The Bridging Borders Podcast

Episode 14

Veronika: 00:00:16

Hi, Sam. I'm doing good. I guess I got a little bit sick, but I'm very excited to

record this episode because we are going to talk about getting sick abroad. And I

just came back from my trip, so I guess it kind of got sick abroad.

Veronika: 00:00:37

Yeah, but I'm not very happy about it, to be honest, because obviously when

you're sick, you don't feel that great, and, yeah, it's better when you're not sick, of

course.

Veronika: 00:00:50

My trip was really great. I really enjoyed spending time with my family. I really

wanted to see my grandparents the most because they can't really travel much

and they don't want to. They kind of feel maybe a little bit, like, scared to travel a

lot. Yeah. And I saw my family, my cousins, my aunt, my uncle. So it was really

nice. I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of snow, so something that I also wanted

jj

Sam: 00:00:14

Hey, Veronika. How are you?

1

Sam: 00:00:33

Yeah. How fitting. It's almost like you planned it.

Sam: 00:00:47

Absolutely. And how was your trip?

Sam: 00:02:01

Did you get jet lag going in both directions? Because I've heard that you can only

get jet lag in going one direction, east or west, but I don't know if that's true. So

did you get jet lag in both directions?

Sam: 00:03:36

What does jet lag actually feel like? Because I've only been abroad, I've been to

America twice, and I've been to New Zealand, so they're quite far away from the

UK, but they were a long time ago, and I flew from Las Vegas to New Zealand, so

it wasn't like I flew from the UK to New Zealand in one. But what is jet lag? Is it

just feeling like you're in a different time zone? Like you're ready to go to bed in

the afternoon and you're awake, you feel energized at different times. Is that it,

or are there other symptoms?

2

Useful expressions

and words: I kind of missed jet lag internal clock

Veronika: 00:02:16

I think, for sure both directions. I think I got jet lag, like, in different ways, I would

say. Because when I was flying east, I think it happens to every single person. You

kind of start going to bed later and waking up later because you're used to your

everyday life, and then everything shifts forward, I guess. And because of that, I

remember the first night I slept for like 12 hours. I was exhausted. I think it was

because it was jet lag, and I was exhausted because of my flight. I barely slept on

my flight, but when I was coming back to Mexico, so basically flying west, I got jet

lag too. I feel like maybe I still have a little bit of a jet lag because I get so tired at

like, 07:00 p.m. And at least that was what happens to me when I fly west. I want

to go to bed earlier, and because of that, I want to wake up earlier. Like the first

few nights, it was like 04:00 a.m. 05:00 a.m. I was up and I'm like, well, now

what? I'm awake. What I do now, for me, it works like this. So if I fly east, I want

to wake up later. If I fly west, I want to wake up earlier.

to see because the snow. So it was really nice. I really like that,

too. So the only thing is, I got sick because of the constant time change and I had

to travel for. So basically, originally I took a 15 hours flight, and then I had to take

another three hour flight, and then the exact same thing happened when I was

coming back to Mexico. It's like first I had to fly for like 3 hours and then 14

hours, and my body was just exhausted. And then obviously the , and I was

like, oh, my God, I'm so tired, and I got sick.

I kind of missed

jet lag

Veronika: 00:04:12

I would say this is it. I would say you just feel like your , right, feels

like something is wrong. Because let's say it's like 10:00 a.m. In Mexico City and in

internal clock

Useful expressions

and words: fall asleep

Veronika: 00:05:50

I would say so. I mean, I think there are different strategies and different

strategies work for different people. I remember I once read this book, why we

sleep by Matthew Walker, if I'm not correct. Yeah, okay. Yeah. So why we sleep by

Matthew Walker. It's a great book. And I think there he shared a few tips on how

to approach jet lag and how to combat it. In terms of my experience, I think for

me I just have to push. Like, I know some people take melatonin pills or

something like that, but for me it doesn't really work. And honestly, I don't want

to do that because I know that eventually my body is going to get used to it. I

just need to wait. Obviously, because you are changing so many different time

zones, it's going to take time. You can't expect your body to be like, well, now,

here. And that's it. It's my new life, a new time zone. I'm ready. Let's go. I guess

there are some people who feel this way, but I think most people do need a little

bit of time. I've heard on the Internet that some people say that for every hour

that you travel through, it's kind of like the time change happens. You need one

day to recover. So basically, now, let's say my time difference with Georgia, Russia

is 11 hours. And so I need like nine to 11 hours. So I need nine to eleven days to

fully recover and to feel like, okay, I'm in Mexico City now. This is the time zone

I'm experiencing. And that's why people always say, oh, if you're going to go

somewhere where the time is so different, you have to go there for at least a

month or like three weeks a month, because it's going to be very hard for your

body to be like here and there and recover and here's a different time zone.

