Alright, so I’ve got a bit of a cold. I’m not going to complain, and I’m not writing some treatise comparing healthcare in the US with the health system in Chile. I’m talking about why we get sick, the explanations that each culture gives for that cough, sneeze or headache.

Of course the answer seems pretty obvious: we get sick because there are viruses and bacteria, and sometimes they win in their fight against our immune systems. Sure, back home in California I’ve heard people say “you’ll catch your death of cold” or warn someone to come in out of the rain in order to avoid falling ill, but for the most part we write off the idea that people could get sick from a chill or some water as an old wives’ tale. It may be true that being cold and wet can lower your defenses, but only germs can actually cause an illness.

In Chile, however, I cannot count the number of times I’ve been told that a change in temperature is will cause a cold. Walking out of the steamy, warm bathroom after taking a shower and into the cooler bedroom could have me laid out with pneumonia if I don’t get completely dressed and dry my hair first. Wet hair in and of itself is a killer, as is walking around in bare feet. I’m pretty sure that Chilean host mothers around the country pray every night that their gringo host children will buy themselves some slippers before they have to make that awkward phone call to the child’s biological parents informing them that unfortunately, Johnny has died of a case of cold toes.

I don’t mean to say that the whole virus/bacteria concept hasn’t reached Chile. It has – in fact healthcare here is on par with what I’ve seen in the US – but it hasn’t eradicated the belief that not staying warm enough plays a huge part in any illness.

The truth is, after a while the argument starts to make sense. Staying warm probably does help keep my defenses up. Case in point: that cold I have? I’m convinced it started Monday night, when I was at a barbecue outside without enough warm clothes on. These Chileans might be on to something.

Emily Williams is a US gringa living in Santiago, Chile. She writes about expat life at AffordableCallingCards.net and on her personal blog, Don’t Call Me Gringa, and loves hearing from readers!

Tags: Chile, expat life, Santiago

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I definitely remember my Chilean homestay parents begging me to wear a warmer jacket every time I left the apartment and telling me that if I didn’t I would catch a cold. I also think the Chilean cold remedies deserve discussion…I can’t count the number of times I was told to drink a beer with lemon to get rid of a cold. But I can’t really complain about this particular quirk!

Ha. Sounds like the Italians! Feel better soon.

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