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Life happens


And so, the inevitable has happened. Each of us, except Miia, has caught some kind of cold. John was first, then Analea and now me. Hopefully, this cold skips over Miia. We shall see. While I packed the cold medicine for the kids, I left the meds for John and myself at home...in our bathroom closet upstairs and in the cupboard in the kitchen. Last on my list of things to do before we leave for Europe, "Pack cold medicine." And so here we are and there, in Philo, lies the cold medicine.

Of course, it's not like we can't get anything for our colds here. There are Farmacias everywhere. Different from Walgreen's or other pharmacies at home, they sell what pharmacies probably originally and primarily sold - medicine with some baby products, shampoo and dental care items thrown in. They're convenient and some are even open all night. But, I can't get the meds I'm used to like Tylenol or the different nasal decongestants - Tylenol cold, Sudafed, etc. There's something here called Frenadol which resembles Theraflu. It tastes horrible in the U.S. and I'm sure it's the same here. And I'm sure there's more available than I realize.

I haven't tried anything yet except for Aleve (which John brought) and Analea didn't need anything. John has been brave and tried the Frenadol but his symptoms were worse. Analea's seem to have lessened in just a day. (Thank goodness.) And after a rough night for me, I seem to be on the mend as well...just in time for the weekend! All of this kicking myself for not bringing the cold medicine and our subsequetnt search for medicine and tissues has led me to come up with the following lists.

Cons of having a cold in Spain
  1. Can't find familiar brands of cold medication.
  2. Can't easily find medication.
  3. No ready made cans of chicken soup - you know, like Progresso, Campbell's, etc.

Pros of having a cold in Spain
  1. Can't find familiar brands of medication.
  2. Friends offer suggestions on what to use and offer to help us at the farmacia.
  3. When looking for tissues in the grocery store, I don't have to search through 50 choices. I simply have to decide if I want individual tissue packets, super-soft Kleenex or regular Kleenex.
The pros list has made me wonder a few things. Are we over-medicated in the States? Why are there so many over-the-counter medications available there? And do we really need them all?

And how about the tissues? You know what I mean. There's Puffs with lotion, Puffs with Aloe, super-soft, hypo-allergenic Puffs. Then there's the Scott brand, the Kleenex brand, probably recycled tissues as well. Don't get me wrong...I like that we have all these choices but how about having many choices on other items like rice. In the grocery stores here, there is an aisle devoted just to rice, and one for olive oil and a huge selection for seafood. And don't get me started on the ham section - it's beautiful and I must remember to take a picture next time I'm in El Corte Ingles.

Anyway, I'll sign off now before I start an anti-consumerism rant. Blog with you later (I type as I blow my nose in my super-soft Kleenex brand tissues bought at Carrefour).
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