Ok so this might be too much information, but ever since I got here I've had a bad urinary tract infection. I've gotten them before and I figured it must have sprung up with all the travelling and the stress. I knew I would need antibiotics at some point. I really didn't want it to turn into a kidney infection like I had last summer. The thing is, I technically don't have insurance here until I get my Alien Registration Card which I most likely will not have for another month or so. I didn't think I could afford a doctor's visit without insurance nor did I even know where to go. I didn't want to be in debt already in a foreign country or be a burden to my boss/coworkers.
I was just going to wait it out, try to drink plenty of water, and hope that it went away on its own. But it only got worse. Only the second day being here it was to the point where it was incredibly painful, I would have to go every half hour, and I was starting to see blood. I knew I couldn't wait any longer but I had no idea what I was going to do.
So I'm at work and Min is showing me what lesson plans she would like me to read and simulate. "Alright, I know this is all a little overwhelming, but don't be scared. Do you have any questions that you need to ask?"
"Um, I hate to ask, and this really has nothing to do with the work, but I think I have a urinary infection. You know, caused by bacteria. And it's painful when... I.. um... pee..." I really did hate to ask her. Everyone is so nice but I also don't want to take advantage or ask something that may be too personal of a fact. "I don't have insurance yet or my ARC... Can I just get anti-biotics for it or do I need a prescription? I'm not sure how it works here..."
She looked at me for a moment, processing everything and simply said "I will research it for you." She left the room and I went to my observation. 40 minutes later she said "well I can take you up to the clinic, but since you don't have insurance it's going to be about 20,000 won to see the doctor, do you still want to go?"
I took a moment to process the amount she had said. That can't be right. That's less than $20.
I reiterated the price just to make sure "20,000?"
"Yes"
"That is more than fine," I said almost with a disbelieving smile. That's how much my co-pay is in the US WITH insurance.
So we made the trip over to the women's clinic (which just so happened to be in the same building) and Min translated everything at the clinic so I could get the prescription from the doctor. Simple, easy, and painless.
"Now," Min said looking at me fairly seriously, "the pharmacist I've been to her before," we walked outside towards the building next door and got into the elevator to go up to the pharmacy, "she's not a very nice person. She can be mean."
Min hands the pharmacist my prescription and they talk back and forth a bit and the pharmacist beams at me "US, right?" Her English is not very good but she seems to know some words. I nod politely in response.
"What state?"
I say where and she nods approvingly, not sure if she recognized it or not, but gives me a huge smile and my beloved antibiotics. "Anyong ha se yo!"
I paid, by the way, less than $15 for my prescription as well. A five day supply of anti-biotics. It's amazing to me how cheap medical care is. I can barely afford medical visits or prescriptions in the states with insurance. Now if only I could read and speak Korean.
After leaving the office Min looks at me and says "She was so nice to you! You are picking up every prescription for all of us from now on."
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Seoul Subway
Before my Subway fiasco took place, I moseyed along the one block before going down into the station and took in a little bit of Seoul.
This is a little flower shop that was right beside the subway entrance. It was a lot cuter in person. The weather is a little cold right now (around the 30's) so she probably has to take her plants in before nighttime.
This is a picture I caught of Seoul's streetlife. When I was walking down the sidewalk it reminded me a lot of being in Chicago, but I suppose you could say that of any big westernized city.
And this is where my adventure begins.
The subways stations here have large underground areas which house a bunch of markets as well. Between that and a bevy of commuters rushing to and fro, the subway can get a little hectic. Needless to say I got lost. I kept asking people where I was to go -- mainly because I didn't know, but I kept asking different people because I was a little paranoid that they would send me purposefully in the wrong direction -- and still ended up going the wrong way. Twice. Simplicity became a nightmare.The simple green line to red line didn't work since I didn't know which way on the green line I needed to go on, and honestly, the pink line on the map does not look much different from the red line.
Once I figured my mistake, continuously staring at the map, clutching onto my brown paper bag, and tears welling up in my eyes, I realized I was lost. In Seoul. I was tired. And frustrated. And honestly a little scared. I had no idea how I was getting home. And all I wanted to do was eat my food, drink my fancy drink, and sleep until I could magically learn Korean.
People kept walking past me on both sides as I aimlessly wandered from sign to sign hoping that it would somehow make sense. But in a panic, it never seems to anyway.
I decided I would take a chance on a young kid walking by (young as in my age, but Koreans always look younger than they are) and asked him if he could help me. He said he was going the same way so he would show me where I needed to transfer. Kom sa ham ni da!
