My Failed Trip to Jeju

Suncheon Gardens

Well, the title doesn't make me sound very optimistic, which at first I wasn't, but my failed trip actually turned out to be not so bad. Let's start from the beginning.

Because of the midterm exam period at my school that takes place during three days (Monday - Wednesday), followed by a national holiday on Thursday and Friday (Children's Day), I basically had a week of "Spring Break". I was excited because I had planned a trip to Jeju Island and was finally going to cross off a few things on my bucket list, such as hiking the tallest mountain in Korea, Halla Mountain.

Hanging in Yeosu

Here's how it went down: Monday morning, I packed up, excited, ready to go. I booked my bus ticket to Gwangju, headed out and had a smooth 1 hour bus ride. The sky was cloudy, but I knew the rain wasn't supposed to come until the evening. I get off the bus, take the subway to the Gwangju airport. About a 30 minute transfer. Weather still looking promising. I get to the airport, attempt to check into my 3:00 p.m. flight, when the lady at the counter tells me my flight has not been delayed, but "on hold" while they check the weather conditions. I briefly look outside and it hasn't even started raining, nor did it feel particularly windy when I was walking in. She advises me to take a seat, wait, and stare at the flights screen anxiously. So I do so. And less than one hour later, they canceled my flight. I heave a huge sigh, pick up my bag, and get in line to discuss my options. The same lady talks to me and tells me she can put me on a 7:30 flight. I didn't really want to wait around for 3 more hours, but I still wanted my trip to Jeju to go as planned. So I sat back down and waited.

Gabby comes to Gwangyang!

Another hour and some change later, the 7:30 flight gets canceled. By this time it IS actually raining outside, although it's not anything we all haven't experienced before. I get back in line, too tired to deal with this. She advises me that the next available flight isn't until the next evening at the same time (7:30 p.m.). My trip was only due to be Monday - Thursday because other friends would be visiting throughout the weekend, and I decided that one full day and some change on Jeju Island wouldn't be worth it. I made the quick decision to cancel my entire trip. I'm just happy that she provided me with a full refund for my round trip tickets.

Ssireum (Korean-style wrestling)

After my vacation was canceled, I called a few ETAs in Gwangju to see what they were up to. I ended up getting pizza with my friend Tiffany and sulking in my sadness about having to put off my hike to Halla Mountain. After dinner, I hopped on a bus back to Gwangyang, a bit peeved that my entire day was wasted on transportation for nothing.

The next morning I woke up, feeling refreshed and my bitter feelings had passed. I was excited to stay back in Gwangyang now because I could explore some more gems of my awesome placement city. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I hung out with friends in my city, relaxed, and just enjoyed some down time. I ended up being quite productive and getting a lot done with things related to Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations, apartment cleaning, catching up on some leisure reading, etc.

Basketball

On Thursday, an ETA friend (Gabby) from waaaay up north (Hwacheon) came to visit the south for the weekend! I was excited to show her around and hopefully introduce her to some of the beauties of Gwangyang, Suncheon, and Yeosu. Gabby arrived Thursday night and we had some famous ~Gwangyang bulgogi stew~ and called it an early night. Friday morning we met up with our other friend Tiffany and decided to go to Yeosu due to the maybe rainy weather. It ended up being a poor decision on our part because everything was so CROWDED. We went to the aquarium, spent 23 bucks, all just to be shoved around by Korean families and children whining everywhere we turned. Although it was a super neat place, the experience was ruined by the crowds. After the aquarium trip, we had some lunch and decided what to do next. We wanted to check out an island but figured that would also be insanely crowded and ultimately decided against it. THEN we thought about going to a super beautiful temple but found out that the bus only comes once every 40-60 minutes. We didn't want to wait around, so I attempted to find a place to walk to. I found a small mountain and navigated our way there, only to our dismay that it had taken us to a shack halfway up the mountain. We turned around, defeated. This day was a bust.