Sam: 00:05:25

Did you research what you're supposed to do or combating it, because I'm

guessing you're supposed to just try. And it depends how long you're staying in

the new place for. If you're maybe staying for one day, then maybe it's not worth

trying to change your body clock that quickly. But if you're there for a holiday or a

week or something, I guess you're supposed to try and start going to sleep when

you're supposed to be going to sleep in that country.

3

Georgia and Russia, it would be seven and eight p.m. So, by seven and eight p.m.

It's already dark. And you wake up and like, here it's sunny, you're ready to go, but

your body is like, I don't think I'm ready to go. Why is it sunny? It just feels weird.

You feel a little bit disoriented, I would say, because you're so used to, oh, it

should be dark right now. Why is it not dark? Your body, like, this feeling that you

get, right. And because of that, obviously, you just feel a little bit, like, disoriented,

you feel a little bit off, you feel tired, right. Usually, I would say a lot of people

here in Mexico City, they don't go to bed at seven p.m. But the first few days, I

was so incredibly just exhausted. By seven p.m. I was like, I just want to go to

bed right now. And I would just immediately. fall asleep

Sam: 00:07:50

Well, I didn't know that. Yeah, that makes sense. No one would ever want to go to

Australia from the UK for a week then, would they?

Sam: 00:08:23

And how many time zones are there in Russia? And do you think you can get jet

lag from going one side to the other? Because I think there are quite a few, aren't

there?

Sam: 00:08:49

That's crazy.

Sam: 00:08:57

And do you drink or have caffeine regularly? Drink coffee or tea?

Veronika: 00:07:59

Yeah, but I guess, yeah, it depends on a person. Some people can recover faster,

but at the same time, maybe you feel like you fully recovered, but your body is

still, like, I need a little bit more time. So, like, we never know what's actually

going on on the inside. I don't know if we somehow test it.

Veronika: 00:08:34

Absolutely, yeah. There are a lot of time zones in Russia. Let me see. Time zones

in Russia. I think probably. Okay, there are eleven time zones in Russia. That's

crazy.

Veronika: 00:08:50

Yes. So you can get pretty jelly, I think, obviously, traveling from one side to the

other.

Veronika: 00:09:02

No, I don't drink coffee. Really? Yeah. I stay away from caffeine because, well, first

of all, my body doesn't really tolerate coffee that well. Every time I drink coffee,

my heart starts racing, so I just don't feel that great. And also, I know that maybe

it's better not to drink coffee. There is a lot of different opinions. Right. On coffee.

So I don't know. I don't really like coffee that much. And again, my body doesn't

feel great when I drink coffee. So you just need to give it a little bit more time.

Right. Because usually we drink coffee because we're tired or like, we're sleepy.

But instead of working with the actual cause, why are you tired in the first place?

Why are you sleepy? Maybe you don't sleep enough, so why don't you sleep

jjjjjjjjjjjj

4

Useful expressions

and words: irritable

Sam: 00:10:26

Yeah, I drink coffee every day, and I don't know if I can't function because I never

go a day without drinking it.

Sam: 00:10:44

I think I sleep pretty well and I've got good sleep hygiene. I go to sleep usually the

same time, like close to the same time every night and wake up at a similar time

and it's usually minimum 8 hours. So if I'd like stop drinking, I don't think I would

need, I don't need it. But I do drink it every day, so maybe I do need it, but I do

like the taste, I like the process of getting it and it just makes my morning better,

I guess. So when I get into the office, first thing I do is do some meditation and

then I have a coffee afterwards and it just makes me feel a little bit more alert, I

guess. Or. Yeah, maybe one way to say it is I feel normal.

Sam: 00:11:26

I think that's what people say.

Veronika: 00:10:32

But why do you drink coffee? Do you drink coffee because you like it or because

you feel like, I can't? If I don't drink coffee, I'm going to be , I'm going to

be angry.

irritable

Veronika: 00:11:24

I feel normal.