After chatting with him for a bit, we got to the transfer point and gave him a huge hug. I was so thankful to be in familiar territory, and even though I had to go back to the school to do observations for the next six hours, one of the best moments was just sitting down and finally eating my chicken salad and sandwich in the faculty room.
One good thing is that now I can navigate the Seoul Subway system like a pro.
And this is where my adventure begins.
The subways stations here have large underground areas which house a bunch of markets as well. Between that and a bevy of commuters rushing to and fro, the subway can get a little hectic. Needless to say I got lost. I kept asking people where I was to go -- mainly because I didn't know, but I kept asking different people because I was a little paranoid that they would send me purposefully in the wrong direction -- and still ended up going the wrong way. Twice. Simplicity became a nightmare.The simple green line to red line didn't work since I didn't know which way on the green line I needed to go on, and honestly, the pink line on the map does not look much different from the red line.
Once I figured my mistake, continuously staring at the map, clutching onto my brown paper bag, and tears welling up in my eyes, I realized I was lost. In Seoul. I was tired. And frustrated. And honestly a little scared. I had no idea how I was getting home. And all I wanted to do was eat my food, drink my fancy drink, and sleep until I could magically learn Korean.
People kept walking past me on both sides as I aimlessly wandered from sign to sign hoping that it would somehow make sense. But in a panic, it never seems to anyway.
I decided I would take a chance on a young kid walking by (young as in my age, but Koreans always look younger than they are) and asked him if he could help me. He said he was going the same way so he would show me where I needed to transfer. Kom sa ham ni da!
After chatting with him for a bit, we got to the transfer point and gave him a huge hug. I was so thankful to be in familiar territory, and even though I had to go back to the school to do observations for the next six hours, one of the best moments was just sitting down and finally eating my chicken salad and sandwich in the faculty room.
One good thing is that now I can navigate the Seoul Subway system like a pro.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Medical Leave
As part of the conditions of the job all foreigners have to go through a medical check-up as soon as you get to South Korea. I'm not sure if there are more scattered around the country (I'm sure at least Busan has one) but our closest hospital for employment purposes is in Seoul and since I work in Bundang it's a little bit of a trek to get there (approx. 30-40 minutes on the subway). I'm the only new teacher in YBM LIA but there are two new teachers in YBM PSA (Pre School Academy) which is just up a few flights of stairs from us so the schools made an agreement that I would go up to the 8th floor at meet them at 9am and we would make our way there together.
Quick side note about YBM: this is considered an umbrella organization that offers private schooling with a focus on English. For our school, we have three blocks of classes so after the students complete their day at public school they come over to YBM LIA in either Block A, B, or C which meet on certain days and times. Confusing?
So 8:50am I get into the building and go up to the 8th floor. No one is there yet so I just sit and wait. 9am. Still nothing. 9:10am, well, maybe they're just late. So I ask around the school if they know where the new teachers are. No one has any idea. And no one knows why I'm even there or what medical stuff we have to take care of. 9:20 I finally decide to call someone (Min, the educational director at LIA) from the PSA phone to let her know what was going on.
I'm really wishing that something could just go as planned at this point. I also forgot to mention that I had been fasting since midnight so no food or water and all I had wanted was a little cup of water or something. Anything. And amidst the frustration it seemed as though food and, more importantly, water would be an oasis in my desert of Korean frustration. A little dramatic? Lol, well that's certainly how I felt at that moment. Living in a foreign country where you don't speak the language is a lot more daunting than I had anticipated.
After some explaining of where I was and who I was not with (the other teachers) followed by a Korean conversation between Min and the PSA receptionist (who does not speak English) we finally figured out that the principal from LIA would take me down to the hospital rather than doing it by myself. Thank you thank you thank you.
And so my day begins.
We make it on the red line out to Gagnam station, and then transfer to the green line out to Seullong (sp?) Station. We then walk about a block to the hospital. Nice and easy. I should be able to remember that for the way back.
So Kay drops me off at the hospital and they tell me to take of my shirt and "brassiere" and put on a hospital gown. Now this thing is not like the scratchy, back-opened-to-the-world kind of shirt. They give you a nice, cottony-soft robe that ties around the waist -- similar to something you'd keep at home. Then at this point you get bounced around from one heath station to the next.
