Thank God It's September!!!!!

I was excited about many things as I was preparing to come to Korea.  Albeit not near the top of the list, one of the things I was looking forward to was the weather.  Back home in Chicago, I was used to hotter than hell summers, and winters that were colder than a witch’s…well, you get the idea.  When comparing climates, the average temperature of Changwon is cooler in the summer than Chicago, and the winter weather looked to be more hospitable as well.  Sure, I had read people’s complaints about the summer and winter, but assumed that these people were spoiled residents of places with warm weather year round. 

Anyway, I arrived in Changwon just in time for the start of winter.  Looking back, it did not disappoint.  While it was cold, it was not unbearable.  There were only a handful of days where I was uncomfortable outside wearing no outerwear but my leather jacket.  I had no problem running down the street to the convenient store in shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals if I needed a carton of milk.  As an added bonus, there was maybe 10 minutes of snow total all season. 

Based on this observation, I was not dreading the summer.  In fact, I was looking forward to it.  I sure had the wrong attitude!

It wasn’t the temperature that was a problem here in southern Korea.  Was it hot?  Yes, but it was nothing I haven’t experienced before.  The humidity, however, was a killer! 

I started noticing the problem in late May or early June, when I would walk the 5 blocks to the bus stop and my face and shirt would be soaked with sweat.  Even just sitting outside and relaxing became extremely uncomfortable.  Back home, if a day was extremely hot or humid, I could at least look forward to evenings and nights when it would be tolerable to be outside again.  That was not the case here this summer.  Even at night, if I was outside, I was looking to get back indoors as quickly as possible. 

This would be a good time to mention that Koreans do not sweat…at least not as much as foreigners.  My boss mentioned this to me as we were having a discussion about toiletries (don’t ask) and the average Korean’s lack of deodorant use.  I can also recall one night, while playing poker at the bar, looking around the table and seeing the North Americans/Europeans all sweating and the Koreans not being affected by the heat.  Despite the apparent lack of sweat glands, Koreans do get hot.  My boss told me many Koreans take multiple showers a day during the summer and I frequently see them waving their fans while outside.  I do not take solace in that fact, however.  I have never minded being hot.  It’s being sweaty and sticky that makes me want to jump in Yongji Lake.

Getting back on topic after my rant, the humidity has severely affected my activities this summer.  For example, I enjoyed hiking during my first few months here.  During the summer, I would only go if I was willing to get up before 6:00 A.M.  Needless to say, that did not happen often.  When it did, I would literally (no exaggeration here) have to peel my clothes off my body before I took a shower.  Aside from going to work, I tried to avoid going outside as much as possible, even if it was only going to the convenient store at the end of the block.  I even cut down on the frequency of my bar visits.

Most people know about the phrase, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  While spending most of my summer indoors was not ideal, I did happen to make my voluntary imprisonment productive.  Sure, I spent some time watching movies and sports but I also read and studied Korean often.  I read all five books of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series as well as watched the first two seasons of the HBO series based on the books.  I have also made tremendous improvements in my Korean abilities.  I’m not yet conversational, but I can sometimes understand the topic of someone else’s conversation. 

While the lemonade was enjoyable, I am extremely glad it is now September.  Fall should be just around the corner.  I think the prevailing opinion here is that weather-wise, fall is by far the best season in Korea.  And unlike Chicago, I can enjoy the fall here without having to dread the winter that is on-deck!

Surgery

As many of you back home know by now, I had surgery this past week on my finger and foot.  Now that my finger is healed enough that I can type efficiently on a keyboard again, I will share my Korean surgical experience.

A while back, I discovered that I had a couple of warts on my finger and foot.  Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that warts are more common in Korea and other Asian countries because of frequent shoe removal in public.  Technically, warts are no big deal, but as I am someone who absent-mindedly picks at scabs, insect bites, and other abnormalities on the body, they were mildly annoying.  I tried using some conventional and unconventional (such as duct tape) treatments, but nothing was working to my satisfaction.

Last Monday, I’d had enough so I went to the hospital to see a doctor.  He (as well as many nurses) looked at them and felt them and told me that it wasn’t just a simple wart but then went into some medical jargon I didn’t quite understand.  Even though he was speaking fluent English, he might as well have been speaking Korean.  I did understand that surgery with a local anesthetic was an option and since he could schedule it the next day, I opted to go that route.  The doctor assured me that I could go to work the very same day as long as I wasn’t on my feet for long periods at a time.

