Bodily Fluids, Blurred Vision, & B.O.

Warning #1: I have been under the effect of cold/sinus medicine and an abnormal amount of hot showers for the past few days. My writing may have been effected. Yes, effected.

Warning #2: If the title didn't give it away already, this is me holding nothing back. If you're a smart cute single guy who isn't crazy, please stop reading this.

As some of you may know, I've been sick this past week. In the states, when you catch a cold, it was no big deal. You take some nyquil, drink lots of fluids, sleep all weekend, and you're back on your feet in no time.

That's not Korea's style.

This cold/sinus infection/Korean death plague* was horrendous.
If I were to blow my nose using Orlando Bloom instead of a tissue, this is what you would see:

Sorry Orlando!

So much for a fun-filled Christmas day. After opening my presents and skyping with the family, I spent the rest of the day sleeping, taking steamy hot showers, watching movies, and cursing at the pharmacy downstairs for being closed.

20 minutes after arriving at school on Monday morning, it was decided that I was going to the doctor after lunch, and it was suggested (ordered) that I sleep in the heated bed in the teacher's lounge until that time came.

Normally in Korea, when you are sick, you don't go to a doctor's office. You just go to the hospital. The hospital isn't just for emergencies and surgery. However, the spirits of the universe were on my side that day, and we got to visit the nose and throat clinic that just happened to be in Yatap. Not that it really mattered.

You'll read why.

After a 2 minute wait (no appointment was made), I walked into the room. There were all kinds of medical utensils on the little table next to my chair, and a TV screen in front of me. The doctor quickly shoved this little tube up my nostrils to take a picture. It didn't hurt at all, but then I realized the pictures were on the screen. I don't like seeing anything related to the inside of my body, or anybody else's body for that matter. It wigs me out. Then he made me open my mouth, and shot this blast of weird tasting air into my throat. Now, I'm not sure if he discusses the medical problems will all of his patients or if he just wanted to practice his English, but he began to tell me I had a sinus infection, and pointing to the insides of my nostrils on the screen.

As if I really needed to hear about the details of the grossness happening inside my body. Really, why can't doctors examine you, give you medicine, and not speak a word about why? If I ever get cancer or get a kidney stone or break a bone, I don't want to know about it. Just fix it, and tell me when its over.

Anyways, as we were walking back toward the waiting area, I got that familiar feeling. The same feeling I got the first time I went to a chiropractor. The feeling I get before, during, and after getting blood taken. The feeling I get after getting any kind of shot. But I'm in Korea, with a co worker, and I have to be a big girl about this. So what do I do?

"Sungsook, where's the bathroom?"

Unfortunately, it was all the way down a long hall. I quickly walked out, but the closer I got to the end of the hall way, the more these black spots got in my way. I kept ignoring them thinking they would give up and bother somebody else, but they weren't having it. They may as well have been Ryan Reynolds with his shirt off. I just couldn't help but notice them. I never did find the bathroom, but there was a couch at the end. How I got there, I'll never know.

After a few minutes of laying down to let my dignity run for the door, I started to feel better, so I walked over to the pharmacy where Sungsook, aka my Korean savior, had just gotten my medicine. We walked back to her car, when I realized I didn't pay for anything.

"Sungsook! How much do I owe you for the medicine?"
"Oh, its 4,400 won."
"Oh yeah, and the doctor's visit. How much was that?"
"3,000."

Yes, folks, a doctor's visit, antibiotics, and cold medicine for a whopping $7.40.
I tell ya, that damn national health insurance...its...well, mmm...its great!

The large silver packets in the corner are the antibiotics. Take one pill twice a day...pretty standard.
Those other goody bags? Indulge in one of those after every meal. That comes out to 14 pills a day!


Yes, this is a Hello Kitty humidifier. It was the cheapest one they had, and its supposed to help in this dry winter air. I know, I know. I'm officially a dweeb.

On a completely different note, I've been using Secret Clinical Strength deodorant for a long time now. It has always worked like a charm. For some reason, though, lately it has most certainly NOT been working like a charm. I've been giving that area extra attention in the shower, switching between the two types I have...nothing was working. So today, I decided to just go without and see what happened. After all, Koreans never wear deodorant, and they never stink.

Wouldn't ya know, I came home, did the sniff test and...nada!

So that just goes to show, kimchi has more benefits than vitamins and fiber.


