It has been raining for the past couple days. Many of you guys are from the Pacific Northwest and know rain. You know rain so well that if you were to use rain as your primary character in a novel you would know how it would react in any situation. I think that in about 1000 years all babies in the Pacific Northwest are going to be born with webbed feet and excessively oily skin.
As annoying as rain is, I know how to deal with it. I think I'm the only person at my school who doesn't carry an umbrella but prefers to just wear a waterproof jacket. We all know how important rain is. We know that excessive amounts of rain can cause severe damage. Most recently, this can be best expressed with what happened in Thailand. However, for me, that isn't the true power of rain.
There are many, many types of weather we experience throughout the year; hot and arid, hot and humid, snowy, foggy, overcast, windy, and more. But the most influential is rain. How many times have people literally felt their emotions change drastically with other weather types. When it is sunny, people are generally happier. Many people feel that childhood giddiness in them when they see snow for the first time of the winter. But when one wakes up in the morning and sees that it is still raining, still soaking everything, still making your joints ache and your pant cuffs wet, there is never any emotion other than gloom. When people get married, they hope for sunny days, or if it's in the winter, they hope for a white christmas (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere) but never once do people hope to have their big events on a rainy day. The only time I've ever heard people wish for rain was in Oklahoma when the farmers needed the rain to grow their wheat. . .then they curse it when it doesn't stop at the right time.
Sure there are some exceptions to the norm, but in general, I feel that the true power of rain is its pure, undeniable ability to rain on everyone's parade.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving is Thanksgiving, no matter where you are
Yesterday was Thanksgiving for us. Because it is not a holiday in Korea, we obviously couldn't get Thursday off. That doesn't matter to me. For about a month a few of the other ex-pats here in Donghae have been planning a Thanksgiving party. Because we all live in apartments that are far too small to have more than 10 people over, Amanda and Bob asked a club owner if we could celebrate at his club. Now, this might seem strange but the owner, Mini, loves foreigners. He has a few Korean friends, but the majority of his best friends are English speaking ex-pats. He was more than happy to open his club early so we could invade and start food prep.
Most of the people handling the preperations got there around 10 am. Pre-recorded football games were playing and drinks were flowing. However, I showed up later. Yoon mi finished work at 2pm and I picked her up and took her to an amazing coffee/tea shop. She had some lemon tea and I allowed myself a cappucino. Then we went home and I laid down a little bit to relax my back a bit before we went out. So, I ended up getting to the club around 5. One of my South African friends is getting married to a Scottish man. Hazel and Craig are fantastic and very fun to talk with. Because Craig is Scottish and Hazel is South African, they didn't really understand American football so well. Hazel helped me understand the finer points of rugby so that I could actually enjoy that game. So, when Hazel asked if she could come sit by me at the bar so I could teach her about American football, I was more than happy.
Around 6:30 the dinner was ready, I carved one of the chickens (we had turkey, but they are incredibly expensive here so the chicken was an essential supplement). When you have Thanksgiving in the US or Canada you get together with your family and have the same meal you had the year before and the year before that, generally. However, when you have Thanksgiving in Korea, you get together with your local family. Foreigners from all over the world and their Korean friends (and my family) gathered together and brought their own contribution to our potluck Thanksgiving dinner. We had people from all over the US, Canada, S. Africa, Australia, Scotland, Nepal, and S. Carolina. We could choose from the traditional foods, turkey/chicken, mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with cheese, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, fruit salad, sweet potato pie, macaroni and cheese, stuffing and more. Furthermore, we could have Nepalese chicken curry, lamb kebobs, chicken skewers, and some other stuff that I just can't remember. For dessert, Bob and Amanda baked 12 pies! Pumpkin and Peanut Butter! oh my god! This Thanksgiving goes down in the annals of AMAZING DINNERS! Plus, the camaraderie is fantastic. I haven't been able to go out and see my Korean family since Halloween and it was really nice to see everyone. People were sympathetic about my back, offering suggestions and such. They were also very excited to see Yoon mi's little baby bump. It's so cute and little that its hard to not be excited!
Anyway, I ate a little bit of everything but the whole time I was worried about my diet. Today, I went to the sauna and weighed myself. After that entire dinner and 2 beers, I gained about half a kilogram. So, It's a step in the wrong direction but what a delicious and beautiful backward step!
Most of the people handling the preperations got there around 10 am. Pre-recorded football games were playing and drinks were flowing. However, I showed up later. Yoon mi finished work at 2pm and I picked her up and took her to an amazing coffee/tea shop. She had some lemon tea and I allowed myself a cappucino. Then we went home and I laid down a little bit to relax my back a bit before we went out. So, I ended up getting to the club around 5. One of my South African friends is getting married to a Scottish man. Hazel and Craig are fantastic and very fun to talk with. Because Craig is Scottish and Hazel is South African, they didn't really understand American football so well. Hazel helped me understand the finer points of rugby so that I could actually enjoy that game. So, when Hazel asked if she could come sit by me at the bar so I could teach her about American football, I was more than happy.
Around 6:30 the dinner was ready, I carved one of the chickens (we had turkey, but they are incredibly expensive here so the chicken was an essential supplement). When you have Thanksgiving in the US or Canada you get together with your family and have the same meal you had the year before and the year before that, generally. However, when you have Thanksgiving in Korea, you get together with your local family. Foreigners from all over the world and their Korean friends (and my family) gathered together and brought their own contribution to our potluck Thanksgiving dinner. We had people from all over the US, Canada, S. Africa, Australia, Scotland, Nepal, and S. Carolina. We could choose from the traditional foods, turkey/chicken, mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with cheese, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, fruit salad, sweet potato pie, macaroni and cheese, stuffing and more. Furthermore, we could have Nepalese chicken curry, lamb kebobs, chicken skewers, and some other stuff that I just can't remember. For dessert, Bob and Amanda baked 12 pies! Pumpkin and Peanut Butter! oh my god! This Thanksgiving goes down in the annals of AMAZING DINNERS! Plus, the camaraderie is fantastic. I haven't been able to go out and see my Korean family since Halloween and it was really nice to see everyone. People were sympathetic about my back, offering suggestions and such. They were also very excited to see Yoon mi's little baby bump. It's so cute and little that its hard to not be excited!
Anyway, I ate a little bit of everything but the whole time I was worried about my diet. Today, I went to the sauna and weighed myself. After that entire dinner and 2 beers, I gained about half a kilogram. So, It's a step in the wrong direction but what a delicious and beautiful backward step!
Friday, November 25, 2011
I cannot tell a lie
Nothing special really happened this week and instead of writing another post about how I quit going to the doctor and my back has gotten better and better, I've decided to reach back into my past.
