Medicine or Malady?

Today I spent much of my time in bed trying to shake off a cold that somehow caught me no matter how hard I tried to outrun it. Of course, colds are just a part of life, and something you've kind of got to wait out, but here in Moldova, everyone wants in on the "curing" process, if you will. I have heard some of the strangest remedies for my cold. I didn't think it fair for me to have all the fun to myself, so I've decided to share with you some of the most.......uh......creative, shall we say......of the suggested cures:

• For a stuffy nose: Put chopped onion up each nostril to clear the nasal passages.
• For a head cold: Boil home made vodka or gin in a saucepan, add lots of pepper, inhale the vapors, and drink a cupful (I've actually tried this one, and as I shared with Bonnie, I don't know if it did anything for my cold, but I slept like a baby!:)
• For a sore throat: Put a spoonful of vodka on your throat where it hurts, and the vodka will ease the pain, and kill any bacteria that might be causing the soreness. Hmmmm.....interesting.
• For a general cold: Eat lots of garlic, as it's supposed to strengthen your immune system (I told them it very well might be true, but I wouldn't have any friends because I would be emitting a very potent smell. For some reason, they thought this was funny?)
• For sore throats or colds: Drink lots of tea with honey and lemon. (this one I don't mind in the least and have been doing a lot of).
• Here's the scariest I've heard of so far: for chest congestion: Make a compress of, here it comes........ready?.......YOUR OWN URINE, and place on your chest to clear the congestion. I was informed that it doesn't smell very good, but if you're not planning on going anywhere where people will smell you, it's a great remedy. Yeah, I'm not touching that one with a ten foot pole!!!!!

Anyways, for now, I'm sticking to rest, and over the counter cold meds from the States. Thank goodness it's just a cold. If it was a fever, they'd probably be trying to give me home injections! I'm serious. I've heard of it happening with other volunteers. Another thing to be grateful for? Thank goodness I am conscious and can REFUSE these remedies! I can only imagine what they would do to me if I was too weak or unconscious to refuse. I guess every cloud has a silver lining. HA!!!

Well, hope this blog gets a smile out of you, and finds you all in good health. Love and miss you guys, and as always, love your emails and comments!