Wednesday through Sunday
What a long week! I spent last week recovering from COVID-19. There weren’t many fun things to keep everyone updated on and I didn’t have the energy to write everyday, so I decided to lump all the posts together here.
Wednesday
In the evening, Catherine (the head English teacher from Charvieu) stopped by to bring me chicken soup supplies and a plush new pillow! I was so grateful! We made sure to wear masks during the exchange and she told me that the children cried when they heard I was sick. One girl thought that I was going to die! Definitely was not a comforting thing to hear, but Catherine was almost giddy as she told me because their reaction meant that they really love having me come in.
Thursday
I was elated because Thursday morning my European charger arrived for my 3DS. I was able to spend all day dozing and playing Harvest Moon with crime documentaries in the background. I had enough energy by the end of the day to throw together the chicken soup supplies. I made enough soup to last multiple meals because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to cook again.
I got to end the day with a call with one of my friends.
Friday
My pounding headache finally started to dissipate! I was able to sit up a while longer to enjoy the Sherlock series. I read for a few hours and finished the Mindhunter book. At the end of the day I chatted with another friend on the phone.
Saturday
I finished Sherlock and Hannibal. Made some major headway on my video games. Might have to invest in some new ones while I’m here.
Sunday
The final day of my quarantine. Teachers expected my back in the classroom the next day and it was assumed that I was no longer contagious. I worked on slideshows that taught students how to describe personalities using famous Disney characters like Ursula and Mulan.
End Notes
I was lucky to catch a comparatively mild case of COVID. Still, it was an absolutely exhausting illness. The entire week, I struggled to do basic care tasks because I was so exhausted. It felt like my body was suddenly 100 pounds heavier and I didn’t have the muscle mass to carry it around. Though I didn’t have much of a cough, I felt and continue to feel that I lose my breath easily. Walking up stairs or quickly through the school is incredibly tiring. For days, I thought my head might explode because my headaches were so severe. Thankfully, this was the first symptom to go. I lost my sense of taste and smell early on, making it a struggle to eat. When everything tastes like nothing, it’s quite disconcerting. I’m still waiting for these senses to come back in full. I can tell when things are salty or sweet because of increases in salivation, but I couldn’t distinguish between foods if you paid me.
I urge you to take COVID seriously! I was lucky to experience only mild symptoms compared to others, but those symptoms have still been absolutely exhausting. This has worse than any flu experience I have had. Wash your hands and stay safe!
Mary-Est-En-France 