As many of you know, I hate lying. I hate it when people lie to me and I don't lie to other people. I am such a piss poor liar that if I ever did, a 9-year old deaf kid would be able to tell that I was lying. Unlike many things about me, I can actually pinpoint a specific event in my life that has made me this way.
In elementary school, I was good at math. I enjoyed it. When it came time for my math lessons, I blew through the exercises like wind through Lindsay Lohan's ears. However, when I got into middle school, I was bored to tears. The lessons were too simple, I didn't care about it one bit, and my teacher was hopelessly boring. It's not her fault, really. It's math in general. Besides the lesson itself, the assignments were more tedious than painting a box of toothpicks. 25 problems of the exact same thing which was too easy for me anyway. Not only did I have to get through the 25 problems, I had to show HOW I got the answer. . .I just knew it. . .but that didn't matter. 81 divided by 9. well, duh, its 9. but I actually had to show the steps I took to get to that point. I couldn't be bothered so I just sat in the back of the class and read my books. . . probably Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and some choose your own adventure books. I think it was at this point that I tried to read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Twain, but that didn't go over very well.
Well, needless to say, I failed that class and like all good parents should do, I was grounded for the summer. I had to go to summer school to make up the credit. Summer school was held at my middle school Monday-Friday from 8am-noon. I had to walk there, so I left at 7:30 every morning and got home at 12:30 every afternoon. I would then do several chores my parents set up for me and was not allowed to use the phone or tv; nor was I allowed to go anywhere or have any friends over.
The way my summer school worked was that each day we do a lesson and on Fridays we take a test. If you passed the test with a high enough percentage, you could progress to the next chapter. However, if you took the test early, you could skip the lessons and go on to the next chapter. I think it was sometime in the second week that I realized this. So, instead of doing each lesson and test, I just got to school at 8, took the test, left at 8:45 and went to my friend's house. His name was Jimmy but I don't really remember much else about him except that he lived right by my school. At 12:30 I would find myself at home and complaining about how boring my school was. I don't remember exactly how long summer school was supposed to take nor how long it actually took me to finish it, but I think I was done with summer school by the end of the 3rd week. But, every morning I would continue the facade because I wanted to get out of the house and play with my friends. Everyday, I would lie to my parents and play with my friend.
My mum came home from grocery shopping one day and asked me how summer school was going. I said something like, "oh, it's so boring and I hate having to go." This is when my mum told me that she saw my teacher in the grocery store and found out that I had already graduated from the program and she hadn't seen me for quite some time. Instead of facing up to it, I am pretty sure that I continued to lie to her.
I was already grounded, my parents had done everything they could think of to punish me for being bad. Instead, my parents sat me down and simply told me, "There is nothing else we can do. You have broken our trust and once you do that, it takes a very long time to get it back, if you can at all. Just know that at one point, we would've trusted you about anything, but now if you tell us your name is Jim, [it was at that point] we can't believe you." I don't know if it was exactly those words but it was pretty close. From that point on, I have shunned lying.
I can't say I haven't lied since then, but I can say that I tried very hard to not lie after that. I realized that the one thing in my life that I have complete control over is my honor and if I can't keep that, then I'm no good to anyone. Unfortunately, with the slight obsessive-compulsiveness that I do have, I have taken it a bit too far. If someone asks me if their joke was funny, I can't tell them yes. Instead I will change the subject. If my wife asks me if something looks bad on her, I tell her. Not always the best thing, but at least people know that I'm telling them the honest truth.
This has led to other problems in my friendships. Some of my closest friends know that I cannot lie and that I can be a bit harsh when it comes to the truth. So, if they have a secret that they don't want to get out and I ask them about it directly, they have lied to me. When I catch them in that lie, they'll always come clean with me but they always tell me that the reason they lied to me in the first place was because they knew I can't lie and they didn't want anyone asking me about it. For example, I have a friend over here who teaches private lessons. These lessons are illegal and if caught, they could be fined heavily and deported. I asked them about it and they flat out told me that they don't teach private lessons. However, the next day or week one of my students came up to me and asked if I knew this person, I said, "sure, how do you?" when my student told me that this person was her private tutor, my heart dropped. "How could my friend lie to me?" I thought. It is the one thing that can turn a friend to a foe for me. When I confronted my friend, this person explained that if anyone asked me about this person, I would've had to tell the truth about it and that could've caused unwanted problems.
This is a dance I have to dance now because I have made a conscious decision to not lie to anyone. However, I have become proficient in not lying but not telling the truth too. I can dance around the truth so well that I would be a sure winner in dancing with the stars.
As many of you know, I hate lying. I hate it when people lie to me and I don't lie to other people. I am such a piss poor liar that if I ever did, a 9-year old deaf kid would be able to tell that I was lying. Unlike many things about me, I can actually pinpoint a specific event in my life that has made me this way.
In elementary school, I was good at math. I enjoyed it. When it came time for my math lessons, I blew through the exercises like wind through Lindsay Lohan's ears. However, when I got into middle school, I was bored to tears. The lessons were too simple, I didn't care about it one bit, and my teacher was hopelessly boring. It's not her fault, really. It's math in general. Besides the lesson itself, the assignments were more tedious than painting a box of toothpicks. 25 problems of the exact same thing which was too easy for me anyway. Not only did I have to get through the 25 problems, I had to show HOW I got the answer. . .I just knew it. . .but that didn't matter. 81 divided by 9. well, duh, its 9. but I actually had to show the steps I took to get to that point. I couldn't be bothered so I just sat in the back of the class and read my books. . . probably Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and some choose your own adventure books. I think it was at this point that I tried to read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Twain, but that didn't go over very well.
Well, needless to say, I failed that class and like all good parents should do, I was grounded for the summer. I had to go to summer school to make up the credit. Summer school was held at my middle school Monday-Friday from 8am-noon. I had to walk there, so I left at 7:30 every morning and got home at 12:30 every afternoon. I would then do several chores my parents set up for me and was not allowed to use the phone or tv; nor was I allowed to go anywhere or have any friends over.
The way my summer school worked was that each day we do a lesson and on Fridays we take a test. If you passed the test with a high enough percentage, you could progress to the next chapter. However, if you took the test early, you could skip the lessons and go on to the next chapter. I think it was sometime in the second week that I realized this. So, instead of doing each lesson and test, I just got to school at 8, took the test, left at 8:45 and went to my friend's house. His name was Jimmy but I don't really remember much else about him except that he lived right by my school. At 12:30 I would find myself at home and complaining about how boring my school was. I don't remember exactly how long summer school was supposed to take nor how long it actually took me to finish it, but I think I was done with summer school by the end of the 3rd week. But, every morning I would continue the facade because I wanted to get out of the house and play with my friends. Everyday, I would lie to my parents and play with my friend.