Veronika: 00:11:28

Imagine one day maybe you're traveling and you just don't have access to coffee.

Or, I don't know, just something happens, you're like, I'm not going to drink coffee

for one day. Just like when you think about it, do you think you're going to feel

okay or no?

5

more? How can you make sure you sleep enough? People start drinking coffee

instead of just enjoying it as a drink. Like, oh, I love coffee. It's a great drink. Let

me try to make it for myself or go to my favorite coffee shop. But so many

people, they're just like, I feel tired. I can't function without coffee. I think this

sentence, I can't function without coffee, to me just doesn't sound enticing. I

don't want to be that person who says, I can't function without something like

coffee.

Sam: 00:11:43

Yeah, I don't know. The only time I never drink coffee is. Well, I did do an

experiment about two years ago where I thought, okay, I've been drinking this

every day since I was like 16, so maybe it'd be worth trying not drinking it and

seeing how I feel. And I weaned myself off. So I started drinking less and less and

less. It's not like I drink that much anyway. It's usually like two cups of coffee a

day. So one an hour and a half after I wake up and then another one just before

lunchtime. So maybe like twelve half. Twelve one. And yeah, I started just having

smaller and smaller amounts and then I think I got like two or three days in

without no caffeine. But I just felt not as good as I usually do. So I just started

drinking coffee again. But maybe that's just because my body was getting used to

not having caffeine in my system. Because it usually just have caffeine in my

system at all times. But I don't know, I enjoy it. I don't think it's too harmful every

time I go on YouTube. Well, not every time, but sometimes I go on YouTube and

there's just like a thumbnail, which is like why coffee is the worst thing ever. And

then I listen to a podcast and someone says caffeine is good for your brain. And I

think there's just so many contrasting opinions, but I think caffeine is the most

widely used drug worldwide, and I think it's pretty safe. So I'm quite happy just

continue drinking it. But maybe I'm just, like, talking like an addict. Who knows?

Sam: 00:14:13

Yeah, I can really notice when I drink too much that I get a lot more anxious. So if

you are feeling anxious, maybe try and cut down on your caffeine. Because

recently when I was at home, I was using some of my dad's pre workout, which

you're supposed to take before the gym to give you more energy. And it has lots

of caffeine in. And I was sitting in the gym an hour later or in the sauna and I

could feel my heart pumping so fast. And I don't know if it was making me

anxious, but because my body was having anxious symptoms, maybe that

connected to my mind and then that just made me more anxious. So, yeah, I'm

not going to take the pre workout anymore.

Veronika: 00:13:19

Yeah, I don't know. I remember when I was in high school, I drank a little bit of

coffee, but again, every time I would drink it, I just felt horrible. So that's why I

kind of, like, I never actually started drinking coffee. And surprisingly, the only

person in my family who does drink coffee regularly is my dad, because he

literally likes the process of making coffee. Yeah, my sister, she's 19-20. She's

going to turn 20 soon. So usually that's like the period where you're just like,

coffee, coffee. I can't live without coffee. And she's like, no, I don't really need it. I

don't really want it. So, yeah, I think it also really depends on a person. I know

there are a lot of people who just. They're like, okay, coffee, it exists, but I don't

really care about it.

6

Sam: 00:15:42

Like, I've never been sick on holiday. I don't think I did go to Spain last year on

holiday with my friends, and I got sick about five or ten minutes before going on a

boat trip, I had a problem with my stomach, which I'd prefer not to go into the

details of, but, yes, that problem unfolded ten minutes before going on a boat

trip for my friend's birthday. And we had spent, like, €80 to go on it, so I didn't

have the best time. But I did try and fix it by drinking mojito within 15

minutes of going on the boat trip. And I thought this was either going to make me

or break me, and it broke me. So I learned my lesson. I haven't really got sick, I

don't know, but quite a few of the people on the boat did, because the waves

were really rough. They were, what we say in English, . So the sea was

really rough, so I don't get motion sickness, so I was fine. But, yeah, I think it was

because the water they used to wash the salad, you might not be able to drink it.

