I have been in Cuenca for a month and I have already been sick twice. Several of my friends from the US messaged me on Facebook -- "You're the only person I know who would get sick living that close to the equator!" Yes, I guess I must have magical powers of sickness. The first illness I had in Ecuador was most likely caused by the ash from Tungurahua, a volcano located in central Ecuador, that erupted on February 1, 2014. Though I can now brag that I was in a city blanketed in ash from a volcano that hadn't erupted in about 60 years before it welcomed me to Cuenca, being sick in Ecuador is especially unpleasant. NyQuil, DayQuil, etc. are not sold over the counter here -- in fact, one of the few medicines that you can get without seeing a doctor first is "flemex," otherwise known as standard cough medicine. Though it helps other symptoms as well (runny nose, sore throat, etc.) and tastes much better than liquid medicine does in the United States, not having access to NyQuil, aka the reason why I didn't die while living in the dorms, was rough. If you ever travel to Ecuador for an extended period of time, bring some. If you don't get sick, congrats, but if you do, you're welcome. With American Airlines and LAN (a South American airline -- another recommendation!), your checked baggage can have up to 70 ML of liquid in it, and NyQuil is top of my list for next time I come to South America (yes, I am determined to come back). Most medicines aren't sold over the counter here, and many times you have to go to a doctor ($30/visit with the insurance I have through school...thank you, Ohio University Office of Education Abroad!) to get a prescription. Another item that is typically sold everywhere that you have to ask for at a pharmacy in Cuenca is tissues. And if you want the kind WITHOUT lotion, make sure to ask for "pañuelos sin aroma." I learned this one the hard way the first time around. Though the aroma (I think it's a mix of vix vapor rub and flowery-smelling lotion) protected my nose from being rubbed raw, it is an overwhelming scent that I was glad to be rid of when I finally figured out how to ask for tissues without lotion. If you stay with a host family, chances are they won't have tissue boxes sitting around the house like many people in the US do, so you'll want to buy some when you get here. Unfortunately, they're more expensive here than they are in the US. A small box of tissues (see photo above) costs bout $2 and comes with 50 tissues. The second time I was sick, aka this past weekend through right now, was most likely due to food. Though I decided not to spend money on visiting a medical professional (yay self-diagnosis), after talking with my family in the US about my medical history and about their reactions to different types of food, I am fairly certain that the delectable Indian food I had at Taj Mahal, a restaurant on Calle Larga (literally, Long Street) in downtown Cuenca on Friday night was too strong for my stomach. It's a shame really, because that was some darn good food! Then again, it's not like the rest of what I ate this weekend was much better... A pig roasting on a spit in the market in Gualaceo. Photo is not the best that I could get, but I was definitely not about to get much closer to try for a better photo...though I did try a bite the innards and skin thanks to my lovely friends who laughed at my facial expressions the whole time. (Love you guys) On Saturday, I went back to Gualaceo for shoe shopping and to see a friend's Crossfit competition. The group of us, three gals from the CEDEI Spring Semester group and one guy we know who lives in Cuenca, had lunch at the same market the CEDEI group went to the weekend before when we spent about 15 minutes in the town. There is a whole row of pigs roasting on spits on the 2nd floor of this market (el mercado 25 de junio, perhaps? A lot of markets here are named after important dates...I live near el mercado 12 de abril, Cuencan Independence Day). I snuck this photo from my seat overlooking more raw meat on the first floor. Ick. For a vegetarian, this was definitely not the best place to be. However, since I am studying abroad, I am an "experimental vegetarian," which is my phrase for a vegetarian who is trying food in a foreign country because HELLO I'M IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY, and I would like to experience as much of the culture here as possible. As you may have guessed, that is a whole pig on a spit. I could probably curl up in a ball and be about the same size. Anyway, I tried some of the pig. And some of its skin, which my friend Andres described as "like potato chips" (he wasn't kidding...the texture was similar but the taste was...slightly more piggy). The innards, literally scooped out and put on a plate for the group of us, weren't actually that bad. I could get used to the taste of them if I had to drop being vegetarian to live here permanently...but for this trip, I think I'll stick to my "experimental vegetarianism." Yes, instagrammed strawberries. But the coloring isn't actually that off... Strawberries here are bright and beautiful and SO DELICIOUS. Just make sure to wash them before eating... I bought these strawberries in el mercado 10 de agosto, a market that sells veggies, raw meat and fruit on my way to the bus stop from CEDEI. Another food that could have made me sick is one of my favorites here in Cuenca -- strawberries. I like strawberries in the United States, especially with sugar added. Here in Cuenca, you don't even have to add sugar, and I love strawberries here. I could definitely eat them every day and be satisfied. Unfortunately, I consciously made the decision to just rinse them off while in Gualaceo (strawberries pictured are from Cuenca), and that definitely didn't help my health this past weekend... But seriously, with proper scrubbing -- I usually rinse strawberries with the water from my water bottle and scrub them with my hands before eating -- you absolutely can't go wrong with strawberries here. And in most places (on corners or in markets, I have bought from both), you can get about a pound of strawberries for $1. Professing my love for strawberries over the internet may be sort of weird, but if you have ever had them here you will understand (if you haven't, buy a plane ticket and come eat some strawberries). I haven't had raspberries, my favorite fruit in the US, here yet. If I can find them, I definitely will. Cherries are good here too, but nothing beats strawberries...at least not yet. I almost like them more than I like chocolate...and that's saying something.
Anyway, back to the point of this post. Being sick in Ecuador, or abroad in general, is no fun. In Cuenca, wash your fruit and don't eat too much weird stuff, no matter how culturally important it may be...at least until you know your stomach can handle it. The tap water in Cuenca is apparently quite clean (and it doesn't taste half bad either), but I still recommend "agua sin gas" (non-carbonated water that usually comes in bottles, even in restaurants) and can cost between $0.30 and $1.50, depending on where you are. For the last time, WASH YOUR FRUIT. And enjoy :) ¡Espero que tengas una buena salud! (I hope you have good health!)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorKate Hiller is a wannabe world traveler studying journalism and Spanish at Ohio University. This blog is about her experiences living abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador for a semester. (Spring 2014) Archives
May 2014
Categories |