Host Mom Saves the Day

So, as some of you know, I was greeted with a few medical surprises when I was home visiting America.  The main problem is a case of anemia I seem to have developed, for reasons vaguely understood.

Yesterday I decided to start my hunt for Iron and B12 supplements to get myself all back in working order... and man, that proved to be a tedious task.

I started by browsing the vitamin aisle at my local supermarket.  I found a bottle with pictures of what looked like red blood cells on it.  Ok... that's a start.  After a bit of sign languaging, konglishing, and translating on my phone app, I was told to visit a pharmacy instead, where they would have something more specific. 

Lucky for me, the nearest pharmacy was actually located right within that very supermarket!

I spent about 20 minutes sign languaging, konglishing, and translating once again with the three pharmacists behind the counter.  There was much laughter, confusion, and sighing as we struggled through communications.  In the end, we decided on a four month supply of supplements that I was told had Iron, Folic Acid, and the vitamin B12.  I felt pretty confident about what I was picking up.  $70 later, I left the pharmacy and headed over to my host family's house.

I had the pleasure of introducing my host mom and boys to the joys of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and told them briefly about my trip home. 

I then showed my host mom the supplements I had picked up, just to make sure I understood everything I was taking.  It's a good thing I did!  It turns out there is no B12 in what they gave me.  Not sure how that happened, given how much "B12" was scrawled all over the pharmacist's notebook, but nonetheless, it was missing the second of the two key ingredients I need.

My host mom's jaw dropped when she saw the receipt.  (Medical costs in Korea are typically MUCH lower than those in America.)  Immediately she proclaimed that we were to go back to the pharmacy and return the pills.  She was confident we could find something better.  Well... right.  Except I threw away the box they came in.  I have limited space in my backpack, you see, and didn't want to carry around the extra bulky packaging. 

Moms (whether their yours or not) have a way of getting things accomplished, however.  We marched right back into the pharmacy and returned the pills (no matter that I no longer had the original packaging).

My host mom and I have a date for later today at a nearby hospital to get a prescription for exactly what I need and hopefully get the medicine a lot cheaper.  She said that with a "doctor paper" you can get better quality medicine for much cheaper.  We'll see what happens.

I hope this doesn't mean I'll have more blood drawn - I'm not sure how much I have left!

Not Just Another Monday

I just experienced the most beautiful welcome back to work.  I had just one class today, my Day Care class, as the rest of my students are still off enjoying winter vacation.  This class is comprised of wriggly, squiggly, energized and eager little first and second graders.

I was barely through the door when I was monkey-piled on by a group of girls who avidly exclaimed, "very, very happy!"

They robustly sang their favorite English songs as we began class, and pointed out my family members as I showed them a slide show of pictures from home (Oh, how I miss home!  I missed it before I even left!).  They managed to talk their entire way through the game we played, and danced to their hearts content as the closing song (Rain, Rain Go Away) played on Youtube.

The real kicker, and something I don't quite understand, is that for a solid ten minutes after class ended, both boys and girls rushed my desk with scraps of paper, markers, crayons, and pens, and shouted, "teacher, sign!"  For whatever reason, they all decided they needed my autograph, along with various shapes (hearts, diamonds, whatever they requested) scrawled onto their papers.  I looked up at the Korean teacher and she looked just as surprised, confused, and full of warmth as I did.

Couldn't ask for a better first class back!

A Christmas Subway Miracle

This story will feature Romero the Third, my new rosemary plant.
Also pictured, for your viewing pleasure, are some very pretty purple and white flowers. 

Meet Romero III

Meet the Roses

Now that you have become acquainted with the stars of the show, I will tell you my story.

The Christmas Subway Miracle.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (aka Korea), a boy and a girl embarked on a much-traveled journey from Guri to Ansan.  It was Christmas night, and the weather was cold and dark.  Snow lined the streets, and fluttered through the sky.  (It actually did... just small flurries, but hey!) 

