weeks of school so far. We've spent our days and nights well, meaning our weekends were free for celebrating. I think we've had one major party every weekend so far. Most of them have been to welcome the Freshmen. I think they're going to be a good group. The last party we had was out of town a little ways where we played capture the flag on a farm. The game lasted for one to two hours, and then we all mobbed the campfire to roast hotdogs. It was good to catch up with everyone, see how their summers went, and find out what crazy things they did, and get to know the Freshmen, and find out how many siblings of theirs you already know. After eating, we sang for awhile, then somebody broke out an old guitar and passed it around. Lots of undiscovered talent came out that night. We had people who played, sang, did duets, and everyone loved it. Then a few of the more comedic guys took center stage and jokes and stories flew around. It almost seemed like a competition to see who could make the audience's ribs hurt more. Then we had a few poetry reciters, and we turned the evening into a right ol' talent show. After awhile, people started trickling away, but some of us hung around and talked until late at night. It's nights like those that make me realize that it's not just the amazing classroom experiences that make this school as wonderful as it is, but also the talks with friends, light hearted or serious, early in the day or around fires at 11:00. That's what really sets the mind ablaze, taking from class and using it outside of the doors of school. I realized then that if I could get paid to sit around with people and talk, argue, debate, reason, philosophize, I would take that job in a heartbeat. There's a kind of freedom in it, especially knowing that, should you still disagree in the end, you'll all walk away friends because of the deeper, more important, ties and connections. Although nothing particularly novel or brilliant was said, I think that night will be a cherished memory for the rest of my life. A moment made eternity.

But of course, partying isn't all we do. I'm taking Biology, Logic, Ancient History, and Latin, so there's plenty to keep me busy. Choir is volunteer, but I'm singing away, and then weekly speeches are also required. Since we have a limited time for speech, however, we rotate as to who presents. The first week, I was in the group of people who had to describe the super power they would like to have, along with its weaknesses. All known/popular powers were off limits. Last week, that group had to pick any famous dead person and describe having dinner with them.We had everyone from Galen to Constantine to Robin Hood to GK Chesterton show up. It was quite hilarious! Today's group is presenting poems they wrote. The assignment wasn't simply to write poems, though. There were strict guidelines given for style. The poems may be about anything, so long as they're written a la Dr. Seuss. So yes, lots of laughs expected.

And by now I'm sure you're thinking, "Well yes, this is all nice, but what about the SWINE FLU?" Fine. Yeah, I caught the swine flu at the beginning of the week, and Monday was the only day I made it to school. I was going to go today, but I wore myself out last night preparing homework for Latin Recitation this morning, and so I knew that going would tax me too much. So I'm missing everything today, including midterms and the cat dissection in Biology lab and the Dr. Seuss poems. Honestly, that's the part I'm most bummed about. But, as most of you are far-removed East Coasters, you're probably curious as to what swine flu is like, so I'll tell you. Lame. Miserable, but lame. It has successfully knocked me flat for a week, which is more than the normal flu, but, unlike the normal flu, I have not had to pay homage to the porcelain gods once. So it doesn't really feel like the flu. All the media hype about it is baloney. Washington State has made international news and laughs about it, since it's all confused misinterpretation of data, and although it's gone through probably a third to a half of my school by now, few people have been out this long. The media wants you to think that if you get the swine flu, you'd better get a coffin, too. It's funny to me to see how different people deal with it. Most of my friends make as much fun of it as they can, which has resulted in several great names, 'hamthrax' and 'aporkalypse' being my favorites. It does take its toll, though. One of my friends said she'd have to feel better in order to die. Another said, "On a scale of 1 to 10, I feel almost human." So yes, it's no fun, but compared to normal flu, it's better in some ways and worse in others. Next time you hear about swine flu, think of me and laugh, because it's nothing to get panicked over.

I'm trying to think of anything else I might have forgotten. I'll get the good fun of making up my midterms later, but I'm so thankful that the professors are so generous about this whole mess and that making them up is even an option. One was a take-home anyway, so I'll probably take care of that tomorrow. The weather continues to be beautiful in the 80's-90's, and without humidity that's quite pleasant. My window hasn't been shut for a week. Please pray for recovery for the sick, continued health for the rest, and that we all keep on top of our studies. I hope you all are doing well, and that life is good. I'd love to hear from you, so please write me back, or even good old fashioned letters. A giant lunch for the invalid just appeared, so I will go nibble now. Take care!