Illness Continued

08.29.2010

Slept a lot, at least through most of the night with period visits from the nurses changing my liquid drips and taking my blood pressure and pulse. In the morning I was awaken and given instructions to pee in a cup, yay, great way to start my morning. My fever has significantly decreased due to the four pills and the ‘syrup’ I take when instructed by a nurse. I get that medication every 3-4 hours. I am not a fan of the syrup, but I take it anyways, yuck! Once again, I haven’t eaten anything today, liquids only. I slept a bit and read more of my book “The Swan Thieves.” In the late morning I got a phone call from Jen, she was a bit concerned about my health and told me she would visit on Monday. Later in the afternoon Phill’s Aunt, her husband, and the grandfather came to visit. They were very kind; I don’t think I can say that enough. We talked about my future wedding with Phill; I showed them pictures of the reception venue on my laptop, including some Halloween pictures of Coffee and Ooyoo. Then the aunt told me to rest. In which, I fell asleep and they had left by the time I woke up for my next visit from another nurse. I stayed up cleaning up the trash on my lappy, creating more space. I desperately need to move a lot of files on my external soon; I’ve been putting it off for waaaay too long. I’ll have to do it once I’m released. The aunt and uncle visited me again late in the evening. I told them that I am feeling much better since yesterday, but I’m not well yet. Plus, I told them that I was hungry to eat real food. Then they smiled and said it was likely tomorrow, if I keep improving. They left and I watched a good chunk of season 5 of The Office. I stayed up until nearly 1am. I noticed my fluid bag was empty and my blood was starting to come up my IV. I called the nurse’s station on the phone; in my half English/half Korean I explained I needed a new bag. After I received a blood pressure check, a new bag, and an IV switch to my right hand I went straight to bed. It was a long day.

Definitely Sick

08.28.2010

I spent a good portion of my evening going to the bathroom, waking up every 1.5 hours. I took my temperature orally at 8am, 103.1°F/39.5°C. Not good. I also had a splitting headache now too. I wrote down my symptoms and drank a lot of water. I talked to Phill on Skype, he was really worried. He told his father and his father called the Aunt. I felt bad that everyone was caring so much for me. I didn’t think it was too serious, but I could be wrong. I went back to bed and the Aunt came at 11am. She and So-young looked so worried when they saw my state. I said thank you to them for taking care of me. They took me to the Osan Seoul General Hospital (SGH) and a doctor checked me. He recommended to me that I get three x-rays, a stool sample, blood work, and a shot. He said it was a good chance I would be admitted to the hospital today. ☹ After all my tests, I was diagnosed with the inflammation of intestines, it was confirmed I would be admitted to the hospital for a week. For the next 2-3 days I wouldn’t eat, but warm water was okay. I went back to my apartment and gathered my things with the help of the Aunt, Young-Rae, and So-Young. The Uncle, Mr. Huh, patiently waited for us in the van. And I went back to the hospital. I was admitted in a two patient room with no roommate (room 311) and I changed into the hospital clothes. The doctor came in and told me (in English) that I wouldn’t eat until my condition improved, he told me to get a lot of rest. Also, I would be getting tablets and syrup for medication; I should take the tablets first and the syrup after an hour after I had taken the tablets. A nurse hooked me up to an IV. I slept after Young-Rae and her family left. They were very very kind to me. Without them, this situation would be far worse.

Feeling Under the Weather

08.27.2010

Woke up with extreme pain in lower back and abs. Glad it was Friday and I was looking forward to getting a lot of rest on the weekend. Last day of summer All Day class at 1pm. During the morning I got my lesson plan together and worksheets for the day. I watched half of Post Grad, that film reminded me of my situation after I graduated from college. I was filled with so much hope to start my career right away, then realizing I didn’t have the credentials and I moved back home. So, I understood the frustration of the main character, at least what I’ve seen so far. Since, I taught the All Day class at 1 pm I missed lunch with the other teachers, but they got me an egg salad sandwich and milk from Paris Baguette. I am not a fan of eggs, like at all, but it was purchased specifically just for me, from Jen. So, I ate half of it and I drank all the milk. It made my stomach hurt further. ☹ I watched the second half of Post Grad and I felt the ending was odd, too much of a happy ending. She got the job, the guy, and her family. I still didn’t feel well. I finished prepping for the first week of second semester. At 5 o’clock, I left for dinner with the school staff and teachers. It wasn’t an optional dinner for me. I ate seafood/sushi and I felt a little better, but I could tell a fever was starting to form. I think everyone could tell I was acting different. I got home late and talked to Phill on Gmail briefly. I told him about the day’s activities and I gave him a quick list of my symptoms. I went to bed, hoping by morning I would be feeling better. I took two ibuprofen for good measure.

