Well, my laptop hard drive died for the 2nd time. This time it wasn't good. Data is supposedly irretrievable. So, I lost a bunch of data since I didn't back-up my HD lately. Oops. Once again, it will be expensive to replace, but cheaper than buying a new one. Still waiting to get it back and reload my data and programs, so not exactly sure how much I lost. Fortunately, I am not in school or doing any serious business work on it. I probably only lost some photos.
As for my health, I have been trying to be healthier by working out and watching my diet. So far, I have been working out for 3 months and in January, I have been working out 5 or 6 days a week. But, I have been stuck at a plateau, aka the same weight I was when I started working out. So, the scales are getting any relief.
Last week, I managed to sprain my ankle, which is quite normal. I don't know exactly how it happened, by my knee started hurting. Being a stubborn and afraid of Korean doctors, I have delayed visiting one until today. I got the address from a Korean colleague. I arrive and as usual, I get the oh-no, he can't speak Korean look. I managed to tell them what hurts.
I wait a few minutes and then see the doctor. He doesn't speak much English either, but he asks some questions and does a posture and knee check. Next, I wait to get an x-ray taken. The x-ray tech had some fun trying to get me into the right spots for the x-rays of my knee and spine. She seemed to take more x-rays than usual. The x-rays are digital so probably not that big of a deal.
After that, I go the doctor again. He says nothing is wrong with my knee, but many problems with my spine. The cervical part has no curve, the thoracic area is irregular and the lumbar/sacral doesn't have big enough gaps. Basically, I think that my back is totally screwed up. After telling me that, he gets me on a chiropractic table and cracks my neck and back. Then, he has an assistant come in to do more stuff. I think he studies some Chinese medicine because he has better luck speaking in Mandarin to me than in English or Korean. My Mandarin is really rusty and bad, but I managed to understand some of the things he said. He had me raise my knee and extend my leg, while he poked his hands into my stomach in different spots. I am not exactly sure what it was supposed to do, but it was pretty painful.
Then, the doctor came back and curled me up in a ball on my side and tried to do something, but it seemed like it only stretched me out of shape. Again, I go back to the assistant for more chiropractic stuff.
Next, I was told that I will need to take some medicine, do some physical therapy, and get a shot in the a$$. So, I went into another room and a nurse told me to lower my pants a little so she can give me a shot. YEP, my first shot in my bum (Korea still likes to give shots in the hip/buttock area).
Finally, I get sent to the physically therapy room. First, they have me put a hot pack on my knee and back. Next, they do some electro-stimulation therapy. Last, they do some air-compression sock-type thing to relax my lower leg muscles.
At the end, all of this cost me 62,000 Won (approx. $40) and took about 2 hours. Medicine is cheap compared to the US, where I would guess my day's treatment would be hundreds of dollars.
When I was finished, I went to a pharmacy to get my medicine. It was pills for 2 days to be taken 3 times a day. The pills were 1,800 Won ($1.20).
I will go back tomorrow for re-check. Results to be determined.
Hopefully, my health will improve and I can start losing some weight. For now, I just live with bad allergies, back, shoulder, ankle, knee, and hip pain on my left side. My right side seems to have far less problems.
Oh, a month or so ago, I got my 2nd wisdom tooth pulled. Unfortunately this time, I had to schedule it before work. I go to the dentist, she pulls it, but this time it wasn't so simple. She said that this one was more difficult and took some bone out. Unlike last time, she gives me a prescription for some pills. I go to work and take the medication, but it wasn't much fun when my mouth hurts and it is my job to speak to my students. I survived, but still unsure if I really want to go back to get the other 2 removed, which will be worse since they are on the bottom.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
New Year/New Job/New ???
Another year has passed and according to Korean age, I am 32, so I am feeling a little old.
My contract ended at my last job and was not renewed for a couple reasons, so I was searching for a job while finishing my contract in December. Luckily, one of my old colleagues from my job in 2007 called me to say that a position was opening up at his university. So, he arranged for me to interview with the director of the Language Institute. I interviewed and got the job, so I will begin March 1st with a one year contract.
SungKyunKwan University (SKKU --http://www.skku.edu/eng/) is located in the northern part of Seoul and I live in the southern part. Fortunately, I live right next to the subway line that also is the closest to SKKU, so it will be about 30+ min on subway and 5 min shuttle bus to my school. Yeah, 5 minute shuttle bus ride doesn't seem far, so why not walk. Well, SKKU is located on top of a big hill and my building happens to be conveniently located at the top. So, I will stick to using the gym in the basement of my apartment that I already paid for instead of sweating at the office. (aside: I have been working out for 3 months with no change)
The guaranteed salary is better than my old job and I don't have to work as much. Universities jobs are considered the best. I will be teaching a freshman writing course for the first semester. I will have 15 hours/week of classroom time with some prep work, but lots of marking since it's a writing class. I might get an extra class for the fall semester, which would mean more money.