My stomach is quite fragile anyway, so maybe it was just because I also ate so

much food, because we're staying in an all inclusive hotel and every single lunch I

was having, like, three plates of food and then dessert, and I was drinking a lot of

beers, and then for dinner, I'd eat like, three plates and dessert and continue

drinking alcohol. So I think I was just overloading my stomach and body with

probably unhealthy food and booze. So maybe that's why. But, yeah, it definitely

struck a bad time. But I haven't been know on other holidays, I can't remember,

but when I was in Spain living there, I did get sick once and I had to go to. It was

really annoying, actually, because when I was teaching English there, if you take a

day off work, like, if you're ill, it's not like in the UK where you can just call up

your boss and say, I'm ill, I'm not coming in today. You actually have to go to the

doctor and get proof that you're ill. So you have to see a doctor and they write a

note saying, this person's ill, this is what they have, or this is the problem with a

signature. People can do that in the UK because it takes such a long time to get a

doctor's appointment, so that definitely wouldn't. Yeah, the National Health

Service is a bit problematic at the moment, but, yeah, I had to go to the doctors

and get them to sign a note. It was only a problem with my stomach again,

actually. And, yeah, I was fixed in one day, so it wasn't serious. And what else the

doctor spoke really bad English while he didn't speak any English, and my

homemade

choppy

hhhhhhh

Veronika: 00:14:55

Yeah, no, the exact same thing works for me. I think it works for a lot of people.

You have those, I guess, symptoms of feeling anxious, and you don't actually feel

anxious, but then your body is like, I guess I am. So I am going to start feeling

anxious. Yeah, it happens to a lot of people with caffeine. You just start feeling

anxious because your heart starts racing and. Yeah, it happens to me, too. But

you shared that you traveled to the States and New Zealand, right? Was it

Zealand? Okay. Yeah. So when you were traveling, did you ever get sick in the

States or in New Zealand or. I remember you went to Spain for some experience.

7

Useful expressions

and words: homemade choppy

Sam: 00:18:40

So I had to go into the waiting room and ask if anyone spoke English, and I got

some random guy to sit in the middle of us and translate, and he was asking me

quite personal questions, and he was, like, laughing when he was questioning me,

and I had to answer back to him, and then he'd answer back to the doctor. But

that's the only time I've got ill. I was in Valencia during the pandemic as well, but

luckily, I didn't catch it there. But, yeah, that wasn't too pleasant. But, yeah, I've

had a pretty lucky experience with staying healthy abroad. Usually it's when I get

back, I get sick because it's late nights, it's traveling, and it's a lot of alcohol. So

that's when I usually get ill.

Veronika: 00:19:28

And I also think maybe because you kind of get relaxed, because you're like, okay,

I'm home. That's it. I can get sick, and you just get sick. So maybe there's this

psychological aspect of it, too, because when I was on my trip, I didn't want to

get sick. I was like, no, let me do this. I cannot get sick here. But when you get

back home, as you said, from partying, staying up late, and stuff like that, you

just feel so exhausted. Obviously, your immune system is more

because of that. But you mentioned a very. I want to say that you mentioned a

very interesting thing about communicating with doctors. And I remember when I

just came to Mexico and I didn't speak any Spanish, I had to go see a doctor, and

unfortunately, there was no one who could help me translate everything. And it

was difficult because I was trying to use Google translate. Unfortunately, the

doctor didn't speak English. So sometimes I felt like we could not understand

each other that well. And, yeah, sometimes you just feel not, like, 100%

comfortable. You're like, are you actually understanding me?

Here are my symptoms, but I'm not even sure I'm saying everything

correctly. But then, slowly but surely, I started improving my Spanish. And then I

have had a lot of encounters with doctors here in Mexico City with a lot of

different specialists. I went to see a dentist. I got aligners. That's a whole new set

of vocabulary and stuff, like, so. But at the same time, it's interesting, because

right now, I really want to improve my Spanish skills. And being in those

situations just makes me think of the words like, oh, do I know how to say chew?

How to say bite in Spanish? Because when I go to the dentist, I need to know, do

I know how to say molars or wisdom teeth? And I think it's just good for you to

expand your vocabulary this way. Sometimes people ask me like, oh, Veronika,

how do you become more advanced in any language in English, let's say. And I

always say it really helps when you choose one specific topic that maybe you're

vulnerable

Are we on the same

page?

gg

8

vulnerabl Are we on the same page?

Spanish was pretty. It wasn't good enough to explain problems like health

problems, if that makes sense.

Useful expressions

and words:

Sam: 00:22:21

Yeah. And I think you mentioned to me before in the past that you broke your

foot or something.

Sam: 00:23:04

Really. She had to feed you?