My mum came home from grocery shopping one day and asked me how summer school was going. I said something like, "oh, it's so boring and I hate having to go." This is when my mum told me that she saw my teacher in the grocery store and found out that I had already graduated from the program and she hadn't seen me for quite some time. Instead of facing up to it, I am pretty sure that I continued to lie to her.
I was already grounded, my parents had done everything they could think of to punish me for being bad. Instead, my parents sat me down and simply told me, "There is nothing else we can do. You have broken our trust and once you do that, it takes a very long time to get it back, if you can at all. Just know that at one point, we would've trusted you about anything, but now if you tell us your name is Jim, [it was at that point] we can't believe you." I don't know if it was exactly those words but it was pretty close. From that point on, I have shunned lying.
I can't say I haven't lied since then, but I can say that I tried very hard to not lie after that. I realized that the one thing in my life that I have complete control over is my honor and if I can't keep that, then I'm no good to anyone. Unfortunately, with the slight obsessive-compulsiveness that I do have, I have taken it a bit too far. If someone asks me if their joke was funny, I can't tell them yes. Instead I will change the subject. If my wife asks me if something looks bad on her, I tell her. Not always the best thing, but at least people know that I'm telling them the honest truth.
This has led to other problems in my friendships. Some of my closest friends know that I cannot lie and that I can be a bit harsh when it comes to the truth. So, if they have a secret that they don't want to get out and I ask them about it directly, they have lied to me. When I catch them in that lie, they'll always come clean with me but they always tell me that the reason they lied to me in the first place was because they knew I can't lie and they didn't want anyone asking me about it. For example, I have a friend over here who teaches private lessons. These lessons are illegal and if caught, they could be fined heavily and deported. I asked them about it and they flat out told me that they don't teach private lessons. However, the next day or week one of my students came up to me and asked if I knew this person, I said, "sure, how do you?" when my student told me that this person was her private tutor, my heart dropped. "How could my friend lie to me?" I thought. It is the one thing that can turn a friend to a foe for me. When I confronted my friend, this person explained that if anyone asked me about this person, I would've had to tell the truth about it and that could've caused unwanted problems.
This is a dance I have to dance now because I have made a conscious decision to not lie to anyone. However, I have become proficient in not lying but not telling the truth too. I can dance around the truth so well that I would be a sure winner in dancing with the stars.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
art and stuff
So, I've been reading some other blogs and I've come to the realization that blogs with art are 57% more interesting than blogs without. Even a great blog gets overlooked when there are no pictures. Now, I'm as artistic as a carrot so the idea of me drawing pictures to put in my blog is out. However, I know some of my readers are artistic so I'm putting out a call, if any of you would like to draw something from my blogs, please email it to me and I'll put it in the appropriate blog. Thanks!
Gas expulsion
So, I'm a normal guy. At any given time I would guess that somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of my body weight consists of gas. It likes to escape from just about every opening as possible. Normally. However, since I've started this diet and haven't been able to go out . . .or move, I have had a major decline in the production of gas. I didn't realize it until this evening. I ate some hot stone-pot bibimbap (DELICIOUS!) and laid down. I was playing my favorite Wii fishing game while I was resting my back and then I sat up. As soon as I sat up a huge burp just escaped from my mouth. I didn't know it was there and it just erupted like vesuvius. It felt amazing but it actually scared me a bit.
I guess the reason I didn't realize it had left me was because my 14 week pregnant wife has been making up for my absence. . . today I thought she ripped the chair.
Well, I guess I'm doing my part for global warming, now someone needs to get my wife to do her part.
I have to say though, I don't mind the noises she makes. Maybe I'm crazy, but its kinda cute and I know that its because our little kong (K-oh-ng ,콩) is making her do it.
I guess the reason I didn't realize it had left me was because my 14 week pregnant wife has been making up for my absence. . . today I thought she ripped the chair.
Well, I guess I'm doing my part for global warming, now someone needs to get my wife to do her part.
I have to say though, I don't mind the noises she makes. Maybe I'm crazy, but its kinda cute and I know that its because our little kong (K-oh-ng ,콩) is making her do it.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Frustration and Gratitude
Today was my first day back at work after a week off to try and heal. Walking to work was painful and it took me 13 minutes to travel what normally takes me 2 and a half. When I got to school, I stopped in to say hello to the principal and he told me to go home because today and tomorrow are festival days and no classes. I had some work to do as coordinator though so I went up to my desk and took care of that.
My co-teacher informed me that I have used up all of my sick days and if I take anymore days off I will not get paid for it. So, I settled in for the day. I went over to the gym and watched the girls do their little dance routines and such. I hobbled back to the office while all the girls came up to me, concerned asking if I was sick, if I was ok, if my back was better. It was really sweet and I tried to answer them with all the courtesy I could muster, but the truth was, I was dying. At some point in the day, I went and laid down in the office on the dirty floor; sitting had lost its comfort for me.
At 4:25 my coteacher came back into the office and asked why I stayed all day. I reminded him that he told me I wouldn't get paid for it. He sighed and said if I stayed home all day, I wouldn't get paid, but if I went home early, it's ok. Whatever. I've been here for over 5 years and I STILL can't understand how anything works. So, tomorrow, I'm supposed to go in 25 minutes late, and sign out 6 minutes later. . . then it's all ok.
Well, at 4:30 I left. at 4:45 I got home. at 5:00 I went to the doctor. Everything I had gained from the week off seemed to have gone out the window. I couldn't stand up, and NOW I can't lay flat on my back without a red hot dagger digging in to my hip, butt and left calf. When I was supposed to put my legs down flat I nearly cried. So, I laid on my side and everything was ok. Then I went into the other room and they had me lay on my stomach, nearly as painful but bearable. The doctor put wedges under each hip and proceeded to massage my lower back. Then he got up on the table and stood on my hips. It was the most relief I've ever felt in my life. . . until he got off my back, then the daggers came back full force. I had to lay there, trying to squeeze gold out of the mattress and bed frame. He injected me with bee venom and applied red hot needles again. Jesus H. Christ. I just can't deal with this pain anymore. I am so frustrated with this whole thing.
When I finished, I hobbled back out to the car and some of my students were outside. They were so concerned that for a second I actually forgot that I was hurt. They told me they were sad that I didn't perform at the festival today (I was supposed to play guitar and sing) but they understand. I got back in the car and called my wife. I was in so much pain that I had to lean over the steering wheel. . but the kindness in my wife's voice as she told me to hurry home and eat and rest was so wonderful. Yoon mi, if you ever read this, I love you and appreciate everything you are doing to help me out right now. 사랑해. 진짜 사랑해!