This building, or at least a few floors, offer what seems to be an entire conglomeration of all things medical, and we have to be poked and prodded by them all. Being an extremely careful and paranoid person -- my boyfriend would definitely agree that I'm a worrier -- I took as many tests and as many shots as I could possibly do in the US in order to pass any medical exam here with confidence, but all the hub bub did make me nervous. They took blood, did my blood pressure which was "high" they said (gee, I wonder why), did my height and weight, hearing and visual, took chest x-rays, and finally, and the most intrusive thing that did make me feel like a horse being sold, was that they had a dental set-up in which they checked your teeth. Let me also say that all these stations took less than 2 minutes each. So you'd go to a station, get checked up, sit down, wait, repeat. They also re-did my blood pressure which I guess had normalized by the end of the chaos.
The final point where you see the doctor who asks you the normal questions which seemed to be programmed into her mind. She didn't know enough English for me to ask any questions though.I'll, or I should say the school will, get my results in about a week and then after than I need to get my Alien Registration Card. One step at a time.
And then it was over. Simple, fast, and a little dehumanizing.
When I make my way downstairs -- the elevators have a touch screen for which floor you want rather than pushing a button -- I see a little "Parisian Cafe" to my right. "Perfect" growled my stomach.
As my eyes went down the line of all the pristinely kept bottles of various assortments of mineral water and juices, illuminated by a backdrop of light and hunger, I knew, I chose wisely.
I guess these little cafes are normal in Seoul. Lots of foreigners, especially French ex-pats live in the area so bakeries are commonplace. I really wanted to take a picture of all the cute pastries they had but the girl working was adamant about me not doing so. Tourists must try to do that a lot. Pfft, dumb tourists. Glad I'm not one. ;)
I happily picked up a bottle of sparkling pomegranate flavored water and a little chicken salad and sandwich combo, purchased it with 10,000 won (a little less than ten dollars), got my change, and took the brown paper bag I would later consume back at the school. I could handle this!
Apparently not, as I tried to make my way back.
Quick side note about YBM: this is considered an umbrella organization that offers private schooling with a focus on English. For our school, we have three blocks of classes so after the students complete their day at public school they come over to YBM LIA in either Block A, B, or C which meet on certain days and times. Confusing?
So 8:50am I get into the building and go up to the 8th floor. No one is there yet so I just sit and wait. 9am. Still nothing. 9:10am, well, maybe they're just late. So I ask around the school if they know where the new teachers are. No one has any idea. And no one knows why I'm even there or what medical stuff we have to take care of. 9:20 I finally decide to call someone (Min, the educational director at LIA) from the PSA phone to let her know what was going on.
I'm really wishing that something could just go as planned at this point. I also forgot to mention that I had been fasting since midnight so no food or water and all I had wanted was a little cup of water or something. Anything. And amidst the frustration it seemed as though food and, more importantly, water would be an oasis in my desert of Korean frustration. A little dramatic? Lol, well that's certainly how I felt at that moment. Living in a foreign country where you don't speak the language is a lot more daunting than I had anticipated.
After some explaining of where I was and who I was not with (the other teachers) followed by a Korean conversation between Min and the PSA receptionist (who does not speak English) we finally figured out that the principal from LIA would take me down to the hospital rather than doing it by myself. Thank you thank you thank you.
And so my day begins.
We make it on the red line out to Gagnam station, and then transfer to the green line out to Seullong (sp?) Station. We then walk about a block to the hospital. Nice and easy. I should be able to remember that for the way back.
So Kay drops me off at the hospital and they tell me to take of my shirt and "brassiere" and put on a hospital gown. Now this thing is not like the scratchy, back-opened-to-the-world kind of shirt. They give you a nice, cottony-soft robe that ties around the waist -- similar to something you'd keep at home. Then at this point you get bounced around from one heath station to the next.
This building, or at least a few floors, offer what seems to be an entire conglomeration of all things medical, and we have to be poked and prodded by them all. Being an extremely careful and paranoid person -- my boyfriend would definitely agree that I'm a worrier -- I took as many tests and as many shots as I could possibly do in the US in order to pass any medical exam here with confidence, but all the hub bub did make me nervous. They took blood, did my blood pressure which was "high" they said (gee, I wonder why), did my height and weight, hearing and visual, took chest x-rays, and finally, and the most intrusive thing that did make me feel like a horse being sold, was that they had a dental set-up in which they checked your teeth. Let me also say that all these stations took less than 2 minutes each. So you'd go to a station, get checked up, sit down, wait, repeat. They also re-did my blood pressure which I guess had normalized by the end of the chaos.
