Why You Should Get Your Flu Shot

I wish this post was about all the awesome memories I am making in Cologne this weekend for Karneval, but I came down with the flu.  I started getting sick on Wednesday, but I was hoping it was merely a cold.  On Thursday I was sent home early from work because I looked dead tired and then on Friday morning it hit.  I woke up and even with ibuprofen, I could only get my fever down to 101.5.  Leaving bed clearly wasn't going to be an option for me on Friday.  I sent an SOS text to my American friend in Heidelberg, who was kind enough to drop by with water, juice, and food that would be easy on my stomach.  Hopefully he doesn't catch the flu.

I'm really bummed.  I've gotten the flu shot every year for a long time and this year my insurance didn't cover it, so I didn't.  Also, German universities lack a Student Health Services, so it honestly wasn't advertised where I could get the shot if I wanted it.  I really wanted to go to Karneval and I was going to go back and stay in my old bedroom in Cologne.  I even made a costume that would match two of my friends.   We were all going to go dressed as the Richter-Fenster  in the Dom.  I put on my costume for a little bit today and tried to celebrate anyways

It pretty much took two seconds of dancing around until I was too exhausted to continue.  Instead of spending the weekend with my friends in Cologne, I was curled up in a ball reading Uncle Tom's Cabin and playing Roller Coast Tycoon.  Sad.