Radiation & Answers

Yes, I said radiation. It seems to get worse with the rain. And to top it all off, we still have school, and Koreans feel the need to open the windows. Some say that the levels are safe and will not cause harmful effects, and others say that any amount of radiation is harmful. There were some schools in Gyeonggi province that close yesterday because it was raining due to the rising concerns among parents and students. And yes, when I asked Seunghui why she opened the windows yesterday, she said "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot." Huh? Seriously. Guess I can't do anything about the radiation I'm exposed to. I mean, would masks and staying indoors effect the amount of radiation you're exposed to anyway? I'm not really a fan of cancer.

I went to two KCC vs. ETland basketball games in Incheon on both Tuesday and Thursday with one of my co-teachers Mrs. Moon. She is a super-sweet 40-something year old lady who has two children, twin 15-year-old son & daughter, who lives alone in a giant apartment with her widowed mother-in-law. Her husband currently lives in China on business, however she is not sure of what business he does. She bought me dinner both nights and made me breakfast both mornings. She even made me what I think is pound cake for lunch lol. It was best that I stay with her for the night because Incheon is about an hours drive from my home. For those that don't know, Incheon isn't really a happening city. It has Incheon International Airport, some apartment buildings, and restaurants, but that's about it. It is quite large and spread out, however many apartments, offices, and other buildings are currently being built, which should make Incheon more up and running in the next year or so. Regardless, I wouldn't wanna be caught living there. Quite a LONG subway ride into Seoul from there too. I take a bus to the airport because the subway takes three hours.

Ok. Answers. Not all of them. But some of them. I called Dream Eye Clinic and a receptionist took my name and number so Mr. Choo could call me back at his earliest convenience, which was in about an hour or so. Nice, right. Stupid American healthcare system. You can't blame those that are victim of the system by working in it, but still.

---class time--- hang on--- BRB :)

Haha...like you would know about any time lapse lol!! I asked Dr. Choo about a further discount for my lack of monthly follow-up care after leaving Korea. Well, Koreans don't say no, so he kindly reminded me of how much medication and eye drops he would provide me following surgery (enough to last six months), so I got the message. Oh, well. I was already getting a 20% discount, and that's less than half the price of the same surgery in America, so I guess I can't complain. From what I've read on other's blogs or videos they have made about Lasek (apparently pronounced Lah-seek...vs Lay-sick), is that the first 2 weeks are critical healing time. Dr. Choo advised me to stay in Korea for one month following surgery. He also informed me that six months healing time with once-a-month follow-ups are textbook, but not necessary. Within the first month, Dr. Choo (or Dr. Lee, my surgeon) will exam my eyes five times. One day after surgery, the Tuesday after that, and once a week up until I leave. I am currently in the process of trying to figure out whether or not my school can keep me for one more week. If not, I will have to find another place to live, possibly inconveniencing someone as well. He reassured me that the surgery will be quick and painless with minimal to moderate discomfort and/or minimal to moderate pain in the days following. I figure, hey; my eyes hurt most of the time anyway, so there's not that much difference, eh? My vision will be corrected to what it was corrected to in his office during the examination...wow! Cool! I'm trying to not be excited. No one really knows how things will turn out. Dr. Lee is a respected and experienced Lasek surgeon with many success stories behind him, so I have no reason to believe that something will go terribly wrong during or after surgery. I just don't wanna think I'll see any better than I already do. Even though my eyes won't be as dry because I don't be wearing contacts, and my vision might not be blurred because the contacts don't follow my muscle movements. I guess I'll just have to let you know. I feel like it's gonna be amazing, but I'm trying so hard to not get my hopes up...which, if you've ever tried that, is impossible.

Sarah Jesson, a sweet South African girl who works in Oido and lives in near Jeongwang station had previously agreed to meet me at the clinic after surgery. However, it is a real inconvenience to her, since she would have to travel 1 1/2 hour into Seoul for me, 1 1/2 hour back to Jeongwang with me, and then 1 1/2 hour back into Seoul to have dinner with her friends. I feel really bad about that, so I am looking for other people who could possibly join me. However, I don't wanna be alone. Not just for my comfort, but for my safety. Obviously I've learned to live with being uncomfortable this past year.

Part two of every lesson begins with two scenarios played out on the provided CD-Rom. Scenario B stars a young African-American boy, and a young Korean girl, both about 10 or so. I know Koreans are pretty shocked, and somewhat scared or horrified by the sight of black or brown skin, which is super irritating and shameful. So, prior to listening to the scenarios, I give a little lesson of racial tolerance. The first time I showed this clip, everyone laughed hysterically, and it took me a second to figure out what in the world was so funny. That little African-American boy was the most American looking and acting kid I've seen on these videos. And no, my Korean students had no idea that boy was American, and were shocked in disbelief to find out. What a shame. Homogeneous cultures have their downsides I suppose.

Korea is incredibly developed economically, structurally, I suppose politically, technologically, and in any other way, aside from socially. They haven't yet learned how to anticipate the needs of others before they do (i.e, pushing in chairs, moving out of the way of others, walking to the right OR left vs running into people, spitting on the ground, throwing trash around, etc.), have a grossly underdeveloped program and understanding of special needs (leaving those children adults without much of a education or future), greatly misunderstand a diagnosis for, and care of, proper psychiatric problems, and more. We call it "saving face." I'm sure East Asia has the highest suicide rate in the world. Granted, that's also because education is the most competitive. And just so you know, I totally believe in developing, maintaining, and expecting various levels, grades, goals, and standards for today's youth, but there comes a point when enough is enough and the push/strive for perfection is too much.