Veronika: 00:22:27

Yeah. I wanted to share the story, too. Yeah, that was interesting. Yeah. Before

that situation, I had never broken anything, . But at the same time,

when I was a teenager in school, I was always very active. I did gymnastics, I did a

lot of sports. And I remember I was probably 12 or 13, and I ran into a wall and

both of my elbows got dislocated. Both of them. And so I had to walk like this for.

Well, if you're listening to us, you can see me. But basically, I could not use my

arms for three weeks, so my mom had to feed me. It was just like, I could not do

anything.

knock on wood

Veronika: 00:23:09

Yeah, my mom had to feed me. I could not drink water. Like, nothing because my

arms were just in front of my body like this. Yeah. So that's it. I could not do

anything. And unfortunately, that was a very. I didn't break any bones, but they

got dislocated. So still, it was not a very pleasant experience. But, yeah, in

Mexico, basically, the way it happened is I jumped off a rock into the pool, and I

hit this rock with my foot. And so I broke a bone, like, a very small bone in my

foot. It's like the fifth, if you imagine your foot, it's like, where your pinky toe is.

So this is where I broke it. And first, when I just broke it, like this moment, I was

like, oh, no, I broke my foot. I could somehow feel it because the pain was out of

this world. The pain was horrible. I was in a lot of pain. And I was like, something

is wrong. And I was in the swimming pool, and I was just like, swimming,

swimming and I was like, I think I should get out. There's something wrong. And I

got out. I look at my foot. It looks okay. It looks okay for the few minutes. For the

first few minutes. And then I started seeing swelling. It was getting more and

more swollen. And I talked to some people there. I asked my boyfriend. I was like,

oh, what do you guys think? I think my foot is broken. And obviously, everyone

was trying to make me feel better. And also, because there were no hospitals

bbbb

9

knock on wood

very interested in, and then you go super deep. You're like, oh, I don't know. For

me, it was with, like, aligners. Are aligners better than braces? Or maybe not

better, but different. How are they different? And then I started researching this

topic in Spanish. And you can do the same thing in English, let's say, if it is

something you're interested in.

Useful expressions

and words:

Sam: 00:28:10

Yeah, I can imagine everyone with a broken foot thinks running is a good idea

when they actually can't do it, but they have a genuine excuse.

Sam: 00:28:25

Yeah, I've never broken a bone, so hopefully that doesn't happen to me, especially

in a different country. Had your Spanish improved quite significantly then? So

hhh

10

reddish bluish x ray

there, it was like a natural pool situation, like a river. It's like an experience, like

an Airbnb experience type of thing. So we had to go back home traveling, and we

were in a completely different city, like, not in Mexico City. We were traveling. And

then we got back to our hotel room, and I just could not walk. I put on my shoes,

and I'm like, I'm in pain. I don't know what to do. I'm in pain. So I use some

painkillers, but obviously nothing really helped. And I was like, okay, let me wait.

Let me just wait because I didn't want to believe it, that I actually broke

something, so I decided to wait. I came back to Mexico City, and the pain would

just not go away. It was still exactly the same, and I could see some. It was not

super swollen, but it was, like, a little bit, like, kind of red or bluish. Like, there

was just one spot that was kind of , , and I was like, I think I need

to see a doctor. And I went to see a doctor, wanted an , and, yeah, it showed

that I had two little places where my bone broke. And, yeah, fortunately, I didn't

have to get anything too serious, so I only had to wear a special boot. And, yeah,

it was easy to put on, but I like being active, and I would even say, as a human

being, you like having an option of doing something right, even if you don't want

to do it. You want to have this option of like, oh, I can go take a walk right now. I

don't want to do it, but I know that I can. But I couldn't. I was sitting at home,

and I was like, I wish I could go for a run right now, but I couldn't. So even

walking was problematic because I had to wear this boot, and it was not that

easy. And I think I had to wear it for two months or one and a half. It was a long

time, and then when I took it off, what happened is everything was okay. Like, my

bone was fine, but sometimes I would feel pain still, maybe because I hadn't

used my foot for so long, and I was like, is it still broken? Oh, no, I don't want it

to be still broken. So it's hard psychologically, too, when something like that

happens. Like any kind of sickness, if you break something, it's hard

psychologically because you just want to do something so bad. Even though right

now I barely run. I maybe run like once every two weeks, but at that time, when

my bone is broken, that was the thing that I wanted to do the most. Like, I miss

running so bad.

reddish bluish

x ray

Veronika: 00:28:20

Yeah, it was not a very pleasant experience.

