Further Adventures at the Korean Pharmacy

I've been sick off and on for the last 3-4 weeks.  I got better in between, but I think all the massive amounts of antibiotics I seem to have taken probably wiped out the awesome immunity I'd been building up over the past 10 months or so, and I got another cold.  Blah.  It's just before a 5-day weekend, and I'm traveling abroad.  Of course I don't want to disturb the other ladies in my hostels with all my coughing, so a trip to the pharmacy before they close for the holiday was in order.

Unfortunately, I had to negotiate with the pharmacist a bit to get my cough medicine.  I wanted stuff with guaifenesin in it, a common, non-drowsy, over the counter cough suppressant.  The male pharmacists looked at me like, ("Oh no!  I have to remember English!  Um... Nice to meet you, I'm fine thank you and you?") and they quickly summoned a stout, middle-aged lady from behind the back wall. First, she gruffly told me I needed a prescription.  I explained I just wanted simple cough relief.  She eyed me a second and then she had me write the name of it.  She looked at it and said, "No.  We don't have it."

I tried not to give her a withering look but I don't think I succeeded entirely.  I have gotten guaifenesin cough stuff at this pharmacy before without a prescription... I said, "Hmm. Well, okay. Do you have something for stopping a cough then?" She eyed me a little warily again and said, "Yes.  This is for cough only. Non drowsy. Take three times a day after meal."  I thanked her, she said she'd research the "guaifenesin" word I had written, I took the pill box, and left.

Just a few minutes ago, I picked up the box and glanced over it.  Let's see. The first ingredient is... dextromethorphan.  Nothing unusual there.  Ahh, they're not ordered by amount.  The biggest ingredient by mass is "구아이페네신."  That translates to: Guaipeneshin. Otherwise known as... yep. Guaifenesin. Ahh, adventures in language barriers. Poor lady. I hope she managed to save some face in front of her co-workers.  I wonder if she realized in the middle of the transaction and just didn't say anything...? All's well that ends well, I guess.