My co-teacher informed me that I have used up all of my sick days and if I take anymore days off I will not get paid for it. So, I settled in for the day. I went over to the gym and watched the girls do their little dance routines and such. I hobbled back to the office while all the girls came up to me, concerned asking if I was sick, if I was ok, if my back was better. It was really sweet and I tried to answer them with all the courtesy I could muster, but the truth was, I was dying. At some point in the day, I went and laid down in the office on the dirty floor; sitting had lost its comfort for me.
At 4:25 my coteacher came back into the office and asked why I stayed all day. I reminded him that he told me I wouldn't get paid for it. He sighed and said if I stayed home all day, I wouldn't get paid, but if I went home early, it's ok. Whatever. I've been here for over 5 years and I STILL can't understand how anything works. So, tomorrow, I'm supposed to go in 25 minutes late, and sign out 6 minutes later. . . then it's all ok.
Well, at 4:30 I left. at 4:45 I got home. at 5:00 I went to the doctor. Everything I had gained from the week off seemed to have gone out the window. I couldn't stand up, and NOW I can't lay flat on my back without a red hot dagger digging in to my hip, butt and left calf. When I was supposed to put my legs down flat I nearly cried. So, I laid on my side and everything was ok. Then I went into the other room and they had me lay on my stomach, nearly as painful but bearable. The doctor put wedges under each hip and proceeded to massage my lower back. Then he got up on the table and stood on my hips. It was the most relief I've ever felt in my life. . . until he got off my back, then the daggers came back full force. I had to lay there, trying to squeeze gold out of the mattress and bed frame. He injected me with bee venom and applied red hot needles again. Jesus H. Christ. I just can't deal with this pain anymore. I am so frustrated with this whole thing.
When I finished, I hobbled back out to the car and some of my students were outside. They were so concerned that for a second I actually forgot that I was hurt. They told me they were sad that I didn't perform at the festival today (I was supposed to play guitar and sing) but they understand. I got back in the car and called my wife. I was in so much pain that I had to lean over the steering wheel. . but the kindness in my wife's voice as she told me to hurry home and eat and rest was so wonderful. Yoon mi, if you ever read this, I love you and appreciate everything you are doing to help me out right now. 사랑해. 진짜 사랑해!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
International living
When I lived in the US, I lived all my life in a small town 45 miles away from Seattle. I grew up captivated by the sight of Mt. Ranier and I am one of the few who know why Western Washington is so rainy. The people in the town I grew up in chose to live there because it was stunningly gorgeous and close to the city but far enough away that they didn't have to deal with the bustle and liberality of a large West coast city. I didn't choose to live there. When I did, I wanted to get out of there. I wanted little to do with the whole place. I hated the school. I hated the town. I hated the rain. I hated the people. I hated the redneck, narrow-minded, racist idiots that I thought made up the entirety of the population. As I grew up, lived elsewhere and gone back home, I realized that I was a stupid kid. Thank god I got smarter.
Anyway, I lived for 20 years in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. I moved to Oklahoma in August of my 20th year and learned a whole new way of life. It is mind-boggling to think that the people in Washington state and the people in Oklahoma are of the same nationality. Sure, they speak the same language, mostly. Sure, they have the same president. But the similarities are few and far between. I'm not going to get into all the differences here because I'm already having a hard time focusing on my one idea. Even though I moved in country, this is pretty much when my international living started. The only way I could get home to a culture and people I had a lot in common with was by driving for 3 days or getting on a plane and having a layover in Denver. Because I moved there, basically on my own (I had an "aunt and uncle" an hour away) I was forced to make friends from scratch. The university I went to was incredibly small. I think there were more students in my high school than there were in my entire university!
In the process of making friends, I had to understand and accept this foreign culture and adapt myself to it. I didn't have to give up who I was, but I definitely had to change the way I went about things. It took me a while, but eventually I made some pretty tight friends in Oklahoma. Then I moved up to Illinois. Again, this is a new environment. It was a little bit of Oklahoma (because it is definitely still meat and potatoes mid-west) and a little bit of the Northwest (the people didn't care about every little thing you had in your cart at wal-mart) but it was also different. For the first time I had to deal with incredibly impoverished black students and their unique culture. I only lived there for 9 months though and got out of there as quickly as possible.
Since then, I've lived in S. Korea. Not only is this a foreign speaking country, its whole history is completely different from any Euro-based civilization. This is Asia. Absolutely. When you walk down the hair dye section of the local mega-mart, you see black, black, black, and black. Everyone in this country has dark hair. If it isn't black, its close enough that any white person will usually say it is. The fashion is different. The protocols of greeting, hanging out, saying goodbye are different. The dating methods are insanely different. Work ethic is different (my first job I had 3 sick days a year. If I used one, I was frowned upon). To make a long list short, basically everything was different except they drove on the same side of the road. Ah, heck, even their toilets are different!
The absolutely beautiful thing about having lived in so many different cultures is the vast variety of friends I've made. When I look at my blog readers, the US has the most readers followed by Korea, but I also have readers in Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Bahrain, Thailand, and some others I can't remember right now. . .OH! Brazil too. Periodically, I go through the friends I've met and would be happy to have stay with me and I'm pretty sure I could stay with them. Let me do this now. If I was to travel around the world, right now, I could stay for free (may be on a couch or in a van, but its free) in Korea, Japan, UAE, Bahrain, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, India, Spain, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, even Nova Scotia! I feel like I'm missing some, but I can't think of them right now. If you are from a different country than I listed and feel like I should've included you, then please let me know. If not, then when I DO remember, then I'll know how you really feel, ha!
Since I've been in Korea, I have become very close friends with English speaking people from so many different countries and I am open to their opinions on anything, yes, including America. This has opened my eyes to some of the cultural idiosyncracies of the US and it is quite interesting to see it. Americans, you know how you can't go a day without hearing about God or talking about him at least 19 times? yeah, that's you. Most other countries don't have this compulsion to express their opinions on religion as we do. Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Atheist, it doesn't matter. Americans speak about religion more than any other people I've ever known. Don't think so? Try this out. Tomorrow, listen closely and pay attention to how many times you hear, see or say something religious. Besides this, my last count was 1 time in the past week.
You know why?
I was speaking to my mum, an American.
Anyway, I lived for 20 years in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. I moved to Oklahoma in August of my 20th year and learned a whole new way of life. It is mind-boggling to think that the people in Washington state and the people in Oklahoma are of the same nationality. Sure, they speak the same language, mostly. Sure, they have the same president. But the similarities are few and far between. I'm not going to get into all the differences here because I'm already having a hard time focusing on my one idea. Even though I moved in country, this is pretty much when my international living started. The only way I could get home to a culture and people I had a lot in common with was by driving for 3 days or getting on a plane and having a layover in Denver. Because I moved there, basically on my own (I had an "aunt and uncle" an hour away) I was forced to make friends from scratch. The university I went to was incredibly small. I think there were more students in my high school than there were in my entire university!
