When I was applying for a UK visa I had to pay £150 for a healthcare surcharge. I did not have a choice but to pay, but I remember thinking it would be a waste of money. I was bringing all my medication with me from the States, and I rarely go to the doctor, even when I am coming down with a bad cold. Little did I know that I would end up spending four days in hospital, and would require a lot of medication to treat my illness. Suddenly, £150 seems like nothing. Leaving the hospital without paying even one pence gave me the weirdest feeling.
The day I posted my last blog post was also the day everything went south. I finally made my way to the doctor’s after feeling under the weather for what must have been around a month. I had been so busy I hadn’t realised how long I had not been feeling well for until the doctor asked me. Turns out, it was not a cold like I thought. I had been carrying around a pretty bad case of tonsillitis. It got bad enough that I was unable to attend classes or work on the finals I talked so much about on my last post. I had to start packing for my trip to the States before I truly started feeling better, and I surprised myself a little when I successfully got through the 26 hour-long journey. I have been slowly recuperating ever since. I am infinitely better now, but I am also on holiday and I have not been able to finish my final assignments. I have never had to ask for extensions before, and I feel weird about falling behind on my schoolwork, but it is great to be able to focus on my recovery rather than writing subpar essays because I had to. I aim to finish all my missing assignments before the new month comes to an end and I start my second semester at Queen’s. For the next few days, however, I am giving myself the go-ahead to read as many fun-reads as I possibly can, because I did not read as much as I would have liked this year.
My hopes for the new year are the same as they have been for the last few years. In short, I want to be the best version of myself. Isn’t that what we should all strive for? I’ll update you on my finals process soon. Happy New Year!