Preparing for warm-ups

We trotted back down and just decided to go back to Gwangyang. On our way down, we came across a plaza full of people and FREE FOOD. We got makgeoli and pajeon, a Korean favorite. The locals laughed at us as we sipped our rice wine and devoured the pancake. It was delicious and it lifted our moods for awhile. We headed back home, cleaned up and rested, and met up again in Suncheon for dinner. This time, we would have much better luck. We went to one of my favorite barbecue places, grilled some meat, and were feeling good. We wanted to go dancing afterwards, but our favorite club was closed, so we decided to go bowling. While bowling, we met some Korean guys who ended up paying for us. Then we all decided to go to noraebang (karaoke room) to sing and have fun there! We had a good night singing and dancing with our new friends... while also not having to pay for anything! Haha.

Tug-o-war

On Saturday morning, we headed to Suncheon to do some sightseeing. We went to the Suncheon Bay and Gardens. Although we had a few navigation issues, overall it was a beautiful day with beautiful sights to see! The gardens are especially beautiful during the springtime, showcasing model gardens from all around the world. It is a perfect place to stroll around, relax, and enjoy nature. By the end of the day, we were worn out, so we called it an early night by watching a movie and passing out. And just like that, the spring break week was coming to a close. Sunday morning arrived, Gabby went back to Hwacheon, and I prepared for the next week of lessons at school.

Victory for class 1-1 in tug-o-war

Although my plans didn't work out the way I had originally planned, I am glad that it was more spontaneous. I had a great time relaxing, hanging out with friends, and just taking it easy. I went into the next week ready to get back to teaching, although it was another short week. The boys only had three days of school because Thursday and Friday were designated as "Sports Days". Sports Day is a huge event -- especially at an all-boys school. The boys work in teams (their homeroom classes), design their own uniforms, and participate in various sports activities such as basketball, soccer, foot volleyball, ssireum (Korean-style wrestling), and track and field events. They don't have to worry about studying and can let loose! They order their favorite foods, enjoy ice cream, and freedom (for two days). It was fun to watch them play, compete, and see them smiling nonstop (not common during the regular school days).

Enjoying the action

The teachers have also been active in sports-playing. We are preparing for an area-wide volleyball tournament, so we have practices three times a week for two hours after school. My arms have never felt so sore. Haha! I am excited though, as I love competition and hope to win the tournament. Stay tuned to see how our team placed.

Read More

100% / Emily's Expedition

My last foot appointment!

Hello, friends all over the world! Hillary here, writing this post with a smile on my face (as I usually am). The weather has been extraordinarily beautiful here lately, even with days of rain scattered here and there. Those days have actually turned out to be some of my favorite days -- especially the mornings after a stormy night. The walks to school reveal a misty fog over the mountains in the distance, the river flowing heavily downstream, with my trail surrounded by bright green grass and trees.

Since my last post two weeks ago, I have received wonderful news: I am officially DONE with foot treatment! I had my last appointment on the 19th of April, and the doctor barely took a look at it before I was walking out the door. We had a bonding moment that day, where we both realized a bit bittersweetly that this would be our last meeting together.

Happy in Boseong

At first he jokingly stated, "I did such a great job! There's not even a scar to be seen!" I whole-heartedly confirmed and congratulated him and his team on doing such a thorough job with my foot and for truly taking care of me. After a moment, though, his smile faded and his voice dropped, saying, "Well... I guess this means I don't need to see you anymore..." and at that moment there was a twinge of sadness inside of me. Even after all that I had overcome with this annoying infection for the last six months, a part of me was actually... sad??? Yes, it was true. My doctor and I had spent so much time communicating with each other the past six months that neither of us ever really thought that it would come to an end. Yet there we were, shaking hands and congratulating each other on the great work we did.

"You heal very well, you did a great job!" He said with a smile on his face.

I looked at him, wondering what he meant exactly. I said, "I'm just lucky that I'm young and healthy..."

He said, "Yes, young and healthy, both physically and mentally. Mental aspect is also important for healing."

His comment will stay with me everywhere I go for the rest of my life. Realizing the importance not only of physical strength, but emotional strength and mental strength as well.

-----

Hiking with the gang!