Meeting Old Friends

08.22.2010

The plan was to wake up really early and believe it or not, I got up early (for the weekend) at 6:20am. I talked with my parents over Skype until 8am and then chatted with Phill on Skype. My time was limited for Sunday catch-up conversation time. I had to leave for Seoul by 9am, at least leave my apt by then. I really enjoy the lazy Sundays, but today I had to keep busy. I took line 1 to line 3 to Gyeongbokgung station with a transfer at Jongno 3(sam)-ga station, about an hour and a half subway ride. I felt proud of myself to be able to transfer lines on my own for the first time. I know I need to work on my traveling skills set; it can become more confusing traveling alone. So, I’m making little goals possible with my ‘baby-steps’ mindset. My cell phone also was low on batteries, so I only turned it on when I reached my destination to meet Lucas. We agreed to meet each other at 11am at the Gyeongbokgung station. Thankfully, the rain was short-lived today. Lucas and Yena Yoo actually saw me first as I was looking at the subway/local area map as I was getting to know the area, a little. I even arrived a little early (about 10 minutes early). They both work at a Hagwon, so Sundays are their only day off during the week. The pay can be better at a Hagwon, but teaching English at public schools gives you more job security and 2 days off a week. I’m glad to be working at my elementary public school. We first went to the Gyeongbokgung Palace (exit #5 from Gyeongbokgung station), the “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven.”(It cost twice as much as Hwaseong, at 3,000 won.) It was constructed in 1394 by King Taejo and it was much bigger and better than the country palace at Hwaseong/Suwon. In 2009, the Gyeongbokgung Palace underwent a large reconstruction project as it’s estimated that about 40 percent of the structures were restored to its former glory before the Japanese occupy. We were first greeted by a ‘changing of the guards’ ceremony.





It was very entertaining to watch. There were many foreigners at the palace, checking out the historical site. Outside the main gate of Gwanghwamun, there is the Gwanghwamun Square similar to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., but not as long. Driving around the Square seemed to be dangerous, as many drivers had to wait for pedestrians.



I digress, inside the palace walls there were a lot of buildings to see, originally there were 330 buildings on site before the Japanese occupation, but still today we didn’t see them all. (Sorry.) One of the first buildings we visited was Geunjeongjeon Hall, the throne hall where the king formally greeted foreign envoys and granted audiences to his officials.





It was there that we met up with an English tour guide and joined the tour group.

Then we moved on to the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, during the Joseon Dynasty it was used for important state banquets. It’s an artificial island surrounded by a rectangular man-made lake. An impressive sight, never the less.





Unfortunately, it is also not open to the public, so I could only marvel at it from a distance. Then we went into the Naejeon area (Inner Court) and saw the Gangyeongjeon (the King’s quarters) and the Gyotaejeon (the Queen’s quarters). The garden behind the Queen’s quarters hid the chimneys to heat the building, quite impressive.





After that the tour was over, so we headed to the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, absolutely beautiful.



Unfortunately, the Chwihyanggyo Bridge leading to the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion was destroyed during the Korean War and it was the longest bridge constructed only of wood. When it was reconstructed it was moved from the north side of the island to the south side and fortified with other materials. After we finished visiting the Gyeongbokgung Palace, it was time for lunch. We went back to the Gyeongbokgung station and went to exit #2 to To Sok Chon Sam Gye Tang.

It’s a restaurant famous in Seoul, by both the locals and the foreign, for their ginseng chicken soup, Samgyetang. The line for the restaurant extended beyond their doors and started to wrap around the building. It was definitely a hot spot, even at lunchtime. We only waited in line for 10-15 minutes, too bad it was so hot and humid. It was by far the most delicious meal I’ve ever eaten in South Korea.

I hope to visit again before I leave! Yum. Expensive at 13,000 won a person, but totally worth it, even though the service was average, after all they are always busy! The food is too good to pass up, really. Just writing about it is making me hungry for it! After the delicious lunch we went walking by the Cheonggyecheon River.

It is about 6 km long and it is entirely man-made, as originally the river flowed in the opposite direction! It was part of a massive urban renewal project as the stream was covered up with concrete since 1958 and in 1976 it became an elevated highway. In 2003 the restoration project went underway and it was reopened again in 2005. I love it, the project was a success, it is a great example of how the city is so environmentally friendly. Plus, it was a hot day and walking by the stream made the area so much cooler, reducing the heat-island effect. I wished I lived near the River, so that everyday I could walk by it. It is so beautiful and it was a great way to end my day in Seoul.

Seoul Again, Heck Yes!

08.21.2010

Saturday morning I woke up a bit late, talked to the family and friends back home for a bit. Then, I got ready for the day. I was going to go to Seoul with Michael, as he had to meet a guy he referred to as Batman, as he was going to purchase a Batman video game from him. I wanted to check out this ‘shopping haven’ as it has been described by many websites & blogs as a must-do for visiting South Korea: Myeong-dong in Jung-gu, Seoul. Michael knew how to get there, so we took the subway, about an hour journey. There were many small shops and large name brand stores.

It was much larger than I could imagine, but there weren’t as many small flea market areas as I’d hoped. I really like window-shopping at flea markets; you can find a lot of interesting stuff. There were many American brands and Korean brands. It the street it was like a small party with people handing out balloons and fliers for their stores announcing sales and specials. There were even people dressed in full-body costumes as a representation for their business.

We ate lunch at a Japanese restaurant and walked around a bit more. Then we went to the ‘dollar store’ chain (Daiso) and I got some supplies. I think it maybe my new favorite place to shop, lol. Then we stopped at a Starbucks for some coffee, I got the Chai Tea Latte, of course. We talked and watch people outside play around a water fountain area.

Mainly, we were just people watching and relaxing. We left in the early evening; it was nice to go to another new area of Seoul and tomorrow I’ll be heading to another part to meet Lucas and his fiancée. A long awaited visit, but I’m happy to make the trek again for tomorrow.