Masuk Angin

"What is masuk angin ?" this might the first question likely to emerge from my non-Indonesian friends if i told them that i am not feeling well, "I think i am masuk angin..."

Literal translation of the term "masuk angin" perhaps is a draft or wind has entered your body, they who came from medical background prefers to say that you have a slight cold. As the symptoms of masuk angin are: feeling dizzy, body temperature is above normal (but you feel cold, like a fever), you feel sick inside your stomach (wanting to throw up, similar to feeling seasick if you've ever been in that situation), and cold sweats.

I believe I am part of them whose are vulnerable to changing weather, in Indonesia usually i'll get masuk angin easily during pancaroba (weather changing from dry season to rainy season), for example. Or if you hang out all night long (begadang with no use as it said by Rhoma Irama), short of sleep/rest, you can get angin into your body (night wind) and tomorrow morning you could catch masuk angin and feel unwell. Well, this one never be my reason since I am not part of 'anak gaul' and I never be the part of' ngeronda' team in my neighbourhood. In my recent case, winter season has become the most rational underlying reason why i get masuk angin. As far as I remember my masuk angin start to visit me when this country start to freezing at the end of autumn ('herfs' in Dutch language).

If i forget to wear my thick winter jacket--well, this stupidity never happen,what come to my experience is I change my bulky thick jacket to more light one or you can say 'mantel cantik' for the sake of style--, or not put my syal around my neck or neglect my breakfast - my first 'for your own good, heaven forbid' list-and late for my lunch, voila...i start to 'bebangkis' (sneezing) as the early sign of masuk angin. Unfortunately, the best remedies for this situation for me is to have massage or kerokan. usually my mother will perform 'kerokan' for me (mom, how i miss you ...) or we would call an old woman from our neighbourhood-we called her 'nenek'-who renown for her skill in massage. there, i still remember how unconvenient to spend about two and half of hours lying in 'tikar' with greasy feeling all over your body. But soon the rituals ended and you finished your bath, you felt warmth and cozy. You might have a good night sleep afterward. It is hard to find such skill in Netherlands. One of our MPH officer who's married with an Indonesian told us that her mother in law did kerokan for her. And when she visit her huis arts (GP) , her GP asked whether she had expeienced abuse from her husband for the red strips marks on her back (ha ha ha).

Another remedies is of course 'minyak kayu putih' or 'obat gosok vic'combined with 'jamu tolak angin'. I use it only when I preparing my self to sleep. During the day ? i believe it could bring some smell disaster to 'bule' nearby. You may think this is a very not-classy solutions or typical backward developing countries people to overcome their sickness. But, hey.. it works?!

Anyway this masuk angin thing, I believe is a part of our cultural poin of view how we see illness. You believe that angin could bring harm to your health. beside masuk angin we also familiar with term of 'angin duduk' and 'buang angin' as reflection how our culture perceived angin as factor influences our health. the last one is short of dillema since if you keep the angin inside your body, it causes a stomachache, but if you let it out (keluar angin), it causes other people to be sick.