In the process of making friends, I had to understand and accept this foreign culture and adapt myself to it. I didn't have to give up who I was, but I definitely had to change the way I went about things. It took me a while, but eventually I made some pretty tight friends in Oklahoma. Then I moved up to Illinois. Again, this is a new environment. It was a little bit of Oklahoma (because it is definitely still meat and potatoes mid-west) and a little bit of the Northwest (the people didn't care about every little thing you had in your cart at wal-mart) but it was also different. For the first time I had to deal with incredibly impoverished black students and their unique culture. I only lived there for 9 months though and got out of there as quickly as possible.
Since then, I've lived in S. Korea. Not only is this a foreign speaking country, its whole history is completely different from any Euro-based civilization. This is Asia. Absolutely. When you walk down the hair dye section of the local mega-mart, you see black, black, black, and black. Everyone in this country has dark hair. If it isn't black, its close enough that any white person will usually say it is. The fashion is different. The protocols of greeting, hanging out, saying goodbye are different. The dating methods are insanely different. Work ethic is different (my first job I had 3 sick days a year. If I used one, I was frowned upon). To make a long list short, basically everything was different except they drove on the same side of the road. Ah, heck, even their toilets are different!
The absolutely beautiful thing about having lived in so many different cultures is the vast variety of friends I've made. When I look at my blog readers, the US has the most readers followed by Korea, but I also have readers in Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Bahrain, Thailand, and some others I can't remember right now. . .OH! Brazil too. Periodically, I go through the friends I've met and would be happy to have stay with me and I'm pretty sure I could stay with them. Let me do this now. If I was to travel around the world, right now, I could stay for free (may be on a couch or in a van, but its free) in Korea, Japan, UAE, Bahrain, Myanmar, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, India, Spain, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, even Nova Scotia! I feel like I'm missing some, but I can't think of them right now. If you are from a different country than I listed and feel like I should've included you, then please let me know. If not, then when I DO remember, then I'll know how you really feel, ha!
Since I've been in Korea, I have become very close friends with English speaking people from so many different countries and I am open to their opinions on anything, yes, including America. This has opened my eyes to some of the cultural idiosyncracies of the US and it is quite interesting to see it. Americans, you know how you can't go a day without hearing about God or talking about him at least 19 times? yeah, that's you. Most other countries don't have this compulsion to express their opinions on religion as we do. Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Atheist, it doesn't matter. Americans speak about religion more than any other people I've ever known. Don't think so? Try this out. Tomorrow, listen closely and pay attention to how many times you hear, see or say something religious. Besides this, my last count was 1 time in the past week.
You know why?
I was speaking to my mum, an American.
Friday, November 18, 2011
one sick bunny
Yesterday, when I got home from therapy and sauna, I let rumor out to play. Yoon mi went to a dinner for Koreans and foreigners alone. I was supposed to go but a couple things kept me away. First and foremost was that it required moving around and sitting in comfortable chairs. That just sounded way too painful. Second, it was at an Italian restaurant and that would've been disaster for all I worked for in the past week.
So, I was at home for quite sometime with nothing to do but lay invalid and watch Red Dwarf. Normally, this would be heaven but I've been doing the same thing all week. So, I was happy to have Rumor come out and stretch his legs for a bit. I sat in the computer chair so that he could feel free to run around and play. We have a mat on the floor that I've been sleeping on to ease my backpain. He LOVES this thing. Rumor will run from the spare bedroom into the living room, spring up into the air, do some twists then land on the pad, turn around and run into his room to then run back into the living room and do some more. I have a video of it, but like the ultrasound pics, I can't seem to get them loaded onto my computer in a way to let me upload it.
Anyway, he played around for about 30 minutes and then got too tired. I fed him and commenced watching Lister berate Rimmer while Cat modeled his new suit. When Yoon mi got home later, she tried to give Rumor a banana (his favorite noms). But he refused it. That's a sure sign that he has a sour stomache. Poor guy, this happens to him a couple times a year. I think it may have something to do with his shedding because it tends to happen then. Anyway, just before I went to bed, I asked Yoon mi to bring him out so I could rub his tummy. Normally, he won't let me get near his soft, fuzzy belly but this time he not only let me pet him, but he actually laid down and kicked his feet out showing how comfortable he is. Then, Yoon mi put him back in his room and we went to sleep.
In the morning, Yoon mi opened his room door and there he was, waiting right at the door. As soon as it opened he came running out straight to my mattress. He turned himself around and lay down right on my hand. This is the cutest thing I've ever seen him do. Normally, he will only come to you begrudgingly and only when he's ready. This time, he came STRAIGHT to me. So, I wasn't able to get up and take Yoon mi to work and go to the doctor because I had to massage my bunny's tummy. I can deal with that.
So, I was at home for quite sometime with nothing to do but lay invalid and watch Red Dwarf. Normally, this would be heaven but I've been doing the same thing all week. So, I was happy to have Rumor come out and stretch his legs for a bit. I sat in the computer chair so that he could feel free to run around and play. We have a mat on the floor that I've been sleeping on to ease my backpain. He LOVES this thing. Rumor will run from the spare bedroom into the living room, spring up into the air, do some twists then land on the pad, turn around and run into his room to then run back into the living room and do some more. I have a video of it, but like the ultrasound pics, I can't seem to get them loaded onto my computer in a way to let me upload it.
Anyway, he played around for about 30 minutes and then got too tired. I fed him and commenced watching Lister berate Rimmer while Cat modeled his new suit. When Yoon mi got home later, she tried to give Rumor a banana (his favorite noms). But he refused it. That's a sure sign that he has a sour stomache. Poor guy, this happens to him a couple times a year. I think it may have something to do with his shedding because it tends to happen then. Anyway, just before I went to bed, I asked Yoon mi to bring him out so I could rub his tummy. Normally, he won't let me get near his soft, fuzzy belly but this time he not only let me pet him, but he actually laid down and kicked his feet out showing how comfortable he is. Then, Yoon mi put him back in his room and we went to sleep.
In the morning, Yoon mi opened his room door and there he was, waiting right at the door. As soon as it opened he came running out straight to my mattress. He turned himself around and lay down right on my hand. This is the cutest thing I've ever seen him do. Normally, he will only come to you begrudgingly and only when he's ready. This time, he came STRAIGHT to me. So, I wasn't able to get up and take Yoon mi to work and go to the doctor because I had to massage my bunny's tummy. I can deal with that.
Best bathroom exit, ever!
