Senior Has Had Same Cold Since Winter of Freshman Year

Tara Garland (C '18) first experienced the melancholy of being sick away from home in January of her freshman year. Then, at least, she had the solidarity of her entire freshman hall who, because they kept making out with each other, had all infected each other. Unfortunately for Tara, the cold (that she has since named Gilbert) has stayed with her for her entire time at Penn.

People told Tara that it was normal to have a cold that never went away, and that it would stick with you for a few months, maybe even a whole semester. But Tara has adjusted to life with a constant sniffle and has accepted that part of her Penn experience has been not being able to breathe through clogged nostrils. 

When Tara prepared for her six months in Santiago, Chile, she made room to pack her favorite cold medicine, afraid that her familiar brand wouldn't be available abroad. During Hey Day, Tara sneezed on all of her friends' and classmates' hat things instead of taking a satisfying bite out of any of them. Tara looks forward to sneezing on whoever hands her a diploma this May so she can round out her Penn experience with Gilbert at her side.