Useful expressions

and words:

Sam: 00:29:33

Sure. Are there anything from living in different countries? Are there anything that

you've noticed that are different from back home that surprised you? So, for

example, when I lived in Spain, I realized that they don't sell medicine, any type

of healthcare product, apart from toothpaste, I guess, in supermarkets in Spain.

So you have to actually go to a pharmacy to even buy the basic painkillers or

anything to do with that. And the pharmacies are not always open, which is a bit

strange because you'd think that sometimes you would need some medicine or

painkillers. But, yeah, they close in the middle of the day for like, 3 hours, and

they might close at like 06:00 p.m. So I don't know what you do if you have a

really bad headache at 08:00 p.m. You just have to ask your neighbor, do you have

anything or stockpile it? But in the UK, you can buy everything from a

supermarket, but you can't do that there. You can't buy cigarettes either. So I

don't smoke. But they have specific tobacco shops where you have to buy

cigarettes from. So it's actually quite nice because on someone's daily shopping

trip, they might go to a different place to buy their fruit and vegetables. They

might go to a different shop to go to the pharmacy, they might go to a different

shop to buy their cigarettes, they might go to a different shop to buy their bread

or their newspaper, and then they go to supermarket as well. It's definitely not as

efficient than just going to one big building and having everything inside like it is

in the UK. But you probably have a better sense of community and you speak to

more people the Spanish way.

Veronika: 00:28:43

Yes, but my doctor spoke English, so I think at that time I could understand him,

but I prefer to speak English, and right now I'm not doing this anymore. But at

that time I could notice it about myself, that I was too scared to speak the

language, and I would be like, oh, no, let's speak English. Do you speak English?

Perfect. Let's just speak English. Yeah, but now I'm like, no, just like, let's speak

Spanish. If I don't understand something, we're going to use English. We're going

to use Google Translate. Yeah, but no, at that time, my doctor spoke English very

good English, so I could understand everything. He actually asked me if I wanted

to speak Spanish with him since I was learning Spanish, and I said no. So it's all

on me.

11

when you were talking to doctors and going through x rays and stuff, it was quite

clear.

Veronika: 00:31:06

It's very interesting. I think for me, what I have noticed is that in Russia, you can

buy a lot of medicine without a . And that's something that I noticed prescription

bb

prescription Useful expressions

and words:

Veronika: 00:33:23

Painkillers.

Veronika: 00:33:36

I've heard of boots. Yeah.

Sam: 00:33:10

Yeah. In the UK, it's pretty strict with prescriptions as well. With basic drugs, you

can get them without a prescription, but like paracetamol or ibuprofen, if those

names mean anything to.

Sam: 00:33:25

Yeah, but, yeah, for most other things you need a prescription. But in the UK we

have a shop called boots. There's also another one called superdrug.

Sam: 00:33:38

And one of my students, actually, he works for a pharmaceutical company in

Belarus. And in there they don't have shops like that where there are loads of

supplements and also kind of medicines that are non prescription, which are just

12

when I was in the states. And even in Mexico, especially in the states, a lot of

medicine, it requires prescription. And so you have to go to a doctor to get this

prescription, and then you go. And then you get it. But also, I remember my first

time in the States, I was so excited to go to a CVS. It's like this chain of

pharmacies there, because there not only can you buy medicine, but also you can

buy food or drinks, whatever you want. Basically, it's kind of like a supermarket.

So you can buy “Fanta”, you can buy bread, you can buy so many different things.

And for me, it was something new because we don't really have anything like that

in Russia. Back in my home country, here in Mexico, I would say there are some

places like Walmart, for example, where you can know there's like a little aisle, a

little place with medicine. I think it's called something like Walmart pharmacy,

but also you can buy food and clothes and stuff like that. But I would say most

know there are big pharmacies, like big chains and also smaller kind of shops,

places where you can buy medicine. Yeah, for a lot of things you do need a

prescription. And I think that's something that a lot of people from Russia, from

eastern Europe, they don't really like about the states. I think Canada, the exact

same thing is we're so used to buying so many things without a prescription and

that's why we're. I like, in my home country, I can just go and buy it. Why do I

need a prescription here? It's so. But then, you know, you just get used to it and

you're like, okay, I need a prescription. I guess I'm going to go see a doctor.