Aside from the foot recovery, school has been busy as usual, this time with the midterm exams rolling around the corner. The boys have hit a phase of pure exhaustion, struggling to get through the days without falling asleep in class or feeling the immense pressure to study all day and night. After the political parties unit, I decided to take it easy and settle with some easy-thinking English activities such as Bananagrams and USA Bingo.

The teachers decided to host an English camp in the upcoming month, so I am looking forward to that because we will go to a resort in the mountains for a weekend and hang out and do some fun English stuff.

Other school happenings:
- The Gwangyang spring volleyball tournament is approaching, which means one-hour practices after school three days a week which means my arms are severely swollen and bruised
- Tutoring the principal 1-on-1 once a week and being hoarded with food and gifts after each class together... I'm not complaining!
- Still the outcast at lunch (on days where I have to eat alone) because the new teachers are scared of me (life of the foreign teacher...)

-----

Boseong Green Tea Plantation

Weekend shenanigans: last weekend, a large group of other Fulbrighters and I headed to Gwangju for an exciting hiking trip followed by a trip to the Boseong green tea plantation. Hiking was a blast and I'm surprised at how well the group stayed together considering there was about ten of us. We did about a 4 hour hike Saturday morning, enjoyed lunch at the base of the mountain, then headed to the bus terminal to get to the tea fields.

Suncheon Gardens

Everything went great until it came time to catch a bus to the green tea plantation. We took a public bus to the city bus terminal, when suddenly Emily realized she left her phone on the bus we had just gotten off of! Half of the group had already gone ahead to get tickets to the tea fields, and the other half of us were waiting with Emily. Emily decided to grab a cab to try and sprint up and catch the bus that had just passed, in hopes of finding her phone and catching up with the group. Buuuuut, an hour and a half went by, members of our group faded, leaving two of us waiting for Emily to come back to the terminal, hopefully having found her phone.

Suncheon Gardens

Unfortunately, she came back with no phone. We decided to go ahead and get tickets to the tea plantation and meet up with the rest of the group, defeated that we had lost her phone. In fact, right when Emily had given up all hope, I reminded her of how we were able to retrieve her lost wallet after a New Years party last year. "That was pure luck; there's no way we can get that lucky again..." she sighed.

"I'm going to keep calling anyway - I'm sure someone will pick up eventually." I stated.

"You should just wipe your phone NOW," Kevin urged.

The three of us had completely different mindsets. Which one of us would prevail? Kevin, taking the cautious route? Emily, taking the luck-worn-out route? Or myself, taking the too-optimistic-but-let's-try-to-get-lucky-again route? Take a moment to pick your choice NOW: __________________________


Ok. Here's what happened:

Low and behold, just seconds after our exchange, a strange voice PICKED UP THE PHONE! We were in a sudden dilemma - we were already on the bus to Boseong, but we had magically gotten ahold of the person with Emily's phone!!!!!!! We made the sporadic decision to jump off the bus (to the bus driver's confusion), sprinted to the public bus stop, and followed it aaaallllll the way to the end of the line (over a one hour bus ride). We reached the public bus transportation center, retrieved the phone, feeling relieved. Emily got her picture taken at the terminal with the phone in hand as a memento. You can see it here:

After successful retrieval of the cell phone

But now what? It was far too late to join the others at Boseong, so the three of us decided to head to Gwangyang and crash at my place. We showered, ordered late night chicken, and passed out early. I think we would all call that day a success.

Suncheon Gardens

The next day we decided we would make up for lost time and head to the tea plantation, which ended up being a great decision. It was absolutely beautiful - we enjoyed row after row of green tea fields in the mountains, while eating delicious green tea soft serve ice cream, green tea flavored noodles, and green tea flavored ddeokkbokki (rice cake with fish cake). In the afternoon, Emily and I parted ways with Kevin (who headed back to his city), and we went to the Suncheon gardens with our other friend, Abby. The gardens are absolutely huge, and they have a world garden expo. We explored sample gardens from around the world, walked around, and enjoyed the sunlight. We were pooped by late afternoon after a full weekend, so we went back and crashed early again.

