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Love Bug

Valentine’s Day is smack in the middle of February -- and of flu season. While couples plan their evening out at fancy restaurants, I sneeze at the thought of roses. Hold on to those chocolates, amore mio, and pass the OJ.

Romans seem to all get sick at the same time. One little cough and the person next to you in the line at the pharmacy comments, “Ah, looks like you’ve got what’s going around.” I believe it. Humid weather, crowded public transportation and badly enforced restaurant sanitation laws (I have worked in them and I have seen the dark side) is the perfect combination for spreading germs.

The pharmacy is the best place to get medicine…and they’re not shy about handing it out. This morning I sent my brother, who is visiting from Boston, to the pharmacy with a note written in Italian. I wrote down my symptoms: dry cough, fever, stuffed sinuses, etc. on a piece of paper. He returned five minutes later with three small packages: a cough syrup, a fever-reducer and a decongestant all suggested by the pharmacist. I wondered why they couldn’t just give me an all-in-one cold medicine.

American students go nuts for over-the-counter medicines from the homeland. Maybe we don’t consider Italian drugs strong enough for our symptoms. This time of year, word spreads fast on who has the hook-ups: “I hear Joe’s got Tylenol Cold and Flu.” “Forget that, Liz has Sudafed.” “I saw Katherine drinking Airborne, maybe she has extra.” “I’ve got a hidden stash of Halls cough drops.”

Another perk to attending a university with such a diverse student body is the variety of home remedies. While my American friends swear by a bowl of chicken soup, my Japanese friend suggests boiling orange peels and drinking the water. It’s a bit bitter, so I put a twist on it by using the water for my tea and adding a generous amount of honey.

So on this Valentine’s Day, I believe the best way to say “I love you” is “STAI LONTANO!”

“Stay far away!”

Posted by Kelsea at 9:57 AM | Comments (1)