The First Few Months

After the first week, I got into the swing of things. For my kindergarten classes I had set out a set of goals and expectations. I started to get to know the students and how to handle the trouble makers. The elementary classes were pretty easy. Although I didn't know much, I did read that it's much better to start out as a hardass and then be a bit more easy going than to do the reverse. There were two Korean teachers who hung out with the foreign teachers at this school. One was Ricky, a lovely lady who was very helpful in setting up cell phones for us, and the other was Choi, an odd fellow who really wanted friends.

After a few weeks of teaching Kindergarten and wiping all of the students noses, because they would just sneeze or let their faces become covered in snot without noticing, or come to school when they were sick and immediately removed their masks once they were in close proximity to other people, I came down with a terrible flu. I first started feeling it on a thursday which was a field trip. I went to the pharmacy and acted out my symptoms, and they sold me some medicine which complimented my fever nicely. I went to the LG science hall, and was half gone. I was about as amazed by the cartoons as the 5 year olds were. The next day I was hacking up my lungs, felt nauseous and could hardly breathe. I called my director and told him I was sick. He said I should see a doctor, but I said I just need some rest, and I'll be fine by monday. He calls about an hour later and asks me to come in just for the second half of the day. I hesitantly agree.

The second half of the day consisted of me only miming and writing because I could no longer speak. The weekend was spent sleeping. On monday, I feel even worse than I did on friday, so I call the director again and say, I should probably see a doctor and I can't teach that day. He picks me up and takes me to the doctor, crashing into a claw machine on the way. The doctor gives me some random pills and drinks, and I have to teach the second half of the day again. My Scottish coworker sees me coming up the stairs gasping for air and stumbling into the teachers room. He talks to the supervisor and tells her that I need two days off and that he'll cover any classes that he can. I get the two days off and watch the entire series of Farscape.

I lie in bed deleriously watching Farscape, which I still love to this day. At one point, some technician comes into my apartment and checks the gas. I don't really care because I have a fever of about 104/40. The medicine and the two days did the trick, and I was fully functional by thursday.

On thursday I come in, and the evil kindergarten class from my last post is thrilled. They were all worried about me and were so happy that I was better. I was pulled into the director's office though and given a warning. I am so unhealthy. I need to eat more kimchi and keep better care of myself. I explain that I don't have any immunity to all of the illnesses I've been exposed to since I've arrived and that I should be ok from here on out. I love kimchi, and I always drink lots of orange juice. They take this well, and everything is back to normal.