So it has finally happened, I have succumbed to illness. I was in bed most of Sunday and Monday. My study abroad advisor said that it is a cruel joke that the first thing that happens when you enter a new culture is getting sick because you are out of your comfort zone and feel awful. My host mom was really great though, giving me tons of tea and strange pink corn mush that is supposed to be the cure for everything. I also was able to use a rubber hot water bottle, the last of which was probably seen in 1970.
However, my strangest experience happened when I went to tell my professor that I didn't feel well. There just happened to be a shaman (natural healer) in her office who was going to give us a lecture that day. Before I knew it he had taken out cedar wood and rosemary essences and began rubbing them on my head. At first I was quite uncomfortable, but after a few minutes I did feel better (and I smelled like a tree).
From instinct, the healer could tell that I needed to eat more healthy fats, drink more water, and relax more. He wanted to put acupuncture needles in my ears but I told him that it wouldn't be necessary and that I probably just needed some advil. After two days of sleep and about a million cups of tea, I do feel better. Who knows, maybe it was the alternative medicine that did the trick! Until later!
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