Korea is opposite of US system, spring is 1st semester and fall is 2nd semester. They also have a 5-week intensive course during the summer/winter breaks, which are paid extra on top of our normal salary. As for vacation, I will get a two week vacation around the end of June, three week vacation end of August, two week vacation around Christmas and three weeks end of February.
Not much else new in my life.
My contract ended at my last job and was not renewed for a couple reasons, so I was searching for a job while finishing my contract in December. Luckily, one of my old colleagues from my job in 2007 called me to say that a position was opening up at his university. So, he arranged for me to interview with the director of the Language Institute. I interviewed and got the job, so I will begin March 1st with a one year contract.
SungKyunKwan University (SKKU --http://www.skku.edu/eng/) is located in the northern part of Seoul and I live in the southern part. Fortunately, I live right next to the subway line that also is the closest to SKKU, so it will be about 30+ min on subway and 5 min shuttle bus to my school. Yeah, 5 minute shuttle bus ride doesn't seem far, so why not walk. Well, SKKU is located on top of a big hill and my building happens to be conveniently located at the top. So, I will stick to using the gym in the basement of my apartment that I already paid for instead of sweating at the office. (aside: I have been working out for 3 months with no change)
The guaranteed salary is better than my old job and I don't have to work as much. Universities jobs are considered the best. I will be teaching a freshman writing course for the first semester. I will have 15 hours/week of classroom time with some prep work, but lots of marking since it's a writing class. I might get an extra class for the fall semester, which would mean more money.
Korea is opposite of US system, spring is 1st semester and fall is 2nd semester. They also have a 5-week intensive course during the summer/winter breaks, which are paid extra on top of our normal salary. As for vacation, I will get a two week vacation around the end of June, three week vacation end of August, two week vacation around Christmas and three weeks end of February.
Not much else new in my life.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
What was I thinking?
Well, since there was a fire at my workplace, I had Thursday and Friday off.
For the couple of years, I have been wondering if I should get my wisdom teeth removed. They are a little cramped in my mouth, which has truly been a "money pit" for my parents. My teeth are crooked and have plenty of cavities, even after decades, not years, of braces and my mom trying to keep my teeth healthy.
On Friday, I was bored, so what do I decide to do. I thought, "why not go see my friend's dentist, make an appointment and see if the dentist can fill the cavity or pull my tooth in the future?" More on the "future" part later. It is a wisdom tooth that has a cavity, so the option of pulling isn't too absurd.
My friend gave me a business card of her dentist because I said I needed some work done. She said that the dentist could speak English and was a good dentist that she had seen since she was a young girl. So, that was enough for me to check her out (yes, the dentist is female). It took me a while to find the dental office since Korean addresses are vague. They only give the neighborhood and building name. I ended up walking past the office and having to stop by a local realtor. Even though the realtor didn't speak any English he was able to point to a very detailed map where the building was and where I was at the time.
Once I got to the dental office, I ran into the dreaded receptionist who can't speak any English. I try to use as much Korean as I know and ask to see the dentist who is supposed to speak English. After a little bit the dentist comes out and talks with me. Luckily, the office wasn't too busy. I talked to her and told her I had a cavity that might need fixing, but I didn't bring my x-ray that my American mom took before I left for Korea. (Aside: My American mom is a dental hygienist.)
It is Korea, but they do have very modern dental equipment. So, the dentist suggested I take an x-ray. They took a panoramic x-ray of my mouth and before I knew it she was having me sit in a exam chair. She told me that I had two cavities and that I should get them pulled out. Dumb me, says "ok", I guess we can take one out, but she saw fear in my eyes, so she didn't push to take out more than one. I don't know why, but I was more afraid for this situation than any time in my whole life of seeing a dentist or orthodontist. And yes, I have spent HOURS in a dentists/orthodontists chair.
The "future" ended up being "right now." Getting the anesthetic was probably the worst. I was a little surprised because it didn't actually make my cheek or lip numb, only the top of my mouth, so I was a little worried that she missed the nerve. But, she started working on getting my tooth out and I didn't really feel to much, except her trying to pry out the tooth with the tool levered against the side of my mouth.
After the procedure, the ladies at the front desk tried to give me some precautionary advice. They said "no smoke, no drink alcohol, and no sauna." Those three things maxed out the two ladies English vocabulary. They gave me the bill which was about $10 for x-ray and $70 for tooth pulling, but I got a discount due to telling them my friend is a client, so I only paid $50.