So, sometime around the middle of September, Yoon mi started getting super tired, worn down, exhausted. She had been working from 9-7 Monday through Friday and from 9-5 on Saturdays.
Yoon mi often asks me, "so, do you want to have a baby, or not?" and my answer is always, "if you get pregnant, then yes, if you can't, then I'm ok. If it's meant to be, then so be it." I honestly meant that.
I've known couples who felt an absolute need to have a baby and they can't. This inability to reproduce causes a rift in their relationship and someone often blames the other, be it consciously or sub. When Yoon mi and I got married, I was fully aware that it is possible that she couldn't get pregnant. She was told previously that she wouldn't be able to, or that it would be extremely difficult and after two years of marriage, we didn't have any reason to believe the other doctors were wrong. We had made two life plans, one for if we had a baby and one for if we couldn't.
We had just started preparing our lives for the latter. This summer we took a rather expensive roadtrip all around the Pacific region of America, bought an expensive vacation package that will last the rest of our lives and we were about to start looking for a place to open a pharmacy and possibly a private English academy.
However, on September 26th, after I got home from swimming, Yoon mi was talking about how ill she was feeling and said, "what if I'm pregnant?" well, she's asked this a hundred times and I've answered it a hundred times the same way, "if you are, then you are. Do you think you are?" and she turned and went into the bathroom. She was in there for a short time and I went back to checking out my facebook page. The next thing I know, she opens the door, looks at me and says, "why did I make a joke?" I turned and looked at her and saw that she was holding something in her hand. Realization dawned on me like the morning sun warming the glaciers of Mt. Ranier in its pink and orange hues. I slid out of my chair, grabbed her around the waist and waltzed her around the room, the news working its way through us in our dance and bringing us even closer together. . .wait. No, that's wrong. Let me go back to after realization sunk in. I turned in my chair and looked at her and smoothly, romantically, idiotically said, "what?" So, she repeated herself and THEN realization dawned on me more like Egyptian sun at noon focused through a magnifying glass.
I can't remember exactly what was said, but I do know that I looked at the EPT and her and the EPT and her as my heart drum was beating the rhythm for flight of the bumblebee. The emotions that stormed through my body were more numerous than anything I can compare it too. The thoughts running through my brain that didn't make it out of my stammering lips consisted of things like, "what will we name it?" "should I call it, it?" "Where will we live?" "I thought this couldn't happen." "boy or girl?" "when did that happen?" "It's ok to call it, it, for now, it doesn't have a gender, yet." "My mum is really going to want us to move to the US, now." "I'm hungry." but what did come out of my mouth was, "Awesome!" It's funny how my brain was able to filter all the stupid stuff out and allow the one word that could best explain my feelings to escape unhindered.
Yoon mi asked me if I was happy and from that moment, I realized that what I had said earlier about not really caring if we had a baby were words from an inexperienced boy. How could I ever, EVER, not want to have a baby with this amazing woman? Of course I was happy, I was happier than I've ever been in my life. My wife is going to have our baby. I'm going to be a dad. I'm going to be the father of this human being who will depend on me like I depended on my father. I can only hope that I will be as good as he.
We went to the doctor and had an ultrasound the next day. It was mind-blowing to see this living creature inside my wife, even if it is only the size of a b.b.
Since then, I've become a semi-pro on diapers and baby furniture. My wife has had to completely change her daily routine of coffee in the morning, spicy food all day, possibly a beer in the evening. I've had to contemplate my future more than I've ever had to in the future.
We went to the doctor last Friday and for the first time, I could see my baby and actually recognize it as a human being. Amazingly, I could see its feet and hands. It touched its face and was moving quite a bit. I'm going to try to post the video on here. It's pretty long, but for me, it's priceless!
edit: unfortunately, the files on the disc are something I don't recognize and trying to figure it out in English is hard enough, but in Korean its impossible. sorry. take my word for it, its amazing!
Yoon mi often asks me, "so, do you want to have a baby, or not?" and my answer is always, "if you get pregnant, then yes, if you can't, then I'm ok. If it's meant to be, then so be it." I honestly meant that.
I've known couples who felt an absolute need to have a baby and they can't. This inability to reproduce causes a rift in their relationship and someone often blames the other, be it consciously or sub. When Yoon mi and I got married, I was fully aware that it is possible that she couldn't get pregnant. She was told previously that she wouldn't be able to, or that it would be extremely difficult and after two years of marriage, we didn't have any reason to believe the other doctors were wrong. We had made two life plans, one for if we had a baby and one for if we couldn't.
We had just started preparing our lives for the latter. This summer we took a rather expensive roadtrip all around the Pacific region of America, bought an expensive vacation package that will last the rest of our lives and we were about to start looking for a place to open a pharmacy and possibly a private English academy.
However, on September 26th, after I got home from swimming, Yoon mi was talking about how ill she was feeling and said, "what if I'm pregnant?" well, she's asked this a hundred times and I've answered it a hundred times the same way, "if you are, then you are. Do you think you are?" and she turned and went into the bathroom. She was in there for a short time and I went back to checking out my facebook page. The next thing I know, she opens the door, looks at me and says, "why did I make a joke?" I turned and looked at her and saw that she was holding something in her hand. Realization dawned on me like the morning sun warming the glaciers of Mt. Ranier in its pink and orange hues. I slid out of my chair, grabbed her around the waist and waltzed her around the room, the news working its way through us in our dance and bringing us even closer together. . .wait. No, that's wrong. Let me go back to after realization sunk in. I turned in my chair and looked at her and smoothly, romantically, idiotically said, "what?" So, she repeated herself and THEN realization dawned on me more like Egyptian sun at noon focused through a magnifying glass.
I can't remember exactly what was said, but I do know that I looked at the EPT and her and the EPT and her as my heart drum was beating the rhythm for flight of the bumblebee. The emotions that stormed through my body were more numerous than anything I can compare it too. The thoughts running through my brain that didn't make it out of my stammering lips consisted of things like, "what will we name it?" "should I call it, it?" "Where will we live?" "I thought this couldn't happen." "boy or girl?" "when did that happen?" "It's ok to call it, it, for now, it doesn't have a gender, yet." "My mum is really going to want us to move to the US, now." "I'm hungry." but what did come out of my mouth was, "Awesome!" It's funny how my brain was able to filter all the stupid stuff out and allow the one word that could best explain my feelings to escape unhindered.
Yoon mi asked me if I was happy and from that moment, I realized that what I had said earlier about not really caring if we had a baby were words from an inexperienced boy. How could I ever, EVER, not want to have a baby with this amazing woman? Of course I was happy, I was happier than I've ever been in my life. My wife is going to have our baby. I'm going to be a dad. I'm going to be the father of this human being who will depend on me like I depended on my father. I can only hope that I will be as good as he.