The boy and the girl were eager to get to Ansan where they could be warm and dry.  An unfortunate two hour journey stood between them and this contentment.  But, alas, a train was fast approaching!  As they walked up the steps they heard the pre-departure announcement.  If they could just run quickly enough, spring up the stairs in their agile youth, they could catch it before it sped off!  They were determined.  The boy led the way and put his arm through the doors in an effort to prevent their closing so the girl could catch up and hop in.  Little did they realize, however, how strong the door's closing mechanism was!  His half-surprised attempt to delay the train was no match for the machine's strong force.

In a flurry of excitement and confusion, the train closed up and sped off into the night.  The boy and girl stood there dumbfounded as they realized part of Romero the Third, their beloved rosemary plant, was no longer with them.  The boy thought he had saved part of it, but as they peered down into his hand, they saw only the plastic handles of the bag that had been holding Romero remained.  

The entire plant was gone.  Stuck in the door.  Wedged there for the ride.  

 As the train sped off, the girl managed to make eye contact with the surprised and confused Korean man standing on the other side of the door.  He somehow managed to look surprised, confused, entertained, and concerned all at once. 

As realization began to seep in, the boy and the girl donned sad puppy dog faces, melancholy over the loss of their beloved Romero.  In no time at all, however, their faces evolved into ones full of acceptance and laughter.  "That shall teach us," they said, "to slow down a bit more and enjoy the journey as much as the destination."  The boy added in, "I'm just glad it wasn't an arm or a foot."  He has rather interesting luck, you see, with participating in near-catastrophic... or in some cases, catastrophic... events.  He has experienced some rather close calls in terms of his safety and well-being.

They laughed it off, cradled the pretty purple and white flowers that escaped the event unscathed, and acknowledged their good luck as they waited for the next train.  When it arrived, their luck continued, as they even managed to find two empty seats, one right next to the other!  The train sped away, and then slowed to it's next stop, as it always does.  But there was a surprise in store!  A twist to the plot line!

Their contented jibber-jabber was interrupted by a young Korean man who swiftly appeared through the doors, walked straight towards the girl, placed Romero safely in her hands, and then vanished once more before any more than a 'thank you' could be uttered.  He was in and out so quickly that the girl just stared after him through the subway doors until they pressed closed.  She heard the boy mutter faintly in her ear, "That did not. Just. Happen."

But it did!

Romero suffered some near-fatal injuries (mainly frostbite on his tallest branches) as a result of speeding through the night, half inside a warm subway, half protruding out the merciless train doors.

The boy and girl decided Romero would benefit from a little extra TLC, so they took a taxi home from the train station, down quiet streets and past sleeping churches.

To this day (a whopping two weeks later), Romero lives on at the girl's house,  contributing to culinary dishes, and brightening her kitchen table.  He is still in the final stages of recovery, but if he makes it through her two week trip to America, without extra water and care, she is certain he can survive anything!

~ The End ~

A Christmas Day Cookie and Wine Event

What better a way to feel homey and cozy on Christmas day, than by enjoying fresh-baked cookies and hot spiced wine!  With Christmas music playing in the background and four different nationalities swapping Christmas stories, it was a beautiful afternoon.

The only problem with this otherwise grand plan is that I started baking the cookies far too late.  People were scheduled to arrive around two... so starting the baking process at one wasn't the best thought-out plan of action I could have come up with.

I brought about 500 pounds worth of baking ingredients from Ansan to Guri (about two hours on the subway) to make these tasty treats.  We managed to get our hands on an oven - extremely hard to come across in Korea - so I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by!  The oven was located in a room otherwise used for storage one floor down from where we had the party.  I had a book, a chair, and a drying rack (for clothes) that I set the cookie trays on in between batches.  Unfortunately, with the oven being located where it was, I managed to miss most of the social aspect of the party.  Haha... oops.

The result?!  They were... ok.  Certainly not the best cookies I've ever made.  But they did the trick.  The one Korean guy proclaimed that they were the best cookies he's ever had, and helped himself to about a hundred.  Well, ok.  He's Korean.  They have TERRIBLE cookies in this country.  I would by no means give them such a good review. 

