Been meaning to update this...

Today, a student (that I don't have in any of my classes) came up and said hello to me.  Then, in a concerned voice,
she said, "Your name is Jessica, right?"
me, "That's right."
her, "Sometimes, do you cry?"
me, "...um.  Sure.  I cry sometimes."  (?)
her, "Oh. Yeah..."
me, "why?"
her, "I mean, because you are so sick. Does it make you cry?"
me, "...oh.  I'm not sick anymore.  I am ALL better."
her, "that's good! bye!"
me, "bye..."

This may explain why my 3rd grade students have been asking me lately, "Are you ok?!"  I'm pretty sure they think I am dying or something.

In other news...

It's monsoon season in Korea!  While so far it's been a little disappointing (one typhoon which was pretty weak if you ask me), the season is still young.  And I already miss the sun.  I did get adorable rainboots (which have heels--only in Korea) and a rain jacket for the occasion.  Although they don't really do much for keeping me dry.  And the shoes (like every other pair I own) make my feet bleed. :(  Somehow I still end up drenched.  It's a good thing I like rain! :-p

I was also able to get two "normal" sized towels at the same place I bought my rainboots!!!!! (yes, this statement deserves that many exclaimation marks. Trust me.)  They use tiny hand towels here, so it was like I struck gold when I found a standard sized towel.  That was a few weeks ago and I am still quite happy about it. :)

There's not much else to update on other than to say I am going to North Korea this weekend.  0:-)  I promise to behave.  (So, technically I am going to the DMZ and there is a place where if you stand on one side of the room you are officially IN North Korea.)

That's pretty much everything. 

Maybe a little weird

I keep meaning to tell this story for weeks now and only just now thought of it again.

Since being in Korea I have been asked many times if someone could take my picture--either alone or in a picture with them.  Then, sometimes, I will hear a *click* look up, and see a camera phone pointed in my direction.  I have grown accustomed to this as much as anyone possibly could, I suppose.

The other day, I fell asleep on the subway.  Suddenly, I awoke with a start and felt as though I was being stared at.  I looked up and everyone in the subway car was looking at me.  I realized why when I saw a man with a camera trying to take my picture.  The moment I looked at him, he put the camera away.

I then closed my eyes again, with intent of resting.  Suddenly, I felt eyes on me again.  Sure enough, he had his camera back out.  I spent the rest of the trip home glaring at him.

As I got off at my stop he followed me off.  Great, he lives around here. I thought.  Nope.  He got off the train to take a picture of me walking away and then hopped back on before the doors closed.

It is moments like this that make Korea interesting...but at times living in this country can be strange. 

It's finally weekend!

After school on Friday I headed over for my doctor's appointment where I was declared...still sick, given more medication, and was told to come back on Monday.  Apparently the "I feel MUCH better" doesn't work on this doctor.  Cost of visit and medicine--$4.87.  At least it's not breaking the bank to be sick.

I do have to say that this whole "eating food three times a day so I can take my medicine" is getting old real fast. It's not necessarily the amount but it's the fact that I *have* to eat in the morning, afternoon, and evening even if I am not hungry.  I am very rarely hungry in the morning.

After the appointment, I headed home, hoping for a relaxing evening as I was pretty exhausted. When I arrived at home, my electricity was not working.  I called my co-teacher who called my landlord and just as it was starting to get dark he came over to try to fix it.  

Looong story short, he ended up almost electrocuting himself, almost falling off a chair, and kept talking to me in Korean even though we both know that neither of us understands the others language.  Two hours later the power was restored after he changed...a battery looking thing, so probably the fuse.  

After he left I finally had my quiet evening that I was promising myself all day.  Hopefully after this weekend I shall be declared "well" by the doctor and I will have my energy back, I will no longer cough and etc. etc.  

Now it's time to go search for breakfast so I can take my medicine and then go back to bed.  

Well then

It's been a long, long week.  


Friday night I took a nap after school and woke up with a tickle in my throat.  As there was a cold that was going around the school, I figured I was probably coming down with it and went to bed early. 


Saturday morning I woke up with a full-fledge cold.  Both times now that I have come down with a cold in Korea, it has surprised me just how fast it goes from nothing to full assault.  As I have an open class on Thursday (I will explain what that is later) I figured I would go against my nature and buy some medicine to help the process along even though there's really nothing you can do to cure a common cold.  