We went to the doctor and had an ultrasound the next day. It was mind-blowing to see this living creature inside my wife, even if it is only the size of a b.b.
Since then, I've become a semi-pro on diapers and baby furniture. My wife has had to completely change her daily routine of coffee in the morning, spicy food all day, possibly a beer in the evening. I've had to contemplate my future more than I've ever had to in the future.
We went to the doctor last Friday and for the first time, I could see my baby and actually recognize it as a human being. Amazingly, I could see its feet and hands. It touched its face and was moving quite a bit. I'm going to try to post the video on here. It's pretty long, but for me, it's priceless!
edit: unfortunately, the files on the disc are something I don't recognize and trying to figure it out in English is hard enough, but in Korean its impossible. sorry. take my word for it, its amazing!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
16 needles
Yesterday, when I went in for my chuna treatment (rhymes with tuna) I seemed to have taken a few steps back. I couldn't lay on my back with my legs out straight. This is where I was last Saturday and I couldn't be more disappointed and frustrated. Monday and Tuesday were very promising. I was looking forward to being able to go back to work and go back to making dinners so my wife could rest a little. Anyway, the doctor discovered that I have a weak muscle in my lower back and that is why the chuna treatment wasn't working so well, instead of allowing the muscle to relax, he was stressing it too much. So, he decided to try a new therapy style.
I've been getting acupuncture all along, but today he put giant needles straight into my hip and butt. Right into the sore muscles. WOW! that is painful, but oddly relaxing at the same time. When I thought the worst was done, however, he took a lighter to the acupuncture needles and got them nice and hot, so the heat went straight down into my back. Anyway, I guess that's the new treatment, I get stuck like a pig, then roasted. . . awesome.
So, after he finished with the hot needles, I laid on my back and the doctor commenced sticking me in all the right points. If you don't understand how acupuncture works, its an interesting science. Our bodies have an energy that flows through us from head to toe. We are connected in several parts all over our bodies as you can see in any massage room if you look at the picture of the feet on the wall. Or you can look at this pic for the body points.
If your back hurts, there are different places in your feet and arms that are connected with that area. As the pain decreases, you need less needles. When I first started this treatment I had so many needles in my arms and legs I couldn't move an inch without bumping them on something.
However, this morning, when I woke up, I could actually stand up straight and walk around with my head up. This is the best I've felt in a long time. That lasted about 5 minutes before the crabs started snapping at my butt muscles again. Today, the doctor and the nurses were all happy when I walked in with bigger steps than I've had in 2 weeks. I was able to lay down with only minor discomfort. When it was time for the regular acupuncture treatment, he started poking me and each place he struck hurt. That's actually a good sign as it means he got the right spot. It hurts differently than just a little prick of a needle. You just know that its a good pain. When he was done poking me, I had 4 needles in each arm and 4 in each foot, mostly in my toes. So, I'm down to 16 needles. That pleases me.
Oh! After treatment today, I went to the sauna.
I'll have to write a post about the Korean sauna later, but the good news is, I got to weigh myself. I have been on a diet for one week. In one week, I have lost just over 5 kg. 5. For you American's out there, multiply that by 2.2 and that's how many pounds I've lost in a week while laid up and unable to exercise.
I've been getting acupuncture all along, but today he put giant needles straight into my hip and butt. Right into the sore muscles. WOW! that is painful, but oddly relaxing at the same time. When I thought the worst was done, however, he took a lighter to the acupuncture needles and got them nice and hot, so the heat went straight down into my back. Anyway, I guess that's the new treatment, I get stuck like a pig, then roasted. . . awesome.
So, after he finished with the hot needles, I laid on my back and the doctor commenced sticking me in all the right points. If you don't understand how acupuncture works, its an interesting science. Our bodies have an energy that flows through us from head to toe. We are connected in several parts all over our bodies as you can see in any massage room if you look at the picture of the feet on the wall. Or you can look at this pic for the body points.
If your back hurts, there are different places in your feet and arms that are connected with that area. As the pain decreases, you need less needles. When I first started this treatment I had so many needles in my arms and legs I couldn't move an inch without bumping them on something.
However, this morning, when I woke up, I could actually stand up straight and walk around with my head up. This is the best I've felt in a long time. That lasted about 5 minutes before the crabs started snapping at my butt muscles again. Today, the doctor and the nurses were all happy when I walked in with bigger steps than I've had in 2 weeks. I was able to lay down with only minor discomfort. When it was time for the regular acupuncture treatment, he started poking me and each place he struck hurt. That's actually a good sign as it means he got the right spot. It hurts differently than just a little prick of a needle. You just know that its a good pain. When he was done poking me, I had 4 needles in each arm and 4 in each foot, mostly in my toes. So, I'm down to 16 needles. That pleases me.
Oh! After treatment today, I went to the sauna.
I'll have to write a post about the Korean sauna later, but the good news is, I got to weigh myself. I have been on a diet for one week. In one week, I have lost just over 5 kg. 5. For you American's out there, multiply that by 2.2 and that's how many pounds I've lost in a week while laid up and unable to exercise.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
90 year old man
So, at some point during our summer vacation I tweaked my back. It was painful but I could deal with it. Sometimes it hurt worse and sometimes the pain was nearly gone. I explained where it hurt to my mum and she thought it sounded like I had a problem with my sciatic nerve. I tried stretching excercises and a massage, but nothing made it better.
For 2 months, I was trying to get rid of the pain myself but to no avail. Listening to my wife, I went to a doctor who took an X-ray. Well, no wonder my sciatic nerve wasn't easing up, it turns out I had a bulging disc between my 4th and 5th lumbar. My doctor told me I need to go to traction. That scared me. Traction is not something anyone wants to go through and I thought it was a bit extreme, but he's the doc and I figured he knows what he's talking about. He gave me a prescription and told me to go downstairs for therapy. When I get down the steps, I walk into a room with a bunch of cubbies with two narrow beds in each. To my immense relief, I discovered that traction in America and traction in Korea are two very different things. Apparently, here it just means they stick 4 suction cups on you and give you an electrical massage.
After 2 weeks of going, I realized that this wasn't working. All it did was make it feel better for about 30 minutes. One day I was complaining to my co-teacher about my back and he found a different style of therapy. This is a Korean therapy that combines oriental medicinal practices with a form of chiropracy and massage. That sounded great. So I went on a Friday afternoon.
When I get there, I discover that the doctor and the 3 nurses speak less English than I speak Korean. This can't be easy. Now, I know that I'm married to a Korean who is incredibly fluent in English, but I really hate to use her for this. After over 5 years in Korea, my Korean speaking fluency is embarassingly low. However, the doctor told me to call Yoon mi and he talks to her for about 5 minutes.