*Source: Keara, Facebook comment, profile of Rachel Howell, December 24th at 7:16pm

Christmas Eve

Even though I had to work today, a few little things made it feel like Christmas Eve. My coordinator gave me a Christmas present, because she knows how big of a deal Christmas is in America. I'm fairly certain she is the sweetest person since Mother Teresa.

I also had a Christmas card in my mail box from the parents...and I got my Christmas package from my Grandparents! As hard as it is, I'm going to wait until tomorrow morning to open it.


As for my Christmas eve night, Just Friends is on TV, pizza is in the fridge, and I've still got some "gold" left! I just hope my friends will still recognize me when they see me tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

The Best & Most Complicated Care Package Ever

I had a note taped to my door last night when I got home. Speaking of going home, last night I pulled a smart one and got on the wrong bus in Suwon. Why was I in Suwon? Laurie and I felt it necessary to improve Korea's economy by devouring dinner and dessert at TGI Friday's.

Anyways, back to the side story. I said my final goodbye (she is going back home for Christmas, the lucky mee chin nyun) and hopped on what I thought was bus 720-1.

I was so tired due to my small cold and 2am viewing of Sleepless in Seattle the night before, that I fell asleep. When I woke up, I noticed we were passing a sign that said Tancheon stadium was to the right, but we went straight. Mmmmm, that's odd. I live next to Tancheon stadium. Why aren't we going that way?

After a few more stops, I begin to realize either
A) I'm dreaming,
B) the route has changed or
C) this bus driver is an idiot who doesn't know the correct route.

I begin to get up to yell at him for not taking me directly to my apartment and not serving hot cocoa on the bus, when I glance at the list of stops. It's there that I see the damn -2 in the corner.

So those little tiny numbers after the dashes really do mean something, in case you were wondering.

At this point, its just a Korean lady and me on the bus, and he is now flying down a windy dark road with no traffic. He finally stops in front of some quiet dark apartment complexes and tells both of us to get off.

Whoops.

So I start walking across the street to the other stop, to go back toward AK plaza where I can either take the subway home or get on the right stinkin' bus.

Did I mention the street was dark and quiet?

Nonetheless, when I start to cross this empty street, the ajumma grabs my arm and starts talking to me in Korean. She was probably saying something like,
"Idiot foreigner, you can't cross the street if you aren't at a cross walk and the pedestrian light isn't green! With this quiet road, there's no telling how many cars will start to fly past as you quickly cross the street."

So we walk down to the cross walk together, and make it ever so safely to the empty bus stop to go back the other way.

After the bus ride back, followed by a quick subway ride, I finally arrive in Yatap. Only when I swipe my T-money card, it says error and won't let me go through.

Did I mention I was holding a bag filled with popcorn, hangers, oreos, and a huge heavy jug of red wine? And that I have a cold and was up since 2am watching Sleepless in Seattle?

Anyways, I started to walk toward the handicap gate to hop over it, when a sweet Korean girl said no, no, it will work now...and she was right, somehow. I guess the one gate I chose was freakishly slow. Go figure.

How in the hell did I get on this subject? Oh yeah, there was a note taped to my door when I finally got home.

I brought it to school today for Lilith to read for me, and it said I had a parcel waiting for me at the security desk. Yay! I anxiously waited for 4:30 all day, so I could race home and see what it was. I walk to the security desk first, and show him this note. The same note my co teacher read and immediately understood that there was a package at the security desk.

But the security guy never gave me a package. Instead, he just looked at the note like it was written in English, and kept talking and asking me questions. I showed him my apartment # on the note, but he clearly didn't have a package for me. So I pointed up, thinking maybe he was telling me I needed to go to the actual apartment office. He nodded his head yes.

So I went to the top floor, and gave the lady the note. She then jabbers on in Korean for about a gazillion seconds, and then pulls out her bank book and starts asking me questions.

I start to wonder if I'm being punk'd. Where are you Ashton Kutcher?

I call my coordinator to translate for me, and she then asks me if I paid my bill.
"Yes, I got the bill two days ago, and paid it yesterday morning."
"Oh ok, she was going door to door to find out who paid a bill but didn't leave their name, but she has yours so you're ok."

Alright, so I came up here with a note about a parcel, and now we are talking about a bill, so did the note actually refer to the bill? I point at the note again and she points toward the neighboring apartment building and jabbers some more. I just look at her and say Ode yo (where)? Finally, she brings a maintenance guy to walk me to wherever I'm supposed to go to pick up this blasted package.