All in all, from beginning to end, it probably took less than 30 minutes in the dental office, but I am not sure if I want to go back and get the three other ones pulled like the dentist recommended. I have already lost enough teeth due to orthodontics if they pull three more, I will have only 24 left of the maximum 32.
For the couple of years, I have been wondering if I should get my wisdom teeth removed. They are a little cramped in my mouth, which has truly been a "money pit" for my parents. My teeth are crooked and have plenty of cavities, even after decades, not years, of braces and my mom trying to keep my teeth healthy.
On Friday, I was bored, so what do I decide to do. I thought, "why not go see my friend's dentist, make an appointment and see if the dentist can fill the cavity or pull my tooth in the future?" More on the "future" part later. It is a wisdom tooth that has a cavity, so the option of pulling isn't too absurd.
My friend gave me a business card of her dentist because I said I needed some work done. She said that the dentist could speak English and was a good dentist that she had seen since she was a young girl. So, that was enough for me to check her out (yes, the dentist is female). It took me a while to find the dental office since Korean addresses are vague. They only give the neighborhood and building name. I ended up walking past the office and having to stop by a local realtor. Even though the realtor didn't speak any English he was able to point to a very detailed map where the building was and where I was at the time.
Once I got to the dental office, I ran into the dreaded receptionist who can't speak any English. I try to use as much Korean as I know and ask to see the dentist who is supposed to speak English. After a little bit the dentist comes out and talks with me. Luckily, the office wasn't too busy. I talked to her and told her I had a cavity that might need fixing, but I didn't bring my x-ray that my American mom took before I left for Korea. (Aside: My American mom is a dental hygienist.)
It is Korea, but they do have very modern dental equipment. So, the dentist suggested I take an x-ray. They took a panoramic x-ray of my mouth and before I knew it she was having me sit in a exam chair. She told me that I had two cavities and that I should get them pulled out. Dumb me, says "ok", I guess we can take one out, but she saw fear in my eyes, so she didn't push to take out more than one. I don't know why, but I was more afraid for this situation than any time in my whole life of seeing a dentist or orthodontist. And yes, I have spent HOURS in a dentists/orthodontists chair.
The "future" ended up being "right now." Getting the anesthetic was probably the worst. I was a little surprised because it didn't actually make my cheek or lip numb, only the top of my mouth, so I was a little worried that she missed the nerve. But, she started working on getting my tooth out and I didn't really feel to much, except her trying to pry out the tooth with the tool levered against the side of my mouth.
After the procedure, the ladies at the front desk tried to give me some precautionary advice. They said "no smoke, no drink alcohol, and no sauna." Those three things maxed out the two ladies English vocabulary. They gave me the bill which was about $10 for x-ray and $70 for tooth pulling, but I got a discount due to telling them my friend is a client, so I only paid $50.
All in all, from beginning to end, it probably took less than 30 minutes in the dental office, but I am not sure if I want to go back and get the three other ones pulled like the dentist recommended. I have already lost enough teeth due to orthodontics if they pull three more, I will have only 24 left of the maximum 32.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My new apt
Hello everyone,
I just got internet service at my apartment, so I have been delaying on updating my blog.
I moved about a month ago to an "officetel" (read: really small studio apt). My apartment is approximately 8 평(280 sq. ft./26 sq. meters). It is clean and it is in a very convenient location. I am on the 5th floor of a 14 story building. Floors 1-4 and the basement are retail with convenience store, restaurants, coffee shops, hair salon, dry cleaner, and workout center. It's expensive, but I will join this month. The main reason for it being expensive is that it has a swimming pool, practice golf (hit into nets, and maybe a simulator), and squash courts
For those of you who know Seoul, I am located next to Sadang Station, so I have easy access to the Line #2 (green), Line #4 (light blue?) and a lot of buses. I am located only 4 stops from my office near Gangnam Station, so it takes about 15-20 minutes depending on if I have to wait for a subway and how slow I walk. Also, I only live about a 10 minute bus ride from my mom's apartment.
Here are a few pictures of my place.
The entrance is small, but has a small closet for shoes and clothes. On the right, is the bathroom. It is quite nice. I like the shower because it has a regular shower head or flexible shower head, but they can't be used simultaneously. It also has four other nozzles that spray towards the body from the wall that can be used simultaneously with one of the shower heads.
Also, in the first picture, where there are grocery bags, there is a deep closet that I have a rolling clothes rack. The grocery bags are actually holding my recyclables. We have to sort out paper, plastic, glass, and cans. Also, all food waste needs to be collected separately and put into special yellow trash bags. The white bag on the floor is for anything that isn't recyclable.