It was a spontaneous, crazy, and exciting month of April, and it's only going to get even busier. Stay tuned for an upcoming story about my not-so-perfect start to the month of May!

Read More

Hospital Hiatus: Part Four

Precaution: this post contains graphic images of my injury.

Morgan and EJ!

Greetings! Welcome to Part Four of my long and unexpected journey battling MRSA in Korea. If you missed the first three installments, check those out before continuing onward. In the last post, I was getting ready to leave the hospital. Although I should have been excited about leaving, I was distraught, stressed out, and more emotional than ever before. I was on the receiving end of everyone telling me what I needed to do, and I felt like I had no say in the matter. Fulbright was telling me one thing, my school was telling me another, my parents were worried about what was happening, and the doctor had his own opinion, so it was difficult for me to even consider what I thought was best for myself.

My public speaking club welcomed me home ♥

Unfortunately in Korea, the pressure of working in even the most extreme conditions goes above the wellbeing of oneself, and I was held to those same standards by my colleagues. It was finally my chance to leave the hospital, and I almost felt worse than I did before I even got there two weeks ago. Nevertheless, I was put on a train ride back to Gwangyang, unsure of what was to come next. I decided that since it was practically impossible for me to do anything on my own since I couldn't walk, put any pressure on my foot, and had zero energy, I should stay with a friend during my week back home.

Kat and I en route to the hospital

영진 (Kat is her English name) saved my life that week. Without her, I have no idea how I would have made it through that week. She let me stay in her apartment, she cooked, drove me to the hospital each day, and kept me company whenever I was feeling stressed and worn out (which was basically the ENTIRE week...). Kat works as a private English tutor, so her schedule was flexible enough to help me with my day-to-day tasks. I thank her from the bottom of my heart, and I hope I can repay this debt in the future. THANK YOU, KAT! ♥

A hospital visit in Gwangyang

Although I was sent home from the hospital, my foot still required immediate treatment each day. As such, I had to schedule appointments each day at the very same place that threatened to give me surgery, but I didn't have another choice. Luckily the daily cleanings lasted only about 15-20 minutes, and I was able to get in and out of there smoothly with Kat's help. I honestly didn't know how my school and Fulbright could have expected me to go back to teaching right away when I was still receiving treatment everyday and was bound to crutches and a huge leg cast. OH and the fact that I couldn't even walk, so how could I possibly manage to go up and down numerous flights of stairs throughout the day...

The entire week in Gwangyang was spent being the middle-woman between four parties - my school, Fulbright, the Jeollanam-do Education Office, and the hospital. I was exhausted of seemingly endless discussions about what to do regarding school/teaching, whether or not I would have a job next semester, how long the treatment would last, and more. While this week wasn't particularly physically painful on my foot, it took an emotional toll on my body and mind. I was tired of each party telling me different things, and every time I would double check with A about what B said, the story always changed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

FINALLY by Thursday, the conversations reached an ultimatum: either I go home immediately and receive treatment, or go back to Seoul for an extended period of time to continue treatment. With both options, I would not go back to teaching until the next semester starts in March. My initial reaction was, "This is too good to be true... Fulbright, my school, AND the Jeolla office are letting me off the hook with this? This doesn't seem very Korean..." And, of course, my reaction was right. Although I would be guaranteed my job back in March (with a bit of a scare in between there - but we got it hashed out), I had no other choice but to agree to give up my paycheck for the months of December, January, and February, while also paying my own rent during those months. For those of you who don't know -- January and February are typically paid vacation months anyway, and Fulbright/my school is usually responsible for paying my monthly rent. As you can imagine, I was a bit upset by this, especially after already paying insane amounts on my medical bills, but I also want to keep my job for next semester and remain a grantee of Fulbright Korea. So, I agreed to the conditions.

My friend Mokhwa came to visit! 

