fighting flu

One of the things about this country that always makes me laugh is the simplicity of the language. Once you start really learning it, it still has a lot of difficult factors and its much larger than people think. However, there are many simplicities that make life easier... Such as the repetition of words to make them plural or the absence of past or future tenses. More subtle simplicities are things like the usage of the word flu. In the English speaking world the word flu means a virus that is nearly crippling and leaves a person devastated for a number of days.. whereas flu over here could mean a number of things... Sniffles, cold, allergies, or even the actual flu. The word has multiple meanings which of course can lead to many confusing conversations. Regardless, I am now fighting off a nasty flu (cold) which makes teaching classes today nearly unbearable....