Here are pictures of my main living space. I have a super single twin bed, futon?? (it came with the apartment), some more cupboards, and air-conditioning. Even though summer is almost over, it is one thing that I missed when I was living with my biological mother. She has a huge, expensive place, but no air-conditioning. The little door behind my bed goes out to the AC unit, so it is noisy from traffic noise since it isn't very insulated. One of the few problems.
You have probably already noticed. I don't have a TV yet. I am hoping to get one in the future, so I can watch TV, but I also have a Nintendo Wii that isn't being used. I won it at a fundraiser for an adoptee organization. At least with the Wii, I can use it as an excuse to say that I am pseudo-exercising when playing Wii sports.
Last but not least, is my kitchen. Hehe, it only takes up a small wall. Underneath my stove, isn't a circular oven. It's my washing machine :). It is very handy to have so I can wash clothes whenever I want. Some apartments have shared washing machines like the States, but my apartment is a little more expensive, so it is included. Very few homes have dryers and most Koreans think that it is a waste of electricity and is hard on clothes. Dishwashers don't seem to be used that often even if homes have them. Right now, I only have a 2 stove gas range, toaster, and hot water pot. Maybe in the future, I will buy an oven or microwave. Ovens are usually quite small compared to American ovens. To the right of my kitchen sink is the refrigerator (big door) and my freezer below it.
It's now much, but enough for now. For now, my Korean mom is being a traditional parent. She is helping with some of the cost of living on my own, partially, because she knows I spent most of my savings in SF and also since it is too difficult for me to live with her.
Here is a picture of my workplace. The reason that I posted this picture is because the building had a fire. I am not exactly sure how much of the building suffered damage, but I don't have to work today.
Pagoda Academy is also the place that I worked at last year. Last year, I was mainly on the 3rd/4th floor teaching Business English in a classroom setting. Now, I am on the 10th floor at Direct English, a separate division of Pagoda Academy. I teach English on a one-to-one setting.
I just got internet service at my apartment, so I have been delaying on updating my blog.
I moved about a month ago to an "officetel" (read: really small studio apt). My apartment is approximately 8 평(280 sq. ft./26 sq. meters). It is clean and it is in a very convenient location. I am on the 5th floor of a 14 story building. Floors 1-4 and the basement are retail with convenience store, restaurants, coffee shops, hair salon, dry cleaner, and workout center. It's expensive, but I will join this month. The main reason for it being expensive is that it has a swimming pool, practice golf (hit into nets, and maybe a simulator), and squash courts
For those of you who know Seoul, I am located next to Sadang Station, so I have easy access to the Line #2 (green), Line #4 (light blue?) and a lot of buses. I am located only 4 stops from my office near Gangnam Station, so it takes about 15-20 minutes depending on if I have to wait for a subway and how slow I walk. Also, I only live about a 10 minute bus ride from my mom's apartment.
Here are a few pictures of my place.
The entrance is small, but has a small closet for shoes and clothes. On the right, is the bathroom. It is quite nice. I like the shower because it has a regular shower head or flexible shower head, but they can't be used simultaneously. It also has four other nozzles that spray towards the body from the wall that can be used simultaneously with one of the shower heads.
Also, in the first picture, where there are grocery bags, there is a deep closet that I have a rolling clothes rack. The grocery bags are actually holding my recyclables. We have to sort out paper, plastic, glass, and cans. Also, all food waste needs to be collected separately and put into special yellow trash bags. The white bag on the floor is for anything that isn't recyclable.
Here are pictures of my main living space. I have a super single twin bed, futon?? (it came with the apartment), some more cupboards, and air-conditioning. Even though summer is almost over, it is one thing that I missed when I was living with my biological mother. She has a huge, expensive place, but no air-conditioning. The little door behind my bed goes out to the AC unit, so it is noisy from traffic noise since it isn't very insulated. One of the few problems.
You have probably already noticed. I don't have a TV yet. I am hoping to get one in the future, so I can watch TV, but I also have a Nintendo Wii that isn't being used. I won it at a fundraiser for an adoptee organization. At least with the Wii, I can use it as an excuse to say that I am pseudo-exercising when playing Wii sports.