With the situation finally starting to improve, I felt a large weight lifted from my shoulders and could finally relax. I decided that I would go to Seoul for 3-4 weeks to continue treatment until daily attention wasn't needed, and then I would be heading home to the United States to continue my recovery and rest up before next semester. The logistics of getting back to Seoul was settled smoothly (thank goodness), and I have been staying at the Fulbright Building for the past three and a half weeks while still receiving daily treatment from Severance Hospital. I am thankful for all my Seoul Fulbright friends who have helped me settle in and keep me entertained while I've been stuck inside this apartment the majority of my time here.

Upgraded to the Walking Boot

Now that I am staying in Seoul, Severance has been sending a home care nurse who visits me every day (except for weekends), cleans my wound, and re-wraps it. Each Tuesday I go to Severance Hospital for weekly checkups with my Orthopedic doctor. After my first checkup with the doctor, I was relinquished of my crutches and now use a walking boot. I have been walking just a little bit, but still use my crutches at times for support. I try to walk a little bit more each day, but I am cautious of opening the wound any wider. So, although I am mobile, I use my mobility at only the necessary moments. The next two weeks were much of the same - checking on the progress of the wound, and adjusting my medication as necessary. I'm now on this 500,000 Won ($450) epidermal cream that is supposed to create a whole bunch of skin cells and muscle tissue that will help it heal super fast. Thank goodness for the insurance I have...

I just completed my last visit this morning, and I am happy to say that I will be going home to the United States TOMORROW MORNING (Wednesday) until January 21st. While home, I will still be getting my foot checked up and be receiving treatment, but I will be much more mobile! By the time I come back to Korea, my doctor at Severance thinks that the hole should be just about fully recovered. I am so excited to be able to spend the holiday season with my family and friends this year, after a miserable and lonely holiday spent alone last year.

With Krystale at the Stanley Kubrick exhibit!

During my week in Gwangyang, I was able to hang out with a lot of people. My buddies EJ, Morgan, and Krystale all took some time to hang out with me, which I was quite grateful for. I was especially happy to see them because they weren't able to visit me while I was in the hospital (the commute is far)! I also hung out with my group of Korean friends that I meet up with regularly, and it felt like home being with them again. Although I couldn't drink alcohol, we enjoyed a nice barbecue dinner and some coffee. I did end up visiting my school for a day because I missed my co-workers and students so much (and I needed to suck up hardcore to the principal and vice principal... LOL). I was greeted with open arms and a million comments from my boys, "I miss you teacher" "Teacher are you ok?" "God Bless You" "I love you" "No playing soccer or basketball?" "Get better fast", which made me feel like a celebrity. I am sad to be missing this year's winter camp and our school festival which I was anticipating a rap performance with some students. But I will come back strong this Spring, I promise.

My home for the past month

While in Seoul, I celebrated Thanksgiving Day with other Fulbrighters and have been hosting some potlucks and hangouts for all of us to get together. I am thankful to have all of them around - they've almost set up a rotation system on whose turn it is to visit me, haha. With a bit more free time than what I am typically used to filling with exercise and teaching, I have been staying busy with the Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations committee, blogging, and taking Korean classes. I hired a private tutor to come in three days a week while I am here in Seoul - one of my goals is to become as best of a Korean speaker that I can during my time here, and what better way to use my free time than to hire a language teacher!? We went through an entire textbook during my month here in Seoul - my brain is fried. Many people assume I get bored, but I honestly haven't felt too bored since I've found ways to occupy my time. I am especially grateful to my friend Krystale, who came all the way up from Gwangyang to hang out with me during my last weekend here until next month! We visited the Seoul Art Museum and walked around the exhibits and attended a Fulbright friend's orchestra/choir concert later. It was great to hang out with a Gwangyang buddy before heading back to the States for the next five weeks. I also want to thank all my other friends who came to see me during my time here, as well as all you blog readers sending your love from afar! All of your support means so much to me and has been my fuel to keep me going throughout all of this. Your words of encouragement have kept me optimistic and high-spirited, and now it is all paying off. In just another month or longer, my foot should be fully healed and I'll be as good as new, ready to conquer the spring semester!

Photo from today's (12/15) hospital visit!

