Getting sick from cold air or germs?

It's in the upper 70s today. I kept forgetting that it's almost Christmas! People say that this warmth is unusual for Taiwan at this time of year. We kept thinking we need to take another hiking or overnight trip to take advantage of this beautiful and dry weather, as you can't count of such pretty weather in the winter and spring times. And four months have almost passed, but we have yet to visit the east coast, the southern tip, an outlying island, Tainan, and much more!! I makes me feel like a spoiled brat to be rather 'stressed out' about trip planning like they are tasks at work! It is quite time-consuming trying to plan trips that are budget-conscious, child-friendly, and fun for the adults, but the planning itself is a pleasure to be enjoyed.

I have been thinking more about all these different child-raring practices and related health beliefs. Let's take this example: Ben's teacher was quite surprised and appalled when she hears that we would give him milk fresh out of the fridge. No parent would ever do that, especially when the child's got a little cold and it's supposed to be winter time (yah yah, it's still in the 60s but remember? Many are wearing down jackets and scarves). This level of sensitivity to cold even differs between (American) Paul and (Taiwanese)me: Paul doesn't think there's a direct correlation between being exposed to cold air and getting a cold. He blames it all on germs. As a result, he thinks I and most Taiwanese people don't take care of disinfecting well enough. For example, we would wash a ungreasy cup out without soup and in cold water. He thinks that leaves all the germs on it, etc.. I bet neither of us is by any means an extreme case.

Lately, one of Noah's teachers is terribly sick, but still comes to work and wears a mask. (By the way, at least 5 kids at a time wears a mask all day to keep their germs from spreading. At first I found it kind of odd, but now even Noah demands a mask. He said he has a runny nose and needs to be covered up!) Anyway, I am surprised and unhappy that this teacher still shows up even when she obviously looks too sick to function. She said that if she takes the day off, that would leave the other teacher with 26 kids to herself. I think if this teacher was in the US, rather than being respected for hardwork, devotion and thoughtfulness, she would be accused of spreading yucky germs around all day! Again, germs and bacterias...

These health beliefs are so deeply rooted and hard to change, and the funny thing is they are formed at such a young age. Yesterday, I went to Noah's class to make pizzas with them. We had a great time and the kids loved their own cooking. Twice during the cooking session, girls came over and told me that I would catch a cold wearing a sleeveless shirt. One quoted her mom and said I should wear more clothes. I was very amazed at their considerateness and promised to take care of myself so not to get sick :)