Painkillers Useful expressions

and words:

Veronika: 00:34:16

I know, that's why I still feel so excited. Like every time I go to the States and I go

to SVS, I'm like, this is such a nice experience. It is so funny.

Veronika: 00:34:36

Yeah. You can buy not makeup, but more like skincare. Yeah. And it's just

amazing. I love it. It's a nice.

Veronika: 00:34:53

Yeah. But I just remembered also my experience with COVID because I had Covid

twice and both of these times I had it abroad. The first time it was in Ukraine and

I mean, it was okay. I didn't go anywhere, I didn't see a doctor and so it just kind

of happened. But when I was in Mexico, it was very different because I felt a lot

worse. Even though I was vaccinated, I just felt pretty bad. And I went to actually

see if I had Covid because I felt like I did. And I went to got tested and

fortunately it was a very easy, straightforward process. You just go, you pay. They

do a test that is so unpleasant when they stuck this thing up your nose and, oh, I

hated it so bad. And I just remember feeling so it's interesting when you're

abroad and you get sick, you don't have your family around, right? So you just feel

extra sad or extra sick because of that. You're like, oh, my God, I wish my mom

was there to cook for me and stuff like that. Because, yeah, when you're abroad,

you live by yourself. You have to be strong for yourself. You have to be like, okay, I

need to go cook something because otherwise I can order something, but maybe

it's not going to be that great. And when you're sick, you want something super

specific and you don't even eat much of that something specific. So it was hard.

It was hard because it was during the time when I was preparing for the Mexico

City marathon, and it was, like, in the middle of all of that, and I was thinking of

not running the race and just calling it quits because it was so exhausted. And

obviously I was sick and I was worried that my lungs are going to take a huge hit.

h

Sam: 00:34:28

You could, if you're into bodily care and supplements and stuff, you could go in

there and spend a lot of money.

Sam: 00:34:44

Yeah, they sell makeup in the boots as well, after shave and perfume and stuff,

so everything.

13

advertised on a shop for a supermarket and everything is sold in a know, they

have very limited shelf space for marketing and stuff like that. So he loves

coming to the UK and just walking around boots and just looking. Imagine if I

could work with this.

Veronika: 00:37:23

Yeah, I tried it. It's hard. It is not that easy. So my next goal is definitely half a

marathon. I wanted to run half a marathon last year, but I didn't because my foot

was broken. I feel like every time I'm preparing for a marathon, a half a marathon,

like something happens to me, I get Covid, my foot is broken and it's okay. It's

fine, one day.

Veronika: 00:39:01

Yeah, yeah. You started talking about food poisoning, and I wanted to say that it

is something that a lot of people struggle with when they come to Mexico. And

that's why when my parents were coming here, I was like, make sure you take

something for food poisoning, like some medicine with you, so that if you get

food poisoning, it's okay. A lot of people get a stomach bug when they're here,

maybe because usually you don't eat from the street, like tacos and stuff like

that. And then you come here and you just eat so many of those things and your

body is not used to it and the hygiene is completely different. I always joke that I

really wish I had done, like, a check on my gut microbiome before I moved to

hggh

Sam: 00:37:20

Yeah, you did it. That's the main thing.

Sam: 00:37:47

Yeah, I did a half marathon in Madrid, and I think it was in April, and that was a

few months after. I just started teaching in a school and I was teaching, like, eight

year olds, and I was ill so much, just like, colds. And just like, honestly, every

month I'd have a new illness and I thought, not again. And because I was training

for that, you don't need to train as much as you do for a full marathon, as you

probably know. But, yeah, it still got in the way because it takes, like, a week for

you to get back to normal health and fitness. So I just keep taking a week from

my training and also just going to the gym as well. So that was really annoying.

But, yeah, I'm really lucky not having any serious problems abroad. So, yeah,

hopefully it stays that way, I would say. Because you can have problems, though,

if you go, like, skiing or something. I know people that have been skiing, and one

of my friend's dad went skiing once with two friends, and on the first day, one of

them got and was ill for, like, a few days after that. And on the

second day, one of them broke their leg skiing. But you can have some really bad

luck.

food poisoning

14

So I was like, I don't know if it's a good idea for me to run a marathon, but I did

actually run the marathon. It was very hard. It was very hard for me. So maybe it

was not a great idea, but I wanted to.

food poisoning Useful expressions

and words:

Veronika: 00:42:21

Yeah, maybe, but it's crazy. I mean, you have to be brave to be like, yeah, I'm

going to try tap water everywhere. Because I remember when I came to New York

City for the first time and my friends told me, you can drink tap water here. I'm

like, can I? And, yeah, sure, go ahead. Like, here's your glass, drink some water.

