23 June 2009

Awkward #1. The Water Fountain

I am envisaging that I will have more awkward posts in the future, so I have named this #1. May it be the first of many.

Actually this isn't so bad. When I went to the gym today, I forgot to bring my water bottle, which is a pretty usual occurrence anyway. So between sets, I'd drink from the water fountain and I don't know how the pipes are set up, but every time I leant down to drink, the water would suddenly gain energy and shoot up all over my face. And when I thought it couldn't get worse, I went down for a second sip and water shot up my nose. It was painful. I thought I could get away discreetly, but when I straightened up, there were two guys in line behind me and they actually had a look of fear in their eyes when they saw me rubbing liquid from my face like I was a snotty-nosed kid. With all this kerfuffle and hoohaa about swine flu being transmitted through respiratory secretions and from rubbing your eyes, I don't blame them, but it still took much effort to retain my dignity and hold my head high as I walked past. 

On a different but related note, one of the pharmacist's duties is to educate people about current health issues. Although I am but an intern, I will offer some general tips to living virus free!
  • Good hygiene is the best way to prevent infection, both to protect others from your germs and to respectfully decline other people's germs entry into your body
  • So, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough and wash your hands after
  • Throw the tissue away after use! Used tissues are not classified as art and so should not be exhibited in any way, shape or form
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
  • Don't get worried if you see a girl doing these things at the gym near a water fountain because chances are, she has just been attacked by said water fountain. Am I starting to sound bitter?
An innocent glass of water - hard to believe it is related to The Water Fountain

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