Sick in Korea

My first week in Korea and I get sick!

The first 10 days in Korea consisted of teacher orientation in where we had class from about 8am-8pm everyday. There were about about 400 teachers if I'm not mistaken in where I'm sure it's easy to catch SOMETHING from SOMEONE!

I'm not sure if the classes we were in had any mold but I'm HIGHLY allergic to mold and it definitely felt like it :/. The hallways contained a lovely aroma of cigarette smell and smoke, and to top it off, it was FREEZING COLD!!! My body obviously did not like any of this! Including the spicy kimchi I was just getting used to! I love kimchi just not the one served here! Owwieee...my poor roommate had to see me suffering daily. :(

I don't know what got me sick but the point is that I had a 38 degrees Celsius fever (101 F) and so they did not allow me to go on the teacher's trip. They told me "ok, now you have to go to the hospital. Do you know how to get there?" Me: Ehemm, excuse me? Uhh, yea, sure, I guess I could use my Korean mini book to get there" (as I slowly walk away trying to figure out my next step). Turns out the guy at the front desk called me a cab and I had a fellow sicky-poo to join me. He had lived in Korea for a year before THANK GOD!

So the taxi picks us up, 5 minutes later pulls up to the clinic. We go upstairs. I hand my passport (mind you I have no insurance)...2 minutes later they call me by my middle name
"ooookkaaayyyy" and I get up and daintily walk myself in "scooobidoobiidooo". I explain my symptoms to the doctor who spoke very little English and so I used many gestures and pointed to everything I could. He said "ok, go outside". I wait for my buddy and he's out in 3 minutes as well. Check up, 16,000Won which is about $14 U.S. We go downstairs, pick up my drugs for 4 days. Drugs: 6,000Won which is about $4.00 U.S. Thirty minutes and less than $20 later, we are out of there!

What better thing to do than tour the city of Daejon while everyone is having fun? So we went for coffee and walked for a bit. We later on left to rest for the day. I don't know what these Korean meds have in them but I can promise you, I felt brand new by the next day!