The final point where you see the doctor who asks you the normal questions which seemed to be programmed into her mind. She didn't know enough English for me to ask any questions though.I'll, or I should say the school will, get my results in about a week and then after than I need to get my Alien Registration Card. One step at a time.
And then it was over. Simple, fast, and a little dehumanizing.
When I make my way downstairs -- the elevators have a touch screen for which floor you want rather than pushing a button -- I see a little "Parisian Cafe" to my right. "Perfect" growled my stomach.
As my eyes went down the line of all the pristinely kept bottles of various assortments of mineral water and juices, illuminated by a backdrop of light and hunger, I knew, I chose wisely.
I guess these little cafes are normal in Seoul. Lots of foreigners, especially French ex-pats live in the area so bakeries are commonplace. I really wanted to take a picture of all the cute pastries they had but the girl working was adamant about me not doing so. Tourists must try to do that a lot. Pfft, dumb tourists. Glad I'm not one. ;)
I happily picked up a bottle of sparkling pomegranate flavored water and a little chicken salad and sandwich combo, purchased it with 10,000 won (a little less than ten dollars), got my change, and took the brown paper bag I would later consume back at the school. I could handle this!
Apparently not, as I tried to make my way back.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Hotel Novios
So the hotel I'm staying at looks like any old corporate building from the outside and has the kind of ambiance of a youth hostel, but I was really surprised at the character as well as the technology on the inside.
When you put the key into the door, you're welcome to a small room... with another door. This is where you're supposed to take off and leave your shoes before you come into the main living area. I did take off my shoes, but the idea of wearing the slippers bothered me a little bit, so barefoot I go! Also the heating is under the floors so it actually feels good to walk around with bare feet.
Welcome to Korea
Well after a painful visa experience (that I'll probably talk more about later) along with a flight that was approximately 15hrs total coupled with a one hour bus ride -- where I, like a child, had to carry around the words saying Jeong Ja Station so the bus driver would know where to take me -- to my temporary living situation the Hotel Novios in Bundang South Korea. I'm finally here.
I was terrified with the thought of going in to customs. With all the issues I've had just getting a visa I kept thinking on that flight (because there's all the time in the world to dwell on minutiae) that I'm going to get there and they're going to find something in my bag, like a can of pringles or something dumb, and then kick me out of the country for trying to bring in salacious goods into their country. After waiting, no joke, an hour in immigration my visa was (thank God) accepted without a problem and I finally figured out the signs to pick up my checked baggage. To my dismay my bottle of laundry detergent had exploded in my checked bag making one side of the duffle bag sticky and discolored. "Oh God, now the customs people are really going to think that I'm bringing something weird into the country. I'll have to explain to everyone back home why I got sent back."
For a sticky bag.
I walk up to customs and hand over my card that I filled out saying that I had nothing to declare, kept walking waiting for some TSA people to spring out and strip search me. "Should have thrown out that Kashi bar!" and nothing. I was out of it. No one even searched my bag.
One thing that I can say about South Korea so far is that everyone is so nice. This is not to say that I wouldn't be on my guard constantly just in case, but from the airport to my hotel I had met people who were very eager to help me, the girl whose extensive Korean begins and ends with "anyong ha se yo." Being the last person to get a seat on the bus to Bundang (score!) and as tired as I was, I basically straddled this poor Korean man while pushing my monster of a backpack into the seat next to him, constantly apologizing the whole time until I finally finagled my way into it.
The issue at this point was how I was to meet with my contact Mr. Choi (pronounced 'Che' in Korean) at Jeong Ja station. I did have his phone number but that did little to help me as I do not have a phone. So the man I molested and I begin talking and I tell him how I'm here to teach English and he asked me if I knew anyone in the area and if I had a way of getting in contact with Mr. Choi. When I told him I did not have a way he not only called Mr. Choi that I would be arriving at such and such time, he also called him again when he got off on the first stop (my stop was 3rd) just so he would be positive that I would get picked up. I have also been invited to dinner with him, his wife, and his two little kids.
When I finally got off the bus and looked around me it finally sunk in that I was in a foreign city and as that bus took off I thought "Man, I'm really screwed if I can't find this guy." I was lugging my bags around trying to find exit 1 (where I was to meet Mr. Choi) of the Jeong Ja station and was at a loss so I asked someone walking down the street who was intently looking at his iPad.
"Excuse me, do you know where station 1 is? At JEONG JA" as I hold up one finger to denote what I wanted and then pointed to the sign to show where and mouth the words I knew I instantly butchered.
