Tea, tea and some more tea

I caught a cold quite recently which inevitably let to my staying at home...well not inevitably, just after I realised that my throat sores 16 hours a day (the number of hours I spend awake).

It's funny how you have to protect your vocal cords when you are a teacher. And when autumn and winter come, the risk of catching some really nasty viruses and/or bacteria increases exponentially :) Of course, unlike others (=not teachers), we are in big trouble if we try to speak 4-5 hours a day when we have a cold. We naturally speak louder in bigger areas, like classrooms. Not to mention the possibility of occasional shouting, such as: 'Peti do not throw that apple out of the window!!'. Teaching 11-year-olds the latter happens to me quite often, by the way. So it's better for everybody's sake to stay at home for a couple of days (I'm planning just 2).

Here are my strategies of survival:

• Think of a reasonable amount of tea and drink at least twice more (it's best when you have your jug around all day, it'll remind you of drinking)
• It's always good to add some honey as well, and/or honey by itself if you have a really sweet tooth
• Some pain killers always come handy (I'd prefer 'algopyrin' which is quite effective)
• Whatever happens do NOT answer the phone. Try to talk as little as possible (plus, your school may call because they couldn't find a substitute and want you to go in anyways)
• Open your window 2-3 times a day to let some fresh air in and let the nasty bacteria-full air out (you may want to leave the room during this time unless you want to get worse)
• Chicken soup is always the best to eat when you're sick - try to evoke empathy in your flat-mates so they will make you some (sidenote: I've just called my mum that I'm really-really-unimaginably sick and also faked some coughs)
• Put on warm and cosy PJs and rest in bed (it might be the perfect time to catch up with your TV shows you've been wanting to watch for ages)
• After a while you'll be pretty bored with all the above, so you may start thinking about what you'll be teaching after your sick-leave (since you wasn't planning to get sick, most of your books might be left in school - no worries: perfect time for finding online material)
• Last, but not least: DO NOT forget to visit/call your family doctor, he is the only person who can make sure you'll get salary while you're trying to cure your cold :)