Hi everyone. I moved to Japan last year and started working in a kindergarten. As you know kids are always sick and even though I try to be very hygienic, always wear a mask, and wash my hands carefully (I wash them so long and so often that I have dry hands now), I somehow end up getting some illness from the kids.
I caught cold a few times. I have already caught cold like 4 times since last August, whereas I would have a cold maybe once or twice in a year back in my country. In my own country, a cold was just unpleasant, usually accompanied by breathing problems. In Japan, the colds feel like something super severe. I am able to go to work with medication (if I don’t have a fever) but it feels like I’ve been hit by a truck. Severe body aches, fever, complete inability to breathe, etc. (No, it wasn’t corona). Recently, I got stomach flu from one of the students. According to thr doctor, I was supposed to recover in 3 days but it’s been a week and I still feel miserable, though my symptoms have alleviated somewhat.
I had much worse illnesses back in my home country and I never remember being sick for a very long time. Also, back in my country, I didn’t give a shit about diet and health and vitamins and stuff. Meanwhile, in Japan, I spend quite a bit of money in order to have a healthy diet. I have a hunch that maybe it’s because of the new environment and ‘new viruses’ that my immune system has not seen before, but I just wanted to come here and see if any of you have also felt this way and if this is normal. Is there hope for me to adjust or am I just gonna be sick for the rest of my life?
by koalatea12345