I've been a little sick of late. I'm actually amazed that I'd avoided it so far, considering my fondness for street food and the infirmities of my fellow students. However, I am protected by an abundance of vaccines and a stomach of steel, developed over years of eating dirt. Unfortunately, my super human powers were unable to protect me from myself, as I absentmindedly drank a glass of tap water yesterday. I blame my amazing immunity for getting my gastrointestinal guard down!
My family host family is super sweet, but kind of stressful, every time I get sick. (I had a cold a couple of weeks ago.) They're well-educated, but their understanding of germ theory is sorely lacking. They believe almost all illnesses are related to changes in altitude, temperature, being out in the rain and not eating enough. While they may be wrong about how I got sick, their remedies are amazing. At first I was skeptical, because they have no scientific basis, and limited sapidity. But as it turns out, drinking disgusting mushes made of rice, corn and random herbs can do wonders.
It's a good thing, because taking over the counter medicine here is akin to doing crack at home. A trip to the pharmacy is hilarious. First, you have to play this crazy game of medical charades to explain your infirmity to the pharmacist. None of the packages are labeled. The pills are all mixed together in their blister packs. So you have to go on faith that the pharmacist understands your ailment and is giving you the right drug. They don't include instructions, but I recommend you avoid using heavy machinery after taking any quantity of anything here. It's probably ten times the strength of what you could buy over the counter in the states. If the illness doesn't kill you, the dry mouth from the drugs will.
My family host family is super sweet, but kind of stressful, every time I get sick. (I had a cold a couple of weeks ago.) They're well-educated, but their understanding of germ theory is sorely lacking. They believe almost all illnesses are related to changes in altitude, temperature, being out in the rain and not eating enough. While they may be wrong about how I got sick, their remedies are amazing. At first I was skeptical, because they have no scientific basis, and limited sapidity. But as it turns out, drinking disgusting mushes made of rice, corn and random herbs can do wonders.
It's a good thing, because taking over the counter medicine here is akin to doing crack at home. A trip to the pharmacy is hilarious. First, you have to play this crazy game of medical charades to explain your infirmity to the pharmacist. None of the packages are labeled. The pills are all mixed together in their blister packs. So you have to go on faith that the pharmacist understands your ailment and is giving you the right drug. They don't include instructions, but I recommend you avoid using heavy machinery after taking any quantity of anything here. It's probably ten times the strength of what you could buy over the counter in the states. If the illness doesn't kill you, the dry mouth from the drugs will.
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