I’ve had simple surgery before back home when I needed a cyst removed from my neck.  It was a simple procedure done by my doctor in his office.  Check in, surgery, check out.  Simple.  I had assumed that it would be a similar experience here, but I was in for some surprises.

The next day, I check in at the nurse’s station.  I had to change into hospital pants.  She tried to give me a shirt as well but as it would have been too short and too small, I was allowed to wear my t-shirt.  I thought having to change was a little strange, but didn’t think much of it.

A few minutes later, the nurse told me she was taking me to the injection room.  Since I was told I was to be given a local anesthetic, I assumed I would be given shots in my foot and finger.  The nurse told me to sit on the bed and proceeded to pull the privacy curtains around the bed.  She said I was going to get two shots in the ass.  I pointed to the wart on my finger and asked, “Are you sure?”  She nodded and told me to pull my pants down and lie down on the bed.  Confused and befuddled, I complied.  I felt her rub the alcohol on my skin and waited for the injection.  However, she started repeatedly smacking me on the ass.  Then, she started rubbing the skin with more alcohol.  When she started smacking me again, I was very confused.  The nurse then said she was all finished.  I’m assuming the ass smacking was to keep me from feeling the injection and if so, it worked very well.

Surprised, I was returned to the waiting area.  About 10 minutes later, the nurse said she was taking me to the surgical room.  I followed her across the hospital, up the elevator, and through some more hallways.  We get to a set of double doors where I am told to hand over my bag of clothes and take my shoes off to change into some sandals that seemed 6 sizes too small!  She takes me to the doctor who asks if I am ready.  I am concerned because I do not feel numbness in my finger and foot and communicate this to him.  The doctor told me the shots were just pain medication and I would get the anesthetic in the surgical room. 

I follow the doctor into a large room similar to one that might be seen on a hospital drama such as “ER.”  Other staff followed us in and I observed five staff members total.  At this point, I started getting very nervous.  What the hell was I getting myself into?  They tell me to lie on the table in the middle of the room.  The doctor asked me if I liked music and said that music sometimes helps patients relax.  I say ok and next thing I know, he’s putting a set of headphones on me.  Next, one of the nurses clamps a sheet so it is hanging vertically above my neck.  At this point, I was unable to see anything below my neck.  If I was nervous before, I was near panicked at this point.  I was expecting a simple surgery.  Instead, I felt like they were preparing to cut me open for a major invasive procedure. 

I could hear the staff going about their tasks and it seemed that each one in turn stopped to examine and feel the warts.  All of a sudden, without warning due to the headphones, I feel a series of injections in my foot.  The anesthetic worked well because the only reason I knew that the doctor was operating after that was because someone was holding my leg down.  The operation on the foot could not have taken more than 6-8 minutes. 

Next, I could sense the staff readjusting their positions in the room.  I was given two injections in my hand (again without warning) and the doctor went to work.  I felt the doctor working on my finger, but there was no pain.  The operation on the finger took less time than the foot. 

A few minutes after the doctor finished, someone took my headphones off and removed the sheet that blocked my view.  My foot and finger were wrapped heavily in bandages.  A couple staff members moved a stretcher next to the operating table and asked me to roll onto it.  Never having been on a stretcher before, it was a little strange.  They wheeled me down a couple hallways and then pushed me up against a wall and left!

 I was left lying there for a while (I’m assuming around 10 minutes) and was starting to get annoyed when a nurse came up to me and asked if I could walk.  I looked at her and shrugged so she lowered the side guard of the stretcher and told me to get off.  As I put my feet on the ground, the nurse positioned herself as if she was going to catch/support me should I fall.  Yeah right!  I was able to walk just fine so she took me to get my clothes and shoes.  I asked if I was finished and could leave but she said no.  She told me she called for a wheelchair.  I tried to refuse because I was able to walk just fine but she said I was a patient and it was hospital rules.

A few minutes later, the tiniest nurse I have ever seen came to the door with a wheelchair and told me to sit down.  She could not have been more than 5 feet tall and probably weighed around 80-90 lbs.  I gave the other nurse a look that said, “You have got to be kidding me!”  She nodded and also told me to sit.  Not seeing any other options, I sat and laughed internally as this tiny nurse tried to push me.  She struggled as anticipated and didn’t make it to the end of the hallway before calling in a male staff to take over.  The male staff had little trouble and took me to the desk where I started so I could change back into my own clothes.

