sick of being sick

Groan. It is impossible for me to stay healthy in this country. Friday I started fighting off what I thought was a nasty cold. By Saturday afternoon a fever of 101 F had broken and I was sweating bullets and freezing simultaneously. You know your body temperature is soaring if you're chilly in the middle of a summer afternoon in India. It appears that my immunity system has finally forsaken me completely. Perhaps I've caught the omnipresent World Cup Fever everyone's talking about? I feel better today (Sunday) with the gracious help of Gopa mashi and Tylenol gel caps. Hopefully I'll be in good enough shape to attend a work meeting regarding my research tomorrow morning.

I called my parents last night for some moral support. Moral support they gave me indeed, but my Mom gave me an even more valuable piece of "tough love" advice. This is the career I've chosen, she said, and I'm going to have to toughen up and deal with occasional illnesses that tra-la-la-ing about in developing countries during the monsoon season is likely to bring. Mom's right. Pass the echinacea, please.Groan.