"Oh yeah, no problem," he responded in perfect English "it's right across the street." He was apparently from LA visiting his relatives in Korea. "Good luck and peace bro" as he tapped his fist to his chest and then peaced me out with his fingers. Why thank you kind sir!
Mr. Choi was not what I had expected. I was thinking someone older and a chauffeur looking man with a little hat would be picking me up. But as I crossed the street he looked at me with my bags and said "YBM LIA?" This guy was probably no older than myself and wearing a simple green jacket with jeans. Apparently he and I are both new to the company. He's only been working with them for 3 months. He took my huge goliath of a checked bag and we made our way back across the street and into my little hotel I now call home. He helped me bring all my stuff up into the room and also brought me groceries: some milk and cereal (Special K!), a big bottle of water, and some utensils which included spoons and chopsticks.
Ended my night by skyping with my boyfriend to the glow of Korean business lights through my window. Jetlag is definitely my enemy, but man do I love to travel.
I was terrified with the thought of going in to customs. With all the issues I've had just getting a visa I kept thinking on that flight (because there's all the time in the world to dwell on minutiae) that I'm going to get there and they're going to find something in my bag, like a can of pringles or something dumb, and then kick me out of the country for trying to bring in salacious goods into their country. After waiting, no joke, an hour in immigration my visa was (thank God) accepted without a problem and I finally figured out the signs to pick up my checked baggage. To my dismay my bottle of laundry detergent had exploded in my checked bag making one side of the duffle bag sticky and discolored. "Oh God, now the customs people are really going to think that I'm bringing something weird into the country. I'll have to explain to everyone back home why I got sent back."
For a sticky bag.
I walk up to customs and hand over my card that I filled out saying that I had nothing to declare, kept walking waiting for some TSA people to spring out and strip search me. "Should have thrown out that Kashi bar!" and nothing. I was out of it. No one even searched my bag.
One thing that I can say about South Korea so far is that everyone is so nice. This is not to say that I wouldn't be on my guard constantly just in case, but from the airport to my hotel I had met people who were very eager to help me, the girl whose extensive Korean begins and ends with "anyong ha se yo." Being the last person to get a seat on the bus to Bundang (score!) and as tired as I was, I basically straddled this poor Korean man while pushing my monster of a backpack into the seat next to him, constantly apologizing the whole time until I finally finagled my way into it.
The issue at this point was how I was to meet with my contact Mr. Choi (pronounced 'Che' in Korean) at Jeong Ja station. I did have his phone number but that did little to help me as I do not have a phone. So the man I molested and I begin talking and I tell him how I'm here to teach English and he asked me if I knew anyone in the area and if I had a way of getting in contact with Mr. Choi. When I told him I did not have a way he not only called Mr. Choi that I would be arriving at such and such time, he also called him again when he got off on the first stop (my stop was 3rd) just so he would be positive that I would get picked up. I have also been invited to dinner with him, his wife, and his two little kids.
When I finally got off the bus and looked around me it finally sunk in that I was in a foreign city and as that bus took off I thought "Man, I'm really screwed if I can't find this guy." I was lugging my bags around trying to find exit 1 (where I was to meet Mr. Choi) of the Jeong Ja station and was at a loss so I asked someone walking down the street who was intently looking at his iPad.
"Excuse me, do you know where station 1 is? At JEONG JA" as I hold up one finger to denote what I wanted and then pointed to the sign to show where and mouth the words I knew I instantly butchered.
"Oh yeah, no problem," he responded in perfect English "it's right across the street." He was apparently from LA visiting his relatives in Korea. "Good luck and peace bro" as he tapped his fist to his chest and then peaced me out with his fingers. Why thank you kind sir!
Mr. Choi was not what I had expected. I was thinking someone older and a chauffeur looking man with a little hat would be picking me up. But as I crossed the street he looked at me with my bags and said "YBM LIA?" This guy was probably no older than myself and wearing a simple green jacket with jeans. Apparently he and I are both new to the company. He's only been working with them for 3 months. He took my huge goliath of a checked bag and we made our way back across the street and into my little hotel I now call home. He helped me bring all my stuff up into the room and also brought me groceries: some milk and cereal (Special K!), a big bottle of water, and some utensils which included spoons and chopsticks.
Ended my night by skyping with my boyfriend to the glow of Korean business lights through my window. Jetlag is definitely my enemy, but man do I love to travel.
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