This past week, I have been sick with a sore throat and a good deep cough. Autumn has started to here, and with the change of seasons, the fall cold /flu has come. Many classmates have been ill, as well as most of my host family. So, it was no surprise that, with my lowered immune system due to stress, I got sick. However, I have learned some things about the autumn cold season here in Hermosillo. First of all, it is common knowledge as well as common medical advice from doctors, that you shouldn’t eat or drink cold foods when you are sick. At first, this seemed very strange. However, in the US we are conscious about the external temperature of our bodies. For example, in the winter, we make sure the outside of our bodies warm by dressing appropriately and how that can play into our health. So, I guess there is some truth in not eating cold foods, especially considering that with the tea in my body I am extra warm. However, the weird part here is that during the day we still have temperatures in the mid 90s and so when I am told not to have cold food/drink, my immediate response is “That’s crazy!” The second thing I’ve noticed is that everyone says, “It’s because of the weather change and your body coming in and out of the air conditioning*.” I took this to mean that the reason I got sick was the drastic change between the two. However, I thought it was much worse in August when it was 110 degrees temps outside. In an attempt not to be too critical, I thought I should maybe ask about why people said “Be careful of the air conditioning!” in the “fall” and not the summer. Based on my conversation with Luz Belia, it’s not the cause, but a trigger for the virus, which makes sense to me. However, I still have to make sure I don’t roll my eyes when I hear… “It’s because of the change”. Ahhh, the things you learn when you sick!
*Air conditioning tends to be very, very cold here (70-75 degrees Fahrenheit) based on that they are charged based on time instead of energy used.
