I'm back! Hello July
- Sophie
- Jul 6
- 3 min read
Last time I posted I was about to head to Sydney for work and a game plan for how to make the next two weeks manageable. Well, lets just say I didn't count on basically a fortnight of being unwell with random viruses! This came after I had ALREADY been sick this winter with some kind of cold/flu virus earlier in June. It was all a bit much TBH.
When I arrived in Sydney I initially though I was OK. I checked into my hotel and thought, "I'll just take a short nap" and then head into the conference opening talks/drinks. But after my nap I was feeling, exhausted. And then I started to cough and sneeze. Oh dear. By the next day I was feeling terrible, and it was clear I couldn't attend the conference. My hotel was about 25 minutes walk from the conference venue, and I had originally planned to walk each day. The weather was beautiful, perfect mild sunny winter days, and usually I would relish that walk to start the day. But that day it felt like an impossible marathon. So instead I slept in, went for a light walk locally, faelt sorry for myself, and took it easy.
It was also bittersweet walking around that area because this is where we used to live in Sydney. We lived in that area from when E was 1 year old until she was 4 and O a baby. Remembering playing in the playgrounds, meeting friends, running after toddlers (don’t miss that so much!), made me nostalgic and probably more sad than I usually would be if I wasn’t unwell and alone. On the upside I was able to rest in my hotel room alone with zero parenting.
By day 3 I was finally feeling ok to go to the conference, which was lucky because I was presenting in a session that day. The day went well overall, both my session and attending some other interesting talks, and chats with other researchers. And then I jumped in an uber to head to the airport. I got home fairly late, and then the next day was E’s 8th birthday!
We met my parents at Aussie World, our local amusement park, and it was a really fun time. We’d only been once before when the kids were aged 5 and 2, and their current ages of 8 and 4.5 is better suited. We went on a couple of rides as a family (O was much more of a thrill seeker than we expected), and then different combinations of kids/adults went on other rides. It’s SO good having multiple adults along for that reason.
After a few hours we were all pretty tired so we headed home for a quiet afternoon. I was nackered after my trip. So we did cake at my parents the next day. I made the cake and let’s just say Al couldn’t stop laughing. “Not every year can be a prize pig”, he said. 😂 It was very flat, I will admit. But it was delicious regardless.
E is such a gorgeous, kind, vivacious, funny, creative, original kid. We are very proud of her. She loves Taylor Swift and Minecraft YouTubers and these “older kid” things, yet she still loves playing with baby dolls and being read to at night. She’s definitely very loyal and loving to me, Daddy and her little brother. 8 is a precious age.
The next week I had some urgent work deadlines (students grades had to be entered by the Thursday), so of course by Tuesday I was sick again! Wednesday I had full on fever and night sweats. I was marking students work from bed. It was tough. BUT I got the grades in with 2 hours to spare. Phew. That week was also E’s last week of term before a 2 week break. I started to feel better last weekend but honestly my mood was pretty low. I was SICK of being SICK. Most of that next week I still had fatigue. Finally on Friday I felt back to myself. Very grateful to have my energy back!
This post is long enough, so I’ll stop there, but I’m looking forward to 3 days of leave Wed -Fri this coming week, we have my little brother and his wife and 5 year old daughter visiting, and the kids will be off school/daycare so we can do some fun activities all together. Hooray for health and a break. it’s good to be back online!
Oh, my gracious. Being sick so much - and having to put in the work while away and at home is so much. I hope you are fully recovered now.
Would you be willing to share more about what you research? I looked on your about page but details were rather light. I'm always curious about others' research passions. We're all so different - and yet, so similar in some ways. :)
We are finishing our summer term grades (as in, uploading today), then I get a bit of a "break" to work on manuscripts and analyses while moving and... it's a lot. On the other hand, I'd rather be busy than bored!
GIRL. You need a break from all those illnesses!!!!!! Could you be a little burned out?? I mean it with absolute love. I know when I have a lot going on at school, and home, the stress mounts and I get sick. It's like my body gives up and makes me go horizontal. You know how they say that your mental state impacts your immune system that, in turn, makes your body more vulnerable to viruses?
Any way, I hope you are all better! HUGS from New jersey!
What a special birthday celebration. I'm sure the cake was delicious.
Oof. What a tough stretch you've had; you must be totally exhausted! Travel, sickness, intense work responsibilities. I hope you have all that behind you now and can enjoy the time with family and get a chance to catch your breath and relax a bit.
I loved Sydney. We did the Bondi to Coogee walk and it was stunning! And I also loved Manly Beach. I'd love to visit again sometime (and see even more of the country). I will admit it felt less foreign to me in many ways than visiting the US. While the accent is quite a difference, it still felt quite "Canadian" to me. The…
Oh no!! That is awful that you were sick. You poor thing! It must have been stressful presenting when you weren’t feeling well! It looks like you stayed in a gorgeous area. I did not know you lived in Sydney previously! Of all the places I went in Australia, Sydney was my favorite. It’s such a gorgeous city and then you have Bondi beach and Manly Beach, etc. it seems to have it all!
I hope you have a much healthier stretch ahead!!