Thank you for tuning in to my four-part series, "Hillary's Hospital Hiatus"! I'm still debating whether or not I'll write another post related to the injury (full of more random instances, stories, etc.) - so be on the lookout! Otherwise, I hope to see many of you back in Illinois during the next month~

If I don't update before Christmas/other Holiday celebrations, Season's Greetings and Best Wishes to you all! Stay safe, stay warm, STAY HEALTHY! ♥

Read More

Hospital Hiatus: Part One

Precaution: this post contains graphic images of my injury.

Hello everyone! Welcome to Part One of what will be a four-part series about my unexpected journey to the hospital, my thoughts on Korean healthcare, and my emotional rollercoaster throughout it all.

As most of you know, I spent nearly the entirety of the month of November in the hospital being treated for MRSA, a severe bacterial infection that affected my Achilles tendon. For those of you who haven't heard the story as to how it happened, this blog post is for you. If you've already heard how it happened, but also want to hear about my hilarious, trying, emotional roller coaster of experiences with Korean Healthcare, then you should also stay tuned. I must warn you that this is going to be a long and graphic narration of my personal experiences, so please keep in mind that my opinions and words are entirely my own and do not reflect Fulbright's, my colleagues', or any one else's point of view.

The beginning of it all:

Sunday morning

It all started with a blister I obtained from my hiking trip to Seoraksan with Emily during the Chuseok Holiday (read about it here!). So, as is natural for people to receive when exercising and wearing tennis shoes/hiking boots for long periods of time, I came out with a fairly large blister on the back of my right heel. I didn't think anything of it at first, as I have received multiple blisters before and they have always gone away in a matter of time. However, about a week or so after getting the initial blister, I noticed that it wasn't decreasing in size; in fact, it was increasing! I didn't hesitate and went to a local foot doctor in Gwangyang to get it checked out. The local doctor said it was due to strenuous exercise and I told him the story about hiking. He verified it and proceeded to drain the blister with a needle and squeezed the liquid out of the hole using his ungloved hands (as is rather common in Korea, unfortunately). The whole procedure of getting there, the doctor draining it, and leaving took a matter of 15 minutes total. Not a lot of time spent at the foot doctor, but I again didn't think much of it because Korea's healthcare is not as personal and attention-giving as it is in America. On top of that, I thought, "Oh yeah, it's just a blister, so it shouldn't take long to treat." He advised me not to exercise for a few weeks, wrote me a prescription I presumed to be rather useless, bought the medicine, and consumed as directed.

Side view

Here's where things get severe. Two weeks after I visit the doctor, I notice that there is still a bump on the back of my ankle (bursitis). I decide that I need to go back to the doctor and tell him what's going on. I go in, and he's immediately unhappy to see me. He assumes that I resumed exercising and didn't listen to his prognosis. Little does he know that I actually DID listen to him and have stayed off my foot for the duration he told me. He decides he could give me a steroid shot to reduce the swelling and be rid of me. I didn't even have time to tell him what I wanted to do before he ordered me to lie down and poke me with a needle. He prescribes another oral tablet, I take it, and pray for the best.

Fast forward another week: my foot isn't hurting too bad, I've stayed off of it, and haven't been wearing any shoes with backs on them for the past month. It's Halloween weekend and I head to Seoul to hang out with some friends. We decide to go to a club, but I make sure that my foot is totally covered (thick socks, long pants, bandaid over the wound). The blister wasn't open to begin with, but I took precautions anyway. Halloween weekend flies by (it was fun!), but what comes next would prove to be the most difficult month of my life - ever.

