Shots and Saunas

For those who are concerned here is an update on my health. This past Tuesday my boss took me to a clinic to see a doctor and diagnose my illness. After listening to my lungs the doctor suggested that I may have a viral infection of some kind. So the nurse gave me an anti-viral shot (I had to pull down my pants for it) and a prescription for a plethora of medication. I was only prescribed two days worth of meds, which I would take three times a day, and then the doctor wanted to see me again. The pills did help to improve my coughing but after the second check-up the doctor thought that I needed a few more days of medicine. So I did the drill again (same cheek) and I'll see how things are after the weekend. It has also been recommended to me to get a humidifier in my room, which may help my lungs to clear up. The good news is that I don't have night fevers anymore and I have more energy than I did a week ago. I had the idea to check out a sauna after work today to help me relax and maybe assist in the healing process. These kinds of places are quite common and inexpensive in Korea. My experience began with me paying at the front desk and then finding a locker for my shoes. I was then led to the men's locker room where I undressed and stored my belongings. The sauna experience is quite unique to say the least. Men and women are segregated of course, so everyone is naked. First I had to shower like you would at any public pool. Then I had the option to soak in a number of pools of water, each a different temperature. Apparently the rotation of sitting in hot and cold water helps circulation, so that's what I did. I began in a warm pool, switched to the cold, then went back to the warm, then to the cold, then to the sauna, and so forth. I have to say it is quite relaxing and rejuvenating. After two minutes it didn't matter that I was naked in a room full of other men and I just enjoyed my time. I will definitely continue to go to these sauna's as they are dirt cheap ($5 for unlimited time) and very relaxing. It's things like these that make my adventure in Korea that much better.

My health is holding me back...but not for long

I know it's been a while since my last update and I believe I owe an explanation as to why it's taken so long. The main reason has been my health, which hasn't been the greatest for some time. Two weekends ago I experienced quite a strong bout of sickness. I spent basically the whole weekend sleeping which doesn't make for interesting blogging material. I was able to power through the work week and again spent most of this past weekend resting. I've also developed quite a nasty cough, and I'm spitting up a lot a green mucous. A friend here suggested I had Bronchitis which may be the case, but I have yet to see a doctor for a diagnosis. I did however go to the local pharmacist for some over-the-counter medication. At first I wondered how I would explain my predicament, but the pharmacist only had to hear my cough and gave me two different kinds of pills. Those helped a bit I suppose but I think something a bit stronger is needed now. For those feeling concerned for me I have decided to visit the doctor and hopefully he'll have something to finally cure me. I was thinking that I could take a picture of my green mucous to post on my blog, but that brings me to the second reason I haven't updated recently: my camera is broken. It's a very old digital camera and has seen many adventures and I guess it was just it's time to go. I don't feel bad at all since I'll pick up another one out here after my next paycheck, but it means that the month of November holds no pictures. These are the things that happen during ones travels and I've decided just to roll with it. I mean after managing a classroom of twelve sugar-high Korean kindergarden students I feel I can handle almost anything. Now when I say managing I really mean maintaining the thin line between chaos and disaster, but you get the idea. I have to say the teaching aspect has been the most challenging part of my time in Korea so far. There is always so much to do and a lot of school politics to dance around. My afternoon classes of elementary and middle-school students are pretty easy, but my kindergarden class in the morning is a lot of work and sometimes I'm at wits end trying to figure out what to do next with them. I'm so fortunate to have Ann, my Korean co-teacher to help me with the students. I'm doing all I can think of to be the best teacher I can and yet I feel that I fall short of being the good teacher I want to be. However the students do have fun with me and seem to like me a lot so I can't be doing that poor a job. And I do have another ten months to gain more experience. So that's the update for late November. Come the middle of December I should have more stories and pictures to share once my health returns.

Bukhansan National Park

I have to thank my roommate Michael for suggesting a hike this past Saturday. I've always liked climbing the mountains of the places I visit, so it seemed like a great way to spend my afternoon. Bakhansan National Park is located in the North part of Seoul, so we had to take a bus to the city of Ilsan to meet up with another friend Matt. From there we took the subway into Seoul. Once we got off the subway we really didn't know exactly which direction to go, but toward the general direction of the mountains seemed most logical. We cut through a very interesting market selling all kinds of goods like pigs hooves, sting rays, and who knows what else. It reminded me of the Korean version of the farmers market back in Ontario. Eventually we made it out of the maze and headed toward the park. There weren't really any signs to guide us so we just followed other Koreans who were all decked out in their hiking boots, backpacks, and walking sticks. I kind of felt underdressed considering I was only wearing sneakers, jeans and a t-shirt.
We eventually came to the 'entrance', which was really only a small gate that could have lead to a farm instead of the park. It was free to enter the park which was great. So we just started hiking up the trail unsure if we'd be able to make it to the top. From the bottom the peak seemed quite high up, and considering the gear the Korean's around us were wearing I was beginning to think I wasn't adequately prepared. But we kept treking upwards. A little more than an hour into the climb we decided that no matter where we were that we'd head back down at 4:00pm so we wouldn't have to walk down in the dark. We kept moving though and pretty soon we realized that we had basically made it to the peaks. I say peaks because there are many paths linking to other mountains all around us. We found a great perch to sit down, catch our breath, and enjoy the view. From where we sat we could see many people climbing in the distance on other summits. If you had the time and energy there would be a whole weekend of exploring the different views the mountains have to offer. We continued to enjoy our spot though looking over the city and were treated to some great sunbeams shining down.
We had made good time and got to spend close to a half-hour at the top before our set deadline. At some points the descent was a little more difficult than the climb, and since our legs were rubber it made for an exhausting hike back. However the whole afternoon was worth it and it felt really good knowing we accomplished a difficult climb under our circumstances and expectations.

Gyeonbokgung Palace

Considering I've been in Korea for three weeks now I decided to make a day trip into Seoul. My goal was to check out a palace, get used to the subway system, and meet up with a friend from university who is also living abroad. The great thing about Korea is the scale of their public transportation system. I live in Gimpo City, which is roughly twenty minutes from the outskirts of Seoul and therefore not part of the city's subway network. However buses are very frequent and the payment method is more advanced than back in Canada. Many Korean's use T-money, which is basically a small 'proxy-card' device that you use to pay for all buses and subways. All you need to do is press the card to the reader on the bus or the entrance of the subway and it automatically makes the payment as well as showing you the remaining balance on your card. Fortunately my roommate Michael has been in Korea for over a year and knows the routine, so he hooked me up with a card and has told me which buses to take into the city.
I left Gimpo around noon to meet up with my friend Marivn in Seoul. Marvin took me on a tour of the Gyeonbokgung Palace which seemed to be a very popular destination for both tourists as well as locals. It was an interesting place and much of the palace has been restored, but there are still some original stonework and the layout hasn't changed. There was the typical large courtyard for the king's guard, a throne room, living quarters, etc. Different from European castles though was how spread out and open the design is, making the entire compound quite large. There was also a very scenic pond that is supposedly a popular location for couples to visit and have their picture taken. After touring the area we went to visit the on-site folk museum. It had many displays about traditional Korean life that were interesting to see, but we didn't spend too much time in there.
People say that once you see a palace in Korea then you've seen them all. I suppose there is merit to that but I may check out one or two more while I'm here. It felt good to get out and do the tourist thing though. I don't know why, but feel like I accomplished something by visiting a palace.