Eau de South America

I have a nose like a dog. I pick up and discern smells more than the average person. The other day I was in my car going to the gym and smelled what I call the "South American" smell. I'm not talking the Latino man smell (which is very nice I might add and I think guys in the US could take some lessons on how to apply cologne). Anyway- this smell is hard for me to describe- it's a neutral smell really not good or bad and if I had to pick something to describe it I might say musty but that can be perceived as not so good. At first I thought it was specific to Chile because I first noticed it with S and his clothes but since then I've picked it up on people from Uruguay, Venezuela, and Argentina and it comes from their clothes. I've smelled it here and also in airports abroad. You could line 10 people up and I swear I could tell which ones were in South America- it's that noticeable to me. When I'm in South America I don't notice it as much.

At first I thought it had something to do with the water but I've debunked that. I purchased a workout outfit when I was in Chile almost 2 months ago and was wearing it for the first time the other day to the gym. I could pick up the smell 2 months after this outfit had been in my closet AND sent to the seamstress to get the pants hemmed. The outfit was not washed in Chile- only purchased there.

Today I got dressed for work and as I was sitting at my desk noticed the smell again. At first I questioned it because I smelled it so strongly that I thought it was my sweater but I had just washed that. I finally realized that I was wearing the linen pants that I had last worn 2 months ago in Chile (I have not sent them to the drycleaners yet).

What is the deal? It's a really weird phenomenon for me. I thought at least the water explanation might make some sense but I've proven that wrong. It has to be the air but what would be different there than here? Am I crazy or does anyone else notice this? I've tried to ask S to smell this on the clothes I can pick it up on but he doesn't notice anything.

Also- this has reminded me to post a public service annoucement. There is an over the counter cold remedy you can buy here in the US and is quite the rage called Zicam. It comes in several forms and is supposed to reduce the amount of time you have a cold. One of the easiest to use is a solution you put in your nose. A close friend of mine (who also had a very keen sense of smell) used this product (as a sugestion from her husband who had used it). She applied it and immediately felt a burning sensation. The next day she noticed that her sense of smell was gone. She went to an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat doctor) who basically said "Yea, duhhhh!! You shouldn't use that". That was back before Christmas and 4 months later still has no sense of smell. You will find many things on the internet about this- some saying it is not proven. She tried calling the company to inquire and they told her it was a by-product of her virus. All I can say is that she is a very close friend of mine and had the exact burning sensation that others describe and has lost her sense of smell. I can imagine it would be very difficult to not have my sense of smell- even if it does drive me crazy sometimes.