Imagine situation like that: you caught a terrible cold. You've got runny nose, headache, sore throat, fever and basicly you feel very weak. What do you do? What do you take? How do you cure yourself? Since there's so many "madications" that doesn't need a prescription on a polish market, I assume, that a statistical Pole would take some Gripex, Fervex, Aspirin C or other great discovery of the pharmacists. At least to ease his own suffering. Than probably a cup of hot tea with lemon, grandma's raspberry sirup or honey, hide under a blanket and wait till he feels better. What would the Dutch do in this situation? Drink a juice!
I'm seriously speechless, when Maurice seeing me geting cold, advices me to buy some fruits and take vitamines... These things are good on everyday basis, to prevent, but not when you're already sick. At the beginning I was thinking, it was just him with this weird ideas, but then I quickly realised that the health is one of the best topics for jokes and sarcasm among expats living in the Netherlands. Sure, vitamines are important and help our bodies to protect themselves from the nasty bacterias and stuff, but really? Curing a flu with it? In worst case they take the most universal medication in the whole country: paracetamol. Your child has almost 40 degrees fever? Paracetamol. It's not even worth to go to the doctor, becasue what is he gonna prescribe you? Paracetamol. It's already better to go straight to the pharmacy and save your time. And then, they go like that, barely alive, with runny nose to work/school and keep others getting sick.
I'm seriously speechless, when Maurice seeing me geting cold, advices me to buy some fruits and take vitamines... These things are good on everyday basis, to prevent, but not when you're already sick. At the beginning I was thinking, it was just him with this weird ideas, but then I quickly realised that the health is one of the best topics for jokes and sarcasm among expats living in the Netherlands. Sure, vitamines are important and help our bodies to protect themselves from the nasty bacterias and stuff, but really? Curing a flu with it? In worst case they take the most universal medication in the whole country: paracetamol. Your child has almost 40 degrees fever? Paracetamol. It's not even worth to go to the doctor, becasue what is he gonna prescribe you? Paracetamol. It's already better to go straight to the pharmacy and save your time. And then, they go like that, barely alive, with runny nose to work/school and keep others getting sick.
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| A picture from my Dutch language book: "Sir, I called your insurance company and I have good news: I can prescribe you a paracetamol." |
Just after I moved here (autumn) I got a cold of course. I wanted to get some pills that would help me quickly fight the cold, so i went to the nearest drugstore to buy aspirine. In Poland I would have a huge choice of remedies, but here... standard Aspirine C, some cheaper equivalent and Osscilloccocilum (or how you write it), which was freaking expensive. Actually in Poland it also costs quite some. That the cashier looked at me surprised and asked if I know what I'm buying and if I need more informations about it. No thank you, I've been taking it since I was a child.
I learned my lesson and the next time I went to Poland, I packed the whole reserve of remedies, my mom have already prepared for me. Now I feel safe. Even Maurice saw it's good, cause last time he started getting sick, he asked me for some of my polish pills. Nevertheless he still claims that fruits are enough.
I learned my lesson and the next time I went to Poland, I packed the whole reserve of remedies, my mom have already prepared for me. Now I feel safe. Even Maurice saw it's good, cause last time he started getting sick, he asked me for some of my polish pills. Nevertheless he still claims that fruits are enough.
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