23 Sept. 2004
Torino, Italia

I have come to the conclusion that Italians either are not too concerned about the common cold or don’t like to put foreign substances into their bodies, such as medicine, for something so minor. I have a nasty head cold – sneezing, runny nose, really scratchy throat – the whole nine yards. And Paola says that the “liquid” just needs to “come out” when I ask for something to “dry me up.” Sorry, I’m not really interested in just letting the cold run its course, I need an immediate cure now! I guess I should have realized this outlook by her response to my concerned question a week ago of, “When did Maghi come down with this cold?” She responds, “Oh, the kids always get a cold when school starts from all the germs, so they are really like this from September to June.”
Huh?