Sunday afternoon

I arrive back to Gwangyang early Sunday afternoon, and immediately lay down to rest. I wake from a three hour nap and find that my foot is throbbing with pain. When I look down, I'm in utter shock: my heel is black and blue, and everything below my right knee is swollen. I take a picture and send it to my mom who is thoroughly disgusted and advises me to check into the ER. So I call up my friend and ask her if she has some time to take me to the ER (this is around 9:30 p.m. Sunday evening); she agrees and we race to the ER. We arrive there and I show the doctors on duty, and they are also thoroughly disgusted. Unfortunately with Korean healthcare the most trained doctors are not on duty during the weekends, so I'm stuck with an intern taking a look at my infection. They decide that the infection is too big and that they should at least drain some of the pus and discharge from my foot before sending me off and telling me to return immediately tomorrow morning when the orthopedic doctor is in. Laying on the hospital bed in astonishment, I could barely take the time to feel three interns digging into my Achilles tendon and squeezing all around my foot to drain out the discharge. My friend couldn't stand to watch, and she left the room. Keep in mind that Korea doesn't really adhere to painkillers, so I was wincing with more pain than I've ever felt in my life for about thirty minutes straight. But oh, I didn't even realize what was to come...

Sunday evening

About two hours later my friend and I leave the hospital. My foot is thoroughly bandaged and I can't walk, let alone put a single ounce of pressure on my right leg. I'm put in a wheel chair and carried into my friend's car. She drives me back home and I cry when I'm forced to walk up five sets of stairs to my apartment room. It didn't matter anyway because I couldn't sleep all night. I woke the next morning in a hot sweat. I can't shower because I'm all bandaged up. For some reason I decide to put on my school outfit as if I'll just be stopping by the hospital to see the orthopedic doctor real quick and head back to school in the afternoon. BOY, was I wrong. I had NO clue that I would spend the next two weeks in a hospital bed going through the most painful experience of my life.

My friend Kat and I after
Sunday night's ER trip

Monday morning my co-worker drives me to the same hospital that I visited the night before. We check in to see the orthopedic doctor. He barely takes a look at it and says, "You're being admitted as an inpatient." My first reaction is, "What!? You didn't even look at it." But I honestly wasn't surprised because Korean healthcare is not very personal and doctors are always in a rush to get in and out, on to the next patient. If there's one major thing I learned about Korean healthcare throughout all of this, it's that physicians here HATE being asked questions. So different than America, where I can be a question machine and doctors patiently answer them to the best of their knowledge. Anyway, my co-worker freaks out (with good reason), and I do too. All of a sudden I'm racing to go through all sorts lab work: blood tests, urine samples, an MRI, and more picking at my foot. The day flies by and all of a sudden I'm an inpatient at the hospital, dressed in my patient gown and all. The evening is spent waiting for the results of the MRI and determining whether or not I would need foot surgery. Monday night changed my life forever. Thank God it was for the better.

Stay tuned for part two... to be released one week from today!

The beginning of my hospital life

Read More

September Shenanigans

"Fighting!" with the Jeollanamdo Performers

The boys hard at work on their projects

Hi everyone! It's been just over two weeks since my last update, and to be honest, not too much is different than it was before (in a good way). At school, I have been busy prepping the students for their speaking tests, which they will start this week! I am looking forward to their presentations. The first grade students are working in small groups, making powerpoint presentations about different ways to be eco-friendly, while the second grade students are doing individual presentations about their dream jobs. The advanced first grade level students are making role plays, and they have been practicing for the past two weeks and they are ADORABLE. I am definitely going to take video of their presentations so that you all can see them.

Buchaechum Traditional Dance

During an afternoon one day, we had an official entertainment group from Jeollanam-do come to our school and perform traditional Korean song, dance, and musical instruments. It was so interesting for me because I had never seen anything like this before! I was also lucky that my coworkers could explain to me what the meaning behind much of these performances were. It was really neat, and I was surprised to see that the boys were really into it as well! The first photo I have is from a traditional dance called buchaechum, in which a group of female dancers use fans to represent different symbols (birds, flowers, butterflies, and waves). It was beautiful! One of my favorite performances was called pungmul, a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing. Most performances are outside, with dozens of players, all in constant motion. Pungmul is rooted in thedure (collective labor) farming culture. It was originally played as part of farm work, on rural holidays, at other village community-building events, and to accompany shamanistic rituals, mask dance dramas, and other types of performance. It was a very exciting, intense dance, and I was even dragged on stage to try it out. Haha!