He wants to use bee venom as an anti-inflamatory. He will inject it into key areas and allow the venom to do its job in my lower back. While he does that, he will also provide acupuncture treatment and stretch and pull on my back. However, because I'm bigger than anyone he has ever seen, he can't be precise. His acupuncture needles won't be able to penetrate all the layers of fat to be able to get to the proper areas either. So, along with all the treatment, he also told me that I must lose weight. This is my first goal.
When I first moved to Korea, I was huge. I weighed in at roughly 145kg. After two years, I had dropped as low as 108kg. However, once I got comfortable and lazy, I gained quite a bit of that back. Its amazing at how easily one can gain weight without really noticing it until it seems like it is too late. So, when I started at this place, I weighed in at 130kg. yeah, I'm not too proud about that.
He created a drink for me that was made out of roots and berries I suppose. I have no idea what is in it but it cost $150 for 15 days worth of drink. I have to drink this drink 3 times a day one hour before meal time everyday. Luckily the drink doesn't taste bad, there isn't a whole lot of it and I actually kinda like it, even if it does make my pee smell like rabbit urine poured through a garden's compost heap.
As soon as I started this Chuna therapy, my symptoms got worse. Not just a little bit worse, but terribly worse. Before I started going, I could walk around, I went swimming everyday and I could help out around the house. However, after each session of Chuna, my hip started hurting more, my left leg began killing me and after one week, I couldn't stand up straight anymore. The day after my neice left Korea, I went back for therapy and after that session, I couldn't walk without bending over at nearly a 90 degree angle. I can't lay down without nearly crying.
On Friday I went to work and when it came time for me to go home, my co-teacher had to walk with me to be my support. I made it from my office to the main entrance in about 5 minutes (normally about 30 seconds) and had to stop and wait for the pain to decrease enough so that I could walk a little more. All this time, my students were milling around, trying to talk with me and I was trying my hardest to put on a game face, but it was hard.
Sunday, the doctor's office is closed so I went to the public bath and just soaked for a bit. Finally, it dawned on me to sleep with a heating pad on my hip. So, Sunday night I laid down on the floor mat, turned on the heating pad and tried to sleep. I think I slept for a total of 4 hours of intermittent sleep woken up every 30 minutes by the daggers running up and down my leg. On Monday morning, I woke up, called in to work, and when I stood up, I was actually able to stand up nearly straight! I was so happy I even told Yoon mi to look at me! I think she was less than impressed at her 34 year old husband being able to stand up on his own. . .
Its now Wednesday, my school has let me stay home all week to try to get this back problem solved and I can see little bits of improvements everyday. As much as this therapy has hurt me, I feel like it is actually getting to the root of the problem instead of treating the symptoms until it is so bad that I need to get surgery. I hate going to therapy everyday because when he starts the pulling and stretching it hurts super bad, but I know that its all getting better. I just hope it gets better sooner rather than later.
I think the worst thing about this isn't the debilitating pain. It's definitely the inability to help my wife. She goes to work everyday, then comes home and has to cook, clean, take care of the rabbits and by the time she's done with that, she has to take care of herself and go to bed. This is not the way to be a good husband but there is literally nothing I can do to help. I try to wash the dishes but right now I get halfway through and I have to take a break because I can't handle anymore. Yesterday, I made rice and washed the dishes from breakfast and lunch. That meant I poured rice into a bowl, washed it, put in more water and put it in the machine then washed 3 bowls and some chopsticks and spoons. That was the extent of what I could do around the house. I know my wife hates it. I just hope that she can deal with this a little bit longer. I know she will because she is amazing, but I still don't like to put her through all of this.
Oh, and I started the doctor's herbal medicine on Wednesday morning, as of Sunday I am down to 127 kg with no exercise but serious dieting. woot!
For 2 months, I was trying to get rid of the pain myself but to no avail. Listening to my wife, I went to a doctor who took an X-ray. Well, no wonder my sciatic nerve wasn't easing up, it turns out I had a bulging disc between my 4th and 5th lumbar. My doctor told me I need to go to traction. That scared me. Traction is not something anyone wants to go through and I thought it was a bit extreme, but he's the doc and I figured he knows what he's talking about. He gave me a prescription and told me to go downstairs for therapy. When I get down the steps, I walk into a room with a bunch of cubbies with two narrow beds in each. To my immense relief, I discovered that traction in America and traction in Korea are two very different things. Apparently, here it just means they stick 4 suction cups on you and give you an electrical massage.
After 2 weeks of going, I realized that this wasn't working. All it did was make it feel better for about 30 minutes. One day I was complaining to my co-teacher about my back and he found a different style of therapy. This is a Korean therapy that combines oriental medicinal practices with a form of chiropracy and massage. That sounded great. So I went on a Friday afternoon.
When I get there, I discover that the doctor and the 3 nurses speak less English than I speak Korean. This can't be easy. Now, I know that I'm married to a Korean who is incredibly fluent in English, but I really hate to use her for this. After over 5 years in Korea, my Korean speaking fluency is embarassingly low. However, the doctor told me to call Yoon mi and he talks to her for about 5 minutes.
He wants to use bee venom as an anti-inflamatory. He will inject it into key areas and allow the venom to do its job in my lower back. While he does that, he will also provide acupuncture treatment and stretch and pull on my back. However, because I'm bigger than anyone he has ever seen, he can't be precise. His acupuncture needles won't be able to penetrate all the layers of fat to be able to get to the proper areas either. So, along with all the treatment, he also told me that I must lose weight. This is my first goal.
When I first moved to Korea, I was huge. I weighed in at roughly 145kg. After two years, I had dropped as low as 108kg. However, once I got comfortable and lazy, I gained quite a bit of that back. Its amazing at how easily one can gain weight without really noticing it until it seems like it is too late. So, when I started at this place, I weighed in at 130kg. yeah, I'm not too proud about that.
He created a drink for me that was made out of roots and berries I suppose. I have no idea what is in it but it cost $150 for 15 days worth of drink. I have to drink this drink 3 times a day one hour before meal time everyday. Luckily the drink doesn't taste bad, there isn't a whole lot of it and I actually kinda like it, even if it does make my pee smell like rabbit urine poured through a garden's compost heap.
As soon as I started this Chuna therapy, my symptoms got worse. Not just a little bit worse, but terribly worse. Before I started going, I could walk around, I went swimming everyday and I could help out around the house. However, after each session of Chuna, my hip started hurting more, my left leg began killing me and after one week, I couldn't stand up straight anymore. The day after my neice left Korea, I went back for therapy and after that session, I couldn't walk without bending over at nearly a 90 degree angle. I can