We get to the first floor. We walk toward the security desk.
The security guy sees the note, and immediately produces my package.

The same exact note!

Korea, you really confuse me sometimes.

No matter though. The important thing is this:


And this is why my parents will always be better than yours.

Answers Part Il-gop

Question: What are your top moments since leaving the U.S.?

It's only fitting I save the best question for last. When I first read it, my initial thought was "Whoa, I haven't even thought about that. This will take forever to answer." I must be honest here. I still haven't thought about it! I've been so busy this week reading, playing on the internet at work, working on my Christmas puzzle-I know, I know, my life has been hard these past couple of weeks.

Thinking out loud, I can conjure up a few things.
Things like:
Doi Suthep
Sunday Walking Street
Khao San Rd
River cruise down the Chao Phraya in Bangkok
Namsan tower in Seoul
Gyeongbuk Palace
Changdeok Palace
Lotte World
G20 concert
Hwaseong Fortress
Insadong
Soedaemun Prison
National Arboretum

These are all good and fun, but as I reflect on these past 146 days (is that all?) I'm realizing that my top moments seem to be the smallest and simplest ones.

In no particular order here they are:

1)Early morning walk in Chiang Mai: On my third morning in Chiang Mai, I woke up early and decided to venture down the other direction of the street. Of course, the day I chose to do this, it started raining. This turned out to be all for the better, because I saw the monks who walk the street every morning taking their collections doing the exact same thing, while holding umbrellas. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but for some reason it touched my heart. These monks are so dedicated and peaceful. The generosity of the Thai people just pushed this moment even deeper into my heart. As the monks walked the street each morning, the Buddhist people were always waiting outside for the monks to pass, so they might feed their stomachs with food, and feed their souls with offerings for Buddha.

2)Seeing a movie at the paragon and enjoying a Starbucks meal: After my trek to the Korean embassy, I simply couldn't make it all the way back to Khao San Rd. I stopped at the Paragon (Galleria of Bangkok), all sweaty and gross, and ordered a chocolate pastry with an iced green tea latte. I wrote and wrote and wrote out all my frustrations and thoughts on the backs of the extra visa application I had with me. I love moments like those, when all of the sudden my mind just floods my fingers with words. After that, I wanted to sit in just about the only cold place in Bangkok: the movie theater. Even though I watched the most atrocious movie ever made, I was happy.

3) My first walk down the Tancheon river: On my second day in Seongnam, I had the day to unpack, buy necessities, and get a general feel for my new home. I took a long walk along the Tancheon river in the afternoon. As I walked down the tartan path following the meandering river, I couldn't stop gazing at all the mountains around me. My eyes still wander over to the mountains all around me on my walks to school. I don't think I'll ever get over the initial "wow!" factor of seeing mountains all the time.

4) Sitting down to lunch one day and not dropping a single thing with my chop sticks: This may sound dumb, but I felt so accomplished that day! My first couple of weeks during lunch was so hard. I was rushing so much to eat at the same pace as everyone else and was constantly dropping things or having to just give up and use my spoon. Amy would be finished with her meal and I would just be half way through. But, one day after I finished (at the same time as her), I realized that I had eaten everything with chop sticks and didn't even struggle. What a relief.

5) Hiking Seoraksan: At the time, I probably wouldn't have ever put this on my top moments list. It was just so damn hard and not all what I expected. Hiking trails in Korea are more like rock climbing or an endless stair master if you ask me. But, the fact that I finished it, and that my students were all amazed when I told them what I did that weekend, made it all worth while. But only that one time.

Answers Part Ta-sot

Question One: Have you done anything that's a norm here in America but is considered rude or odd in Korea?
I don't think I've done anything too bad. You are supposed to bow to your bosses and even other teachers at school. There's quite a few times I either forget or just don't. Its so different than what I was taught growing up: eye contact, firm hand shake, smiling, all that jazz.

Plus, if I were to bow to every teacher that walked by, I would start doing it automatically as a reflex when students do it to me...and the students would probably laugh at me for bowing at them.

Also, at the movie theater, doctor's office, post office, bank, etc... you walk up to a small machine and take a numbered piece of paper to get your place in line. I guess since there's so many people, it helps keep everything in order. However, its nice to play the foreigner card every now and again. Laurie and I didn't realize we had to have a number to buy a movie ticket, but the cashier helped us anyway. I'd like to take this moment to say sorry to all the Koreans in line behind us!


