Sweaty Cows

Today was not my best day.

I woke up with incredible back and neck pain, so much so that I actually took pain killers/anti inflammatories, and my cough was back with a vengeance.

The highlight of my day, perhaps, was the discussion between myself, Andrew and Pavol about how they have never seen cows in the DR.  My thinking is, they are probably found more in the centre of the country, where its a bit cooler and where agriculture is more predominant.  Pavol agreed and then said, plus if cows were here they'd be stinky.  No one wants a sweaty cow.

The first half of my walk to work was delightful as it always is with the roomies.  The second half was not as delightful.  Even my sunglasses could not protect me from the hissing and the comments today.  Additionally, because my cough has come back and seems worse, I figured it was time to get some medication for it.  Marola took me to the pharmacy and we got an expectorant.  Since it is not an American brand that I've seen before, I decided to look up the ingredients and compare it to the ingredients in brands I knew.  Turns out, one of the ingredients (while in a very small quantity) is legal for use on horses with breathing problems in Canada and isn't FDA approved.  In fact, it is banned by the IOC.  I also learned that it is sold on the black market as an extreme weight loss drug.  Thankfully, my amazing doctor had told me before I left that if I ever had any questions or concerns while I was gone to just email him.  So I did, because, this stuff seems pretty extreme.  I haven't heard back from him yet, so I'm still dealing with my cough.  I'm hoping he says it is a small enough dose to not have any unhealthy side effects because I really need help battling this cold/cough. 

One positive was that I just ate a yummy plum.  Now, all I want to do is curl up and sleep.  So, I think that is what I'll do.