Nonetheless, in between batches I'd run the warm cookies up to the gathering and sneak in a couple sips of hot spiced wine.  Also on the menu, hot toddies and pan-fried cinnamon & brown sugar apples.  Yum!  We decided to class it up and have two giant wine glasses of milk for communal cookie-dipping purposes.

Shown in the picture are Edge (British man who is now the proud father of Bubby), Ji (Korean man who was blown away by the mediocre cookies), and Fabi (one of my favorite people in Korea - dating Ji).

It was all made worth it when one of the British guys thanked Jeff and I for throwing together this little Christmas event... as he was afraid that his first Christmas away from home would otherwise be spent eating kimbop (similar to a sushi roll, without the fish) at some small local kimbop shop all by his lonesome. 

Christmas in Korea

Christmas was a full two week celebration this year - complete with a Children's Christmas Volunteer Event, a White Elephant Christmas Party, a Christmas Day Cookie and Wine Event, a Christmas Subway Miracle, and a viewing of the production The Nutcracker at the Universal Art Center in Seoul!  Actually... Christmas still has another two weeks to go, as I get to celebrate with my family not this Saturday, but next, while home in America!!

The White Elephant Gift:
So Jeff and I were invited to a white elephant Christmas party that a bunch of his coworkers and neighbors were attending.  There was a potluck dinner with all the Christmas fixings - ham, stuffing, casserole, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, and dessert!   We, however, having shown up just a wee bit late, managed to get the cold leftovers.  Well, Jeff had some cold ham and as much green bean casserole as would fit on his plate!  I had a dinner role that I topped with peanut butter and jelly.  Not the most magnificent feast, but that's what you get for showing up late to an event full of hungry foreigners, haha.  Nonetheless, things looked up from there.  The company was cheery, good music was playing, and the white elephant exchange was yet to come.  

While trying to brainstorm what to bring as our item, Jeff jokingly suggested a small animal.  "A small animal?" said I... and I was hooked.  Couldn't get enough of the idea.  His suggestion - hermit crab.  It was my job to go out and purchase the little critter.  They're all over Korea, in all the big Walmart-esque shops.  Except when I went a-looking, they weren't.  None to be found the night before the party.  (Of course I didn't plan ahead for something like this.)  The price suggestion for the gift was $20, so I continued browsing down the small pet aisle.  As soon as I saw Bubby, I was hooked.  Who wouldn't LOVE a small turtle?!  Bubby just so happened to be priced at $20, which meant I had to go a little over to get his tank, food, etc.  But he was oh-so-worth it.  

When the time finally came, Jeff and I had a hard time deciding whether we would actually be able to part with little Bubby.  He was soooo cute.  Seriously.  But, alas, he was intended to be given as a gift, and neither Jeff nor I are home enough to take care of a pet... as independent as a turtle might be.  Our apartments are so cold during the day when we're away at work, that he might be at risk for hypothermia.  Can turtles get hypothermia?

Either way, we decided to go through with the gift idea, and brought his bowl down to the party.  He was hidden from view, with his little bowl covered by a dish rag, and everyone was quite intrigued... if not a bit apprehensive.  If I remember right, he was the last gift chosen.  But once he was finally revealed, he was a hit!  He was stolen by a girl who had been hoping for a little critter all along.  As she was thinking of names and happily convincing her boyfriend that he would, in fact, survive the subway ride home, he was stolen yet again by our British friend, Edge.  

Now, we were a bit nervous about this.  You see, we trusted the girl.  Her excitement, her affection for it, her level of responsibility.  Edge, great guy that he is, was rather tipsy at this point, and left us a bit unsettled as he reached for the bowl.  

I was fully reassured over the course of the night and next day as he constantly thanked us for his third-best-Christmas-gift ever, and told us all about the aquarium full of fish he had just before coming out to Korea.  Honestly, he sounded like a better pet owner than me.  I heard that within the week, he went out and bought a bigger tank with a heat lamp.  

It's safe to say that Bubby is in good hands now, and he's close enough for a visit whenever we want. 

Up Next:
Children's Christmas Volunteer Event
Christmas Day Cookie and Wine Event
Christmas Subway Miracle
The Nutcracker
Christmas in Wisconsin