Mid-terms, group presentation, leadership camp and driving test - my body was on constant alert all the time. How I manged to scrape through all these I couldn't comprehend, but I'm sure about one thing: I held on for so long that the morning after I passed my driving test, all hell broke loose.
First I had a minor sore throat which I ignored, then assignments were doled out. I stayed up late past midnight every day - something I never did before - to finish whatever assignment, homework or project given. Working like a machine finally took its toll on my health. I fell really sick yesterday.
From the back of my throat to the tip of my tongue there were burning sensations and dry patches where even saliva will trigger extreme pain. I sneezed until my lips cracked. Agony in its purest. Yesterday for the whole day my mind just wouldn't work. I barely spoke because even talking would pain me. So I was gloomy and quiet for the entire time.
I almost fell asleep doing some math questions before class. That was the last straw. I surrendered. I packed away my things and napped.
News about earthquake and tsunami in Japan reached me only when I was leaving college yesterday afternoon. I was walking towards the entrance when I saw CNN news projected to a wall, showing heart-wrenching still images of massive destruction.
It was like a wake-up call, a slap across my cheek. The Japanese out there are suffering, and here I was in my college dispirited because of being sick? The news made me realise how small we are in the face of disasters and that we should appreciate what we have before it's lost to us forever.
God help the people in Japan. As for myself, I'll keep fighting my own illnesses until I recover.
Gambateh, people!