I checked out and started walking back to my apartment after a stop at the pharmacy.  About halfway home, the anesthetic wore off on my foot and I started feeling pain!  I limped the rest of the way back and crawled into bed.  My boss drove me to my school later that day and I had to conduct all classes sitting down but as long as I wasn’t standing, there was only minor discomfort.  I went back to the doctor daily to change the bandages and three days later, he removed all of the stitiches. 

Every day since was the same.  Other than going to work or to get my bandages changed, I just lay around the apartment watching TV shows, movies, and sports.  Today, 5 days later, there is virtually no more pain.  I still have to wear bandages and walking long distances is still a chore, but normal activities such as writing, typing, and standing are no longer obstacles.  While it wasn’t quite what I expected, I was highly satisfied with the treatment I received from the doctor and other staff before, during, and after my surgery.

Halfway Home (Maybe)!!!

It has been about 2 months since my last post and I apologize to those of you back home who have told me you look forward to reading about my time here in South Korea.  I didn’t completely forget about my blog, but had other distractions which I used to justify my procrastination.  One such distraction was the discovery of the ability to catch up with my favorite television shows from back home.  I was able to download and watch the episodes I missed from the time I left the United States to the season finales from a few weeks ago.  Another distraction is my Kindle.  After the “newness” wore off, I didn’t use it much until I recently had a few books suggested to me for reading.  Of course, these suggestions are titles that are highly addictive and lead to me reading for hours on end without realizing how much time had passed.  The third distraction has been my Korean studies.  While I am definitely not fluent and do not even consider myself conversational at this point, I have made significant progress toward my goal of possessing the ability to hold a basic conversation at some point in the future. 

Anyway, excuses aside, today is my 6 month anniversary of my arrival in Changwon.  Time has certainly gone by quickly, but in a good way.  Reflecting back on my time here, I am satisfied with the way things have turned out.  I still have six months left to go, and a lot can change, but I am strongly considering teaching abroad for longer than one year. 

I don’t know exactly when it happened, but I am now over the adjustment period that comes with living in a new country.  For the first several months, living in Korea seemed surreal.  If anything, it felt like an extended vacation rather than actually living and working overseas.  I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was living in working in a country on the other side of the world from the only home I ever knew.  Now, I often come and go without giving my surroundings a second thought.  I am used to being a minority and seeing the public places filled with 95% Korean people no longer seems unusual to me.  My Korean reading skills have improved greatly and thus getting around is no longer the chore it once used to be (though they took away the maps at the bus stops in an attempt to make my life more difficult).  The cultural differences are not as foreign to me as they once were.  Instead, I feel like I have been around these differences most of my life.  I do not mean to say that I never stop to think about where I am or what I am doing anymore, but these occurrences are less frequent.  Also, please don’t misinterpret this as to mean I do not miss home.  I do.  I miss family and friends (and pets), attending American sporting events, my Subaru Forester (though I do not mind not driving out here), inexpensive beer, American holidays, and last but not least, REAL PIZZA!!! 

Despite all that, I do not regret making the decision to come to Korea.  Life here has been pleasant.  I have settled into a routine and those of you who know me well know that I like routines.  I can never say enough about the very low stress levels of my job.  I no longer dread waking up each morning like I used to the last few year in the United States and I don’t mind Mondays either.  I’m not going to go as far as saying I like Mondays, but I don’t wake up Monday mornings with a tear-soaked pillow anymore!  If I can persuade a few of you back home to come join me out here, I would consider making Korea a permanent home.  (J/K…….or am I?)

Well, I am going to end this before it turns into a novel.  I have much more I can say about my time here and I have even had a few specific requests lately about things I should post so I will work on that in the near future so stay tuned.

Sea Parting Festival - Jindo

I had plans to go to Jindo for a festival with a group of people, but the plans were cancelled the night before due to probable difficulties getting to the island.  As it turns out, my neighbor, Alex, was planning on going so she knocked on my door around 8:30 Saturday morning to see if I wanted to join her.  Since there was a 9:45 bus, I had to get ready and pack my backpack in about 15 minutes and then off we went to Masan to catch the bus.