I bought some medicine (the "magic pills" is what I call them) and proceeded to spend the rest of the day in bed as they were extremely strong for my system.  They made the world a fuzzy but colorful place, to put it mildly.  


Sunday, I was able to get my hands on some cough syrup--which lasted 24 hrs as the bottle was tiny.  I still slept all day due to the magic pills. 


Monday, I called in sick (as mentioned a pretty big deal in Korea), took my medicine and went back to bed.  I was feeling so lethargic and absolutely no better than the day before.  I slept the entire day, waking only to cough and blow my nose.  I have never had a cold effect my daily life as much as this one has in terms of energy and being able to do things.  


Monday night around midnight I woke up not being able to breathe.  I was wheezing so much from my cough and couldn't seem to get enough air.  At this point I was just sick and tired of the magic pills that weren't working and the cough that was progressively getting worse instead of better (and the fact that I couldn't breathe) that I went to the ER.  I figured at the very least they could give me cough medicine so I could stop coughing so much so my throat would stop closing and I would be able to breathe again.  


Instead, they gave me a chest x-ray, antibiotics ("I think maybe your tonsils are swollen." You...think?  Maybe?), and a shot to reduce the swelling in my throat.  He said that the reason why my throat was swollen was because of my coughing--at this point, I am starting to feel like I could be a doctor here.  


The shot did help me breathe better though.  It also kept me awake until 5am and then I had to get up for work at 6:45.  That was fun.  (Also, as a side note: the ER visit, x-ray, shot, AND drugs cost me 14,000 won.  About $13.  Go Korea!)


Tuesday I went to work.  I had to talk about American foods so I did quite a bit of talking despite not really having a voice and coughing every other word.  They sent me home after I was done teaching as I looked and sounded so horrible. 


When I asked why I couldn't get cough syrup here, I was told that it doesn't work.  I was also asked if the medicine made me dizzy, feel sick, and generally very not myself.  When I said yes, I was told that this was Korean style and it meant it was working.  


Today, I once again went in feeling the worse yet this week and having very little voice.  My co-teacher was lovely and did the majority of the teaching, but I still had to ask some questions and have them repeat a list after me.  That very little made my throat despise me.  After class, my co-teacher brought me to the clinic (an ear, nose and throat specialist--who incidentally graduated from UM in A2! So we had much to talk about) to be checked out.  


He suctioned out my nose (which HURTS) saying that he couldn't believe how much I was able to hold in there (heh, he should see the two rolls of tp I have gone through at home and the countless tissues at school :-p) and poked around at my tonsils (yeah, that hurt, too :( ) and then declared that I had tonsillitis, gave me some MORE meds to take (I am now on 5 pills 3times/day and he actually gave me cough syrup!) and told me to come back on Friday for a check up.  They then hooked me up to a nebulizer for a bit and then sent me on my way.  

Total visit, 6,000 won for doctor and 14,000 won for medicine (+ bug spray and Vitamin C tabs).  I just can't get over how cheap health care is here. I'm pretty sure if you combine everything I have paid together it would still be less than a visit to the doctor back home, let alone anything else.  Hopefully these pills will do the trick.


Tomorrow I have the open class.  This is basically when the principal/vice principal, teacher from our school and other schools all come in and evaluate a class that we teach.  It's the fourth class (in a row) that I teach and if I feel anything like I did after today's 4th period, it's not going to end well.  But I don't really care.  We have 4ish of these a year.   


But hey, I think I am already maybe sort of starting to feel better.  I have been awake since 5:30--and it's now 9:30!  Pretty sure this has been the longest stretch of awakeness since Saturday. I am definitely crashing soon though. 

Cute kids

Student 1: Teacher, he is crazy.
Student 2: What are you talking?
Me: What are you talking about.
Student 2: What are you talking about?

Student: Hello!
Me: Hello!
Student: Don't copy me.
Me: Ok.  Bye.
Student: Bye.
Me: Now YOU are copying ME.
Student: Teacher! No!

I know I walk a lot...

I was walking home today and my shoe literally fell apart.  I know I walk a lot but it seems to have happened rather soon after buying it.  The sad thing is, I actually paid more for this shoe, hoping that it would last longer.  I still have my $8 pair of shoes, however, that have been holding strong for over a year now.

Apparently I need to once again go shoe shopping tomorrow.  :-/  

(at least it was a little humorous to be walking down the street and have your shoe literally fall into pieces.  I mean, how does that even happen?)