Last but not least, is my kitchen. Hehe, it only takes up a small wall. Underneath my stove, isn't a circular oven. It's my washing machine :). It is very handy to have so I can wash clothes whenever I want. Some apartments have shared washing machines like the States, but my apartment is a little more expensive, so it is included. Very few homes have dryers and most Koreans think that it is a waste of electricity and is hard on clothes. Dishwashers don't seem to be used that often even if homes have them. Right now, I only have a 2 stove gas range, toaster, and hot water pot. Maybe in the future, I will buy an oven or microwave. Ovens are usually quite small compared to American ovens. To the right of my kitchen sink is the refrigerator (big door) and my freezer below it.
It's now much, but enough for now. For now, my Korean mom is being a traditional parent. She is helping with some of the cost of living on my own, partially, because she knows I spent most of my savings in SF and also since it is too difficult for me to live with her.
Here is a picture of my workplace. The reason that I posted this picture is because the building had a fire. I am not exactly sure how much of the building suffered damage, but I don't have to work today.
Pagoda Academy is also the place that I worked at last year. Last year, I was mainly on the 3rd/4th floor teaching Business English in a classroom setting. Now, I am on the 10th floor at Direct English, a separate division of Pagoda Academy. I teach English on a one-to-one setting.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Job/apartment
I'm working a lot from mid-July to mid-August, so probably not too much blogging. I will work approximately 55-60 hours a week.
Also, sometime in the next 6 weeks, I will move into my own apartment. My mom will help support some of the cost since Korean apartment rental system is different. It usually requires a deposit of 3,000-10,000 dollars plus a monthly fee. Most Koreans will put down a larger deposit so they don't have to pay a monthly fee. But, those deposits are any where from 40,000 to 100,000+ dollars. Yeah, ridiculous amount to deposit, but that deposit is returned after you move.
More later...
Also, sometime in the next 6 weeks, I will move into my own apartment. My mom will help support some of the cost since Korean apartment rental system is different. It usually requires a deposit of 3,000-10,000 dollars plus a monthly fee. Most Koreans will put down a larger deposit so they don't have to pay a monthly fee. But, those deposits are any where from 40,000 to 100,000+ dollars. Yeah, ridiculous amount to deposit, but that deposit is returned after you move.
More later...
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Cousin's Wedding
On Saturday, my cousin, 준, married 유나. It was held at one of the YMCA's in Seoul. They are equipped to host a couple weddings at one time. Here are a few pics.
Pre-wedding pictures
Pre-wedding pictures
My Aunt and Uncle
My cousin and his son
Post-wedding pictures
After the wedding, they take all of the parents, family, extended family, and friends pictures.
On Sunday, I went to church and then had lunch with my aunt, 준, 유나, and 한민.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
job/cousin
Yeah, yeah, I haven't posted in a while, but it doesn't sound like I'm doing much if I say that I meet friends for dinner/go to get a drink somewhere. I have been working part-time, but also looking for more permanent work.
In the last 5 days, I have had two interviews and one informal one for different jobs such as recruiter, English consultant, and one-on-one English teacher. The last one is with division of Pagoda, my old company, so interview was informal. The other two, I don't know how good my chances are. Obviously, a job is a main concern, but speaking Korean seems to be a forced second concern.
People don't realize that I can speak some basic necessary things to get around the city and to order at restaurants. With this, I am able to do enough, so I don't have total hardship. But, it would be nice to communicate more since I will need it in the future. Unfortunately, I am feeling that people are trying to shove it down my mouth, so it doesn't seem to enjoyable or interesting to study. Hopefully, I will find a greater interest and take more initiative, but for now I will keep looking for a job and be happy with what I have.
I met my cousin today. She has been one of my main communication lines with my mother. She just recently returned from a study abroad to UK, so it was nice to see her again. Also, she had a message from my mom and asked if I had any questions. She knows that it is very difficult for both of us, but hopes that we can have a chance to improve the relationship even with communication problems.
In the last 5 days, I have had two interviews and one informal one for different jobs such as recruiter, English consultant, and one-on-one English teacher. The last one is with division of Pagoda, my old company, so interview was informal. The other two, I don't know how good my chances are. Obviously, a job is a main concern, but speaking Korean seems to be a forced second concern.
People don't realize that I can speak some basic necessary things to get around the city and to order at restaurants. With this, I am able to do enough, so I don't have total hardship. But, it would be nice to communicate more since I will need it in the future. Unfortunately, I am feeling that people are trying to shove it down my mouth, so it doesn't seem to enjoyable or interesting to study. Hopefully, I will find a greater interest and take more initiative, but for now I will keep looking for a job and be happy with what I have.
I met my cousin today. She has been one of my main communication lines with my mother. She just recently returned from a study abroad to UK, so it was nice to see her again. Also, she had a message from my mom and asked if I had any questions. She knows that it is very difficult for both of us, but hopes that we can have a chance to improve the relationship even with communication problems.
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