This last week in English class we looked at ailments and remedies. Remedies in America are pretty straight forward. See the doctor, take some aspirin, drink lots of water, rest, maybe use a humidifier, and drink hot chamomile tea. We don’t get too exotic in our remedies.

In Ukraine though, when someone is sick it is everyone’s job to inform them on what they should do. Really. Ukraine is considered a warm culture so it is sort of a community event if there is someone sick, it is your JOB to share advice on what your mother did to you when you were young.

In English class, we asked the question ‘What do you do for _____ in Ukraine?’ We got some intersting answers that I thought I would share with you.

For backaches- take some bee poison

For a cut- grab some kind of leafy thing outside (there is a specific plant that I do not know the name of in English) You spit on it and then put it on your cut

For burns (this is my favorite)- whale brain. I have no idea how this is applied, but I guess you can get it in the stores. It’s really expensive though, go figure.

Coughs & colds- drink hot milk with butter and honey

Toothache- some other kind of bee product. It is not honey or wax, but something else they produce

Dizziness- medical spirits (aka vodka or some other form of alcohol)

Headache- Vietnam balm (I don’t know what this is, but it sounds scary)

Fever- wrap up in a hot blanket and drink hot Whiskey

These were just a few of the interesting remedies my class came up with. They thought it was really funny to see my reaction to some of these. Everyone has their own way of doing things, some people would argue over what was the best remedy. Ukrainians always seem to be obsessed with health. If I so much as give a little cough, I am always met with “Are you sick? Are you alright?” The smallest clearing of the throat is seen as the start of a cold. ‘I just had a crumb in my throat!’ I would say, but no matter, here is some hot tea just in case.

Earlier this year, there was a guy who came and only brought one pair of shoes of which you do not wear socks with. (They were called 5 Fingers, I don’t know how to describe them.) Anyways, he got sick, and all the Ukrainians believed it was because he did not wear socks. Gotta keep those feety toasty warm if you want to stay healthy!

It is always interesting talking about health with Ukrainians!