Question Two: Here is the MOST important question. Are there any cute guys?!
FYI- I copied and pasted this question. My friends just have their priorities in the right order.

The answer is: yes, ne, oui, si, ja.
Here's the thing though. Before I came to Korea, I thought most Asians weren't very attractive. But when you see them in person, its completely different than seeing a picture. So keep that in mind if you ever see me freak out when I see a picture of Rain. Also, Koreans are the tallest out of all the Asian countries. So that's always nice as far as eye candy goes.

Kang Dong Won & Rain

Since I'm bored right now, here's a better way to show you some hot Korean guys. Alright, you might not think they're cute, but its the music and dancing that's so hot! Plus, people live and breathe Kpop over here. It seeps into my system even when I'm sleeping, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sorry you can't see the entire screen! I don't know how to fix it.

Answers Part Yeo-sot

Question One: Is it hard to shop over there? I hear that sizes run very small.
Small sizes would be an improvement. The only Americans that could shop at your typical Korean store are the ones that work on runways. One of my co teachers is taller than me and about the same size, so she buys most of her clothes online. But, the website is all in Korean.

However, there is a Forever 21 and an H&M in Seoul. So all is not lost! And they have American sizes...I bought clothes from both stores last month, and can't wait to go back.

Shoes though? If you are bigger than a size 8, forget it. Luckily, my parents are great with the care packages, so I'm not walking to school barefoot in the cold.

Question Two: Do they like having American stores?
It seems so. On every corner you can find either a 7/11, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, Burger King, or Starbucks. There's also a lot of Pizza Huts and Papa John's. The odd thing is, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts don't open until around 7 or 8. And NOBODY goes to Dunkin Donuts in the morning. But when I walk by one at night, its a mad house.

The only American store I go to here is Starbucks. The music is the same, the atmosphere is the same, and its just as fabulous!

As far as the American/European clothing stores go (Forever 21 and H&M), its mainly foreigners shopping there. Which makes sense, since most of the clothes would probably swallow these beautiful petite Korean girls that command the streets.

Why is there a Costco? Do they have American things or Korean things?
If you read my Thanksgiving post, we had a pumpkin pie from Costco hence the question. While I've never actually been to one here, I've heard its amazing. There's one in Seoul and one in Daegu. A lot of foreigners go to get the things they miss from back home, and apparently they have an awesome food court. I'm sure they have Korean things as well.

You still have to get a membership though, so I probably won't be going anytime soon. Plus, it would not be fun lugging all the stuff back home on a crowded subway or bus.

Answers Part Net

Question: What the's best/worst thing you've eaten since you've been there? Thailand AND Korea.

I'll start with Thailand. The best thing I ate was pad thai from a street vendor in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of it, but it was amazing! Most places have already cooked noodles that they just heat up again. But this guy would make everything right there in front of you. He would start with some grease (healthy I know), and add the fresh noodles. After that, he would add some tofu, a little sugar and spices, and a few sprigs of a green vegetable. Then he would crack and egg on the burner and put all the noodly goodness on top, while wrapping it up in the egg. Sprinkle some crushed peanuts on top, and BAM! you've got a delicious meal.

Did I mention this cost $1?

The worst thing I ate in Thailand was a bug.

Which actually wasn't THAT bad. But I definitely didn't want seconds.

Since being in Korea, I've enjoyed a lot of the food, and hated a lot of the food.
So I can't pick just one favorite!
Fave #1- tofu soup at lunch. It's simple, but the broth is so good.


Fave #2- bibimbap. Lots of vegetables, red pepper paste, and rice.
Easy peasy...and pleasy!


Fave #3- kimbap. Bibimbap "to go"...essentially its the same ingredients as bibimbap, but its all wrapped in seaweed.
I can get a huge roll at a place in my apartment building for $1.


Fave #4- kimchi soup. My mouth just watered.


There have been a few terrible moments since I've been in Korea. They all involve food.
Enemy #1- baby octopus being cooked alive in front of you. See my "Don't Mess with Korea" post if you're interested. I don't even want to talk about it.
Enemy #2-tiny dried salty fish*. See my "What the hell did I just eat?" post if you're curious.


*I just googled the dried minnows since I don't have an actual picture. This is what showed up on the listing.

WTF?