Buchaechum Traditional Dance

When not teaching, I have been taking the time to get to know my coworkers more this year! Last year I think I was a bit timid/shy about asking my coworkers to hang out outside of school, but I realized that they're just as curious about me as I am about them. So, I decided to ask a bunch of the younger coworkers if they'd like to go out for bowling. Turns out, they wanted to, so we met up after school one day for dinner and headed off to go bowling. I am a very poor bowler, but my coworkers were convinced that I would be very good just because I am a generally athletic person. I ensured them how poor my performance was, and I didn't let them down. They also heavily underestimated their own abilities. While I felt good about bowling a 120, my coworkers were bowling 150+! Needless to say, I was the big loser of the group, which was totally fine with me. Haha!

Pungmul Traditional Dance

Outside of school, I am continuing my half marathon training and enjoying my social life with friends in Gwangyang and Suncheon. A couple weekends ago, I met up with my friend EJ and we traveled to the Suncheon Gardens for an expo that was going on. Suncheon Gardens was to be named Korea's number one garden, which is a big deal! Apparently, they wanted foreigners there to get good publicity, so EJ and I ended up being recruited to a fancy dinner with the governor/mayor of Suncheon, along with other important ambassadors. While standing in line for the buffet, I ended up meeting the ambassador of Paraguay because I overheard him speaking in Spanish with someone else. I felt like practicing some Spanish, so I struck up a conversation, having not the slightest idea that he was the ambassador of Paraguay. Anyway, we had a delightful conversation, and I walked away with his business card. I may send him an email and ask him about any teaching opportunities over there. Who knows what could happen!? After the dinner, there was a K-Pop concert, despite the downpour of rain. It was an unexpectedly fun day, which are the best kinds of days.

Some of us got to try it out!

On another weekend, I was meeting up with some friends for dinner and drinks, and I just happened to notice a wall full of T.O.P. (a very, very handsome K-Pop star) posters. My friends could tell that I just couldn't stop staring, and I admitted that I wanted to take one. While I was trying to concoct a top-secret way to steal a poster, my Korean friend simply asked the owner whether or not I could have one, and he happily agreed (who would've thought it was that simple!?). On the plus side, the owner gave me some coozies too.

The T.O.P. poster

One of my favorite things about Korean culture are the baseball games! The atmosphere is so different than American baseball games - much more lively and interactive. Last weekend, I met up with Fulbrighters in my area and we traveled to Gwangju to cheer on our K-League baseball team, the Kia Tigers. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a rainy day, but it was still enjoyable to watch the game, cheer with the fans, and watch the Tigers win! The downside was that the middle-aged Korean men behind us were whining the entire time because we had our umbrellas open (but so did everyone else in attendance). I'm convinced they were whining just because we are foreigners, and they even tried to call security to get us to leave. Good thing for us is that we are collectively solid at speaking Korean, so we could explain ourselves. The security guard was on our side anyway, but that is one of my pet peeves about Korea: the middle-aged men, which in Korean we call them ajusshis. After the game, I headed back to Suncheon with my friends and we ended up drinking for a long time. Actually, a group of Koreans came over and hung out with us because they wanted to learn more about us and where we're from (this is pretty common in Korea). So, we hung out with them for the night, went to noraebang (karaoke room) and were singing until four in the morning!

Having a good time!

This past week I came down with a bit of a cold (probably from staying out so late!), and I was preparing for the Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations Committee, which I am one of the leaders of this year. Almost every day after school was spent interviewing candidates for the committee. I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a leader this year, and I am looking forward to connecting more with other Fulbrighters and alumni of the program.

Enjoying the baseball game!

The upcoming weeks will be much of the same - half marathon training, staying busy with school, and traveling a bit. Next weekend marks the beginning of the Korean Thanksgiving celebration, called chuseok. I will be heading up to the northeast part of S. Korea, to a city called Sokcho. I will travel there with my friend Emily, and we are planning to go hiking at a national park called Seoraksan. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures and post them! Thanks for tuning in, and enjoy the last week and a half of September!

      

Read More