And I was so hesitant the first couple of days. I was like, every time I would drink

this tap water, I would think, I'm going to get food poisoning. Like, right now,

something's going to happen. My is going to freak out. And every time we

drink this water, like, please, I really hope everything is going to be fine. It's

gut

gggggg

Sam: 00:41:15

Yeah, I've never had food poisoning either, so I am really lucky. But I suppose I

haven't been to that many countries where the standards of food hygiene is that

much lower than it is in the UK, I think making sure you drink the right liquids

and you have to be careful with ice as well, because sometimes they make ice

with and your body might not be used to that type of tap water or

might not be up to a certain standard or whatever. So I think that's a good tip, is

drinking bottled water. But there is a comedian called Stevo, and he's american

and he's in the group jackass. If anyone's ever watched those films where they

just do crazy things and usually they're hurting each other, they're really stupid,

but pretty funny. He used to be pretty crazy and he purposefully drank the tap

water in every single country that he ever visited. And he's probably visited

probably close to 100 countries, probably. And he said that now he has the best

immune system ever. But that's not advice.

tap water

15

Mexico, because I think it has changed completely by now because obviously I

eat a lot of food outside and it is completely different. But when my parents

came here, luckily, no one got food poisoning because obviously, I also wanted to

make sure I don't take them to the dirtiest places ever. I always made sure they

wash their hands really well before touching anything, because usually what

happens is you just go to a taco stand, your hands are dirty. Maybe there. They

cook everything there, so it's not that clean. Maybe in some places, it really

depends on a taco stand. There are taco stands. They're extremely good with

hygiene. So it all depends all of that. And then you touch something, you touch

place utensils. You don't properly disinfect your hands, and. Yeah, then this

happens. And unfortunately, it's something that a lot of people have to struggle

with, because last year my friend came here to Mexico City. We went to a

festival, and for one day, he was very sick. He got food poisoning, and everyone

was like, well, do we have to go to this festival? It's like a three day festival. You

bought tickets, like, let's go. Are you going? Are you coming? He's like, I don't

know. I feel so sick. And one day he didn't go, unfortunately, because he had to

take some time to recover.

Useful expressions

and words: tap water gut

Veronika: 00:43:43

Yeah. So I think we practically discussed all of the things we wanted to talk about

today, like getting sick abroad. Obviously, getting sick anywhere is not a very

pleasant experience, but especially with the language barrier, with the things you

don't understand, sometimes it gets even less pleasant. You start missing your

family. You just want someone to take care of you. You miss your mom, her

cooking and stuff like that. And sometimes, as Sam said, there are certain people

who can help you. Maybe they can translate something for know, as long as you

feel comfortable talking about your situation.

Veronika: 00:44:40

Yep, absolutely. So thank you guys for listening. Take care.

Veronika: 00:44:48

Bye.

Sam: 00:44:25

About your yeah, yeah, exactly. I don't have anything else to add apart from if you

are ill, just take it easy. Don't pressure yourself to do exercise or anything, but

fresh air is always good. And yeah, watch some Netflix in lion bed.

Sam: 00:44:46

Yep. Thank you all for listening.

Sam: 00:44:49

Thank you for joining us on this episode of Bridging Borders. If you enjoyed the

nnn

Sam: 00:43:21

Yeah, yeah. In Spain, you can drink the tap water everywhere, I think. But one of

my friends just really said, no, I'm not going to do that. And he drank bottled

water the entire time he was there, which was a bit annoying because he just

had to keep going to the supermarket and buying liters of water and he just use

so much plastic. But I guess it's a personal choice.

16

interesting, you know, how in some countries it's completely normal. You're so

used to it, drinking tap water. It's just, what else am I going to drink? And in

other countries, you're like, what? How can you drink tap water, like, only bottled?

Like, you have to have a certain installed in your house. filtration system

Useful expressions

and words: filtration system

Veronika: 00:44:59

Stay connected by following us on social media. You can find us at

bridging_borders_podcast. Until next time, keep exploring, keep learning, and

keep connecting.