Yesterday I, unfortunately, got really, really sick with the flu. You all know what that means, right? Puking, pooping, misery. If I told you I had gastroenteritis, would you know what that meant? Well, it means puking, pooping, misery.
When I got sick yesterday I had to cancel a couple of tutoring lessons, saying that I felt quite sick and couldn't go. Their responses were (in Spanish of course), ''Oh, you probably have gastroenteritis! That's going around...''
I'm like, umm, what's gastroenteritis? And so I look it up at my new favorite website, mayoclinic.com, and find this: ''Viral gastroenteritis- often called stomach flu...'' And all my little head stars start to flash and I start to realize that all this time I thought when people here referred to gastroenteritis, I figured it was some upset stomach thing, but not THE stomach flu!
And here, in Spain, when you're sick with a head cold, they call it the flu (gripe). I was always confused as to why people were telling me they had the runs when they were actually stuffy and coughing. Here I am thinking Spaniards don't know the names of common illnesses, that they confuse head colds with stomach flues.
So, upon this gastroenteritis discovery, I decided to check out mayoclinic.com's definition of influenza (flu). To my surprise I read this: ''a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system.''
So all my other head stars start flashing and I start to connect other dots. In Spanish (and English, really) varicella is the real, medical term for what we like to call ''chicken pox.'' And everyday, normal people here call it varicella. Turns out Spanish is quite more practical in that sense. They just call things as they are. In English we seem to like to switch up words and definitions, make it real confusing.
So, why do we do it? Is varicella so hard to say? Why do we have to call it chicken pox? And why do we use the word ''flu'' to describe gastroenteritis when it is really better refers to a head cold?
And I hope I'm not the only one who was unaware that gastroenteritis is the stomach flu... cause if I am this entire post is kinda silly.
Here's to keeping food down... ta ta for now!
When I got sick yesterday I had to cancel a couple of tutoring lessons, saying that I felt quite sick and couldn't go. Their responses were (in Spanish of course), ''Oh, you probably have gastroenteritis! That's going around...''
I'm like, umm, what's gastroenteritis? And so I look it up at my new favorite website, mayoclinic.com, and find this: ''Viral gastroenteritis- often called stomach flu...'' And all my little head stars start to flash and I start to realize that all this time I thought when people here referred to gastroenteritis, I figured it was some upset stomach thing, but not THE stomach flu!
And here, in Spain, when you're sick with a head cold, they call it the flu (gripe). I was always confused as to why people were telling me they had the runs when they were actually stuffy and coughing. Here I am thinking Spaniards don't know the names of common illnesses, that they confuse head colds with stomach flues.
So, upon this gastroenteritis discovery, I decided to check out mayoclinic.com's definition of influenza (flu). To my surprise I read this: ''a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system.''
So all my other head stars start flashing and I start to connect other dots. In Spanish (and English, really) varicella is the real, medical term for what we like to call ''chicken pox.'' And everyday, normal people here call it varicella. Turns out Spanish is quite more practical in that sense. They just call things as they are. In English we seem to like to switch up words and definitions, make it real confusing.
So, why do we do it? Is varicella so hard to say? Why do we have to call it chicken pox? And why do we use the word ''flu'' to describe gastroenteritis when it is really better refers to a head cold?
And I hope I'm not the only one who was unaware that gastroenteritis is the stomach flu... cause if I am this entire post is kinda silly.
Here's to keeping food down... ta ta for now!
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