Conquering a head-cold

With the current rainy and cold weather, I managed to catch a bit of a head cold the other day. I've heard Fulbrighters from cold-weather areas state that they'd never been as cold as they had during winters in Morocco. It's as cold outside as it is inside, often, because the houses have to be vented for the Butagaz tanks (to avoid explosions) and because there is no indoor heating system. I understand parts of California are similar, but don't think that it gets quite as humid and cold there....

The things I've learned from this experience are the following:

The pharmacies are like the ones in Europe. All one has to do is go in, and if the symptoms are obvious, the pharmacist will give something to the client immediately. The pharmacist I saw was French. She gave me a powder to take three times a day. I have no idea what it is; she only told me that it's NOT and antibiotic. It's working like a charm.

Warm liquids help. I've been drinking lots of tea, and if there's water from my electric kettle left over, I use it to wash dishes instead of only using cold water from the tap. I've also been drinking juice and making soup. A friend taught me to tie a scarf around my head and ears too. That and neck scarves are helping immensely with keeping me warm.

Space heaters are essential. The heater that I found in the closet of my apartment is doing wonders for staving off the cold in my office. I've got it on one of the small wooden tables that had been in the living room (see photo below). It's right next to my desk and computer so that now my hands are warm enough to type again! It's a huge improvement. Huge.