To our disappointment, there was no direct bus to Jindo from Masan but we were told to go to the other bus terminal in Masan.  (Why a small town like Masan has two bus terminals is beyond me!)  After some difficulty communicating with the taxi driver and eventually having to call our boss to translate, we arrive at the other terminal to catch a bus to Gwangju.  We just missed the 9:40 bus and the next one wasn't until after 11:00.  Alex said there was a 10:20 bus to Gwangju from Changwon so we hopped in another taxi and told him to take us to the Changwon bus terminal and to step on it!  Three hours later, we arrive in Gwangju and had an hour until the next bus could take us to Jindo.  The ride to Jindo was 2 hours and it was the first time I have been on a bus in Korea where foreigners outnumbered the natives. 

After arriving in Jindo, an island town on the southwest coast of Korea, we were able to take a shuttle to the festival.  It was at this point that I noticed a trend.  We had to present a ticket to board each bus and at the end of the journey, the driver wouldn't let a person off until he or she showed a ticket again (you know, just in case someone snuck on the moving bus as it was traveling along the highway!) 

The festival (also known as the Jindo Miracle Sea Road Festival) is scheduled around a natural phenomenon.  I still don't quite understand the science behind this, but once a year, the difference between the high and low tides causes the sea to "part" for a couple hours and, as a result, opens up a 2.8km walkable path between mainland Jindo and a small island out in the water.  Many people come out to watch the sea split and Koreans come out in numbers to dig in the muck to collect abalone.  Unfortunately, we did not make it in time to see the actual splitting occur. 

A group promoting awareness of the hearing impaired

in Korea set up a tent.  Notice the one Korean sign

symbol is an upside-down middle finger.  I wonder if a

deaf person has ever been punched because someone

thought he or she was flipping them off!

I have no idea what the meaning of this dance was...or the guy

with the sword for that matter!

The Jindo Miracle Sea Road

The Jindo Miracle Sea Road

I don't think those boats are going anywhere for awhile! 

We still were able to walk along the road.  There was a hut renting out neon colored rain boots so Alex rented a pair.  I did not as the largest size they had was the equivalent of a men's 11 and since I wore my supposedly waterproof hiking boots, I didn't think it was a big deal.  Off we went walking along the sea path taking in the sights and sounds.  As I mentioned, there were hundreds of Korean women with nets, baskets, or bags digging in the mud looking for abalone.  The disappearance of the water left starfish and other creatures stranded.  If a creature was lucky, some sympathetic person would move it back into the water.  Others were not.  We saw a crab (still alive) that was missing a claw presumably because someone stepped on it.  And of course, the day would not be complete without a Moses sighting!

Yes, we did walk through that...

and that!!!





 Korean women digging for abalone

A nice score of abalone!

I don't think this starfish made it.  He was thrown back in

the water, however, just in case.

Moses Impersonator (with some random people)

 Those crazy Koreans!!!

  

Alex and I made it about halfway across when we noticed that the water was starting to return at a rapid pace.  This was a sign for us to turn around and head back to land.  Less than a minute later, we heard a whistle telling people the water is returning.  We make it back in plenty of time but continued to watch the water rapidly fill in around people trying to make it back.  It couldn't have been more than 15-20 minutes for the sea road to all but disappear.  I don't know how deep it eventually will get, but it is deep enough for boats to travel over most days.

Uh Oh!  The water is coming back!



The "road" is disappearing.

Somebody didn't make it back in time!  She better hurry!

Anyway, since the sea returned to its normal state, it was time for the 5+ hour journey back home.  We debated staying overnight in Gwangju but in the interest of saving money, we took the last bus back to Masan which arrived at 1:00 A.M.  Only on the last bus were we allowed to depart without showing the driver our ticket.

Overall, it was a fun day that was well worth the time spent.  Some people may say I am crazy for traveling over 10 hours round trip for this event but I will respond with this:

1)  I used to drive over 5 hours one way to go to a college football game and then come right back afterward, and...

2)  The alternative would have been to stay in Changwon all day and maybe go to the bar at night.  At least this was a once-in-a-lifetime memorable experience.

Is this toilet for women...or for little men?  Either way, it's

spelled wrong in typical Korean fashion!



 

 The Jindo Dog species is known to originate on Jindo Island.

    

St. Paddy's Day Hike

While other people were going to spend St. Patrick's Day getting drunk, I made plans to go hiking.  I was prepared for a more relaxed, low-key day.  However, I found myself having more of an adventure than I originally bargained for!

Mark and I made the plan to go hiking earlier in the week.  As the weekend approached, we were not sure if we would be able to head into the mountains as the forecast called for a rainy weekend.  It rained most of the day on Friday and early Saturday morning didn't look promising.  By 10:00, it was still dreary and foggy, but it looked like the rain might hold up so we decided to head out anyway.  Our planned route was to head up the mountain using the trail head behind the Gyeongsangnam Provincial Office, hike along the ridge line, and come back down to the trail head next to the shooting range. 

In the beginning, everything was going according to plan.  We made it up to the first peak in an hour and fifteen minutes.  The peaks along the ridge line offer spectacular views of Changwon on clear days, but it was very foggy on this particular day.  Despite the fog, we could still make out the buildings below and kept our eyes on the shooting range.  Going from peak to peak was exhilarating, and at times scary.  The were staircases going up the side of a rock formation with nothing underneath the stairs but a long drop to the ground below.  In another place, the trail was narrow with steep drops on either side that one misstep could mean serious trouble.  Oh, and don't let me forget to mention that the rain from the day before left some of the rocks slippery and sections of the trail muddy.  I wiped out once and had a few other close calls due to the conditions.

The fog was thick early in the morning and afternoon.

 Notice the slope of the rock ledge.  There was not much underneath the stairs except a long drop down.

The view from one of the staircases bolted to the side of the mountain.

 This part of Jeong Byeong Mountain is 460 m high.

 We found this perch with a scenic view.  However, falling can be hazardous to one's health!

566 m high on Jeong Byeong Mountain.  I think the highest elevation was 583 m but I didn't see a marker at the peak.

Like I said, reaching each new peak was exhilarating and provided a great sense of accomplishment, especially for being in the shape I'm in.  Because of this, we kept going along the ridge line, further than we should have.  Hiking is very popular in Korea and on the weekends, the trails can be crowded.  While the weather kept some people home, there were still many Koreans on the trails.  However, after reaching the last peak, we should have noticed that we were no longer seeing other people on the trail, but we were oblivious at first.  Descending the other side of the mountain was not an easy task.  There were parts along the trail where you had to scale down the sides of rocks and navigate down steep, muddy slopes.  Before long, we realized that the trail was not taking us down toward the shooting range, but rather toward some other town or neighborhood on the other side of the mountain! 

 Some parts required scaling down the rocks using ropes.

We kept going down, but tried to find a trail or other navigable route that would take us around the mountains into Changwon.  We weren't having any luck until we were near the bottom of the mountain.  There, the trail split off into two, one direction continuing on toward the base and the other seeming to head in the direction we needed to go.  We took the trail to the left hoping it would lead us in the right direction.  Although the trail was marked, it did not look like it was used often.  Low hanging branches and overgrown bushes obstructed the way.  At one point, my jacket got caught on a branch with many thorns and Mark had to help me get unstuck.  Eventually, the trail disappeared and we seemed to be in an orchard of some sort at the base of the mountain.  At this point, I was becoming exhausted.  We found a dirt road and followed that through the orchard.  About 20-30 minutes later, after having to backtrack once due to a dead end, we came upon a Korean man and woman who were probably working the farm.  We tried to ask how to get to Changwon University, and the man did his best to point us in the right direction.  It was not a good sign when Mark asked about finding a taxi and the woman laughed.

 We found these near the base of the mountain.  I don't know what they were.

 We had to navigate through this orchard(?) until we found the road (below).

We continued down the road in the direction the man pointed.  Soon, we were walking through a small area of houses which I assumed were for people who worked the land in one form or another.  There were also chicken coops along the road with roosters crowing as we walked by.  Eventually, we saw a paved road and a building so we headed in that direction.  The building turned out to be deserted as it looked like it was just constructed.  The main road turned out to be a brand new expressway going under the mountains that was not yet open.  Considering the only alternative was to go up and over the mountain without a trail to guide us, we started walking along the deserted expressway through the tunnel under the mountain.  Although it was nice and cool inside the tunnel, it seemed to go on forever.  We walked for at least 15-20 minutes before we came out the other side.

 The tunnel seemed to go on FOREVER!!!

There was a random phone booth in the tunnel.

The good news was we could now see the university.  The bad news was we still had to get off the elevated expressway and across the fenced-off railroad tracks.  A ways down, we saw what appeared to be an overpass over the tracks.  Looking further down the expressway, we spotted signs (still shrink-wrapped as the expressway wasn't open) for an exit toward the university and the train station.  After making our way toward the exit and down the ramp, we noticed the exit is not yet finished.  Also, the exit was not connected with the overpass we spotted earlier.  To get to the overpass, we had to scale down a dirt embankment.  To our disappointment, the overpass was part of the construction still going on and led to a dead-end on the other side.  At least we were over the railroad tracks though!

Our best option at that point was to slide down another embankment and walk along the fence that paralleled the railroad tracks.  Our plan was to follow the tracks to the station and catch a taxi there.  After walking a while along the fence, we ran into a Korean couple going in the opposite direction.  They seemed to be trying to point us in a different direction which was through a cemetery.  We obliged and after passing through the cemetery and another muddy area, we were at the university.  Sweaty, exhausted, and muddy, we made our way to the entrance of the university and hopped in a taxi to take us home.

The path along the railroad tracks.

What should have been a 3-4 hour hike turned into an adventure lasting over 6 hours!  Despite being lost and exhausted, we never panicked or lost our spirits.  Even during our trek, we were able to joke around and state that this was one hike that won't soon be forgotten! 

Going to the Doctor (USA vs. Korea)

I knew it would happen though as spring drew nearer I was hoping I would skip it this year.  I am referring to getting sick.  It usually happens to me once every winter.  This year, it turned out to be a bad sore throat with bouts of coughing.  Finally, after 5 days of not getting better, I made the decision to go to the doctor. 

It is interesting how living in a different country enables one to view their own country in a different light.  Sometimes, the comparisons allow you to view your own country more favorably.  This was not one of those times.  I should mention that I am basing these comparisons on only one trip to the doctor here in Korea, but I have a strong feeling that my experience was not a statistical anomaly.

Over-the-counter medication:  When I first started feeling sick, I thought I might be catching a cold or getting the flu.  When this happens in the United States, I can go to any retail store, supermarket, or convenient store and purchase medications such as pain relievers, cough medicine, and cold/flu relief gel caps.  In Korea, however, even over-the-counter medications can only be purchased in a pharmacy.  Considering that there seems to be 3 convenient stores every block, this is rather,well, inconvenient.  Currently, Korea is considering legislation to allow other businesses to sell basic over-the-counter drugs but until then, I have to say:
ADVANTAGE: United States

Getting in to see the doctor:  Five days later, I still wasn't feeling better so I wanted to see a doctor.  In the U.S, this would involve calling the doctor's office to make an appointment.  There rarely were openings available on the day I would call and almost never an available time over the next day or two that was convenient for me.  This usually meant that going to the doctor would involve missing work.  In Korea, you just show up at the nearest hospital with no appointment.  I gave the receptionist my ID, told her my symptoms, and into the hospital I went.
ADVANTAGE: Korea

Wait time:   Not once did I ever see my doctor on time in the United States.  I often had to wait 20-30 minutes or more beyond my appointment time to see the doctor.  Once, I had the first appointment of the day at 7:00.  I still did not see the doctor until 7:20.  At the Korean hospital, after I checked in with the receptionist, I was given a personal guide to accompany me during my visit.  I don't think this is typical but rather because I do not speak Korean.  Anyway, she took my up to the waiting area for the doctor and waited with me.  From the time I checked in without an appointment to the time I saw the doctor, I waited no more than 10 minutes.  
ADVANTAGE: Korea

Communication: The doctor spoke enough English that I was able to communicate with him and understand what he was saying although I did have to ask him to repeat himself a couple times.  The other staff in the hospital I interacted with spoke very little English but just barely enough for me to communicate what I wanted.  When I was finished with the doctor, he told me what I had.  I don't remember exactly what it was because he used advanced medical jargon that I couldn't understand.  Come to think of it, my doctor back in the U.S. does the exact same thing.  I just remember him saying something about my tonsils and using long compound words to describe them.
ADVANTAGE: United States (by a small margin)

Cost: After seeing the doctor, my guide took me to the cashier to pay.  The cost to see the doctor was around $14.  This was without insurance as I applied for the health coverage last week but have not yet received anything.  With insurance in the U.S, my co-pay was $20.  The prescription, meanwhile, was also approximately $14 for everything without insurance while back home, I was paying a $10-$25 co-pay per medication depending on what it was.  Again, this was with insurance.  Imagine what the prices in Korea are with the insurance!
ADVANTAGE: Korea

Filling a prescription:  After the cashier took my payment and printed out my prescription, my guide took me to a side exit and showed me the pharmacy across the street where I can get my prescription filled.  I walked in, handed the pharmacist my prescription, and had it filled in less than 5 minutes.  Also, the pharmacy took my medication and divided it into packets for easy consumption.  The instructions were to take one packet, 3x a day, along with 10ml of "gargle".  To be fair, pharmacies in the United States do not take much longer to fill a prescription.  I think 15-20 minutes was my average wait time back home.  
ADVANTAGE: Korea (by a small margin)

Let me first say that I believe the United States is the best country in the world and I am proud to be American.  However, I was never naive enough to think that America is the best at everything.  It is really a shame that many people in America are strongly against changing something that clearly needs improvement, such as our health care system.  I realize I am only making comparisons based on one visit to the doctor here in Korea, but I NEVER had a medical experience back home that even came close to the affordable, easy, efficient, experience I had this morning.  Other nations, including Korea. have learned ways to improve certain aspects of their own counties from the United States.  The United States also could learn a thing or two from other countries but many people are against just that.  I just wish more Americans were not so stubborn and ethnocentric as to prohibit our great nation from becoming even greater.         

How I Celebrated Samiljeol

On March 1, 1919, a movement began in Korea protesting colonial rule by the Japanese.  A group of Koreans wrote a document similar to the U.S.' Declaration of Independence.  Japan reacted to this with aggression and many people were killed, but the Koreans eventually would prevail.  Much like the Declaration, this did not lead to immediate independence, but it was a catalyst which led to the Korean people thinking about independence which they would officially gain over 26 years later with the defeat of Japan after World War II.  Thus, Samiljeol is a national holiday every March 1 to celebrate this movement.  Why is this important to me you ask?  The answer is quite simple.  I get a day off!

After an exhausting last week and a half, I needed a day away from my students.  After a leisurely morning on March 1, I went hiking for the 2nd time in Korea.  The weather was gorgeous!  I'm guessing the high temperature was somewhere around 12-13 degrees Celcius.  I went with Mark and a friend of his, Olivia.  This time, we headed to a trail near the Changwon Shooting Range.  We noticed that they offer skeet shooting and said we will be trying that in the future (check here for pictures and a description when we go).  Anyway, we head up the trail and I notice a few cemeteries along the way.  It seems like an out of the way place to bury someone, but then again, this is Korea and there probably isn't enough flat land for the types of cemetaries I'm used to seeing.  Continuing on, I should mention that Olivia is into fitness and is making it up the trail with ease.  Meanwhile, Mark, and especially I, are huffing and puffing as we trek along.  Unlike last time, we did not make it up to the top of the mountain, but we weren't planning on it from the outset so it was no big deal.

 There were a few cemetaries along the trail.

 A random single grave on the hillside.

 I'm still not sure whether the stairs make it easier

or harder.

 The thumbs up was fake!  I was dying!

 Mark was doing better than me, but he was

feeling the burn as well.

Dusting the shoes off!

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we went to see a movie at City 7, the main shopping mall in Changwon.  For the most part, everything was similar to the movie-going experience in America including the prices.  It cost 9,000 won for a movie ticket.  There were two exceptions, however.  The first was that when you buy the tickets, you are assigned seats, much like in a stadium.  The employee showed us a map of the auditorium and what seats were available and we had to choose our seat locations ahead of time.  The other main difference was that the movie was subtitled in Korean.  We saw Safe House with Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds.  Obviously, the movie was in English, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the Korean subtitles for some reason.  I guess that is something I will just have to get used to.  Aside from the subtitles, once the movie started, I forgot I was in Korea for those two hours!

While the day wasn't exactly relaxing, it was defintely something I needed.  Since the last two weeks have worn me out (though not in a bad way), I needed a day not on the weekend to just go out and have fun.  I know the Koreans back in 1919 weren't thinking of me when planning their movement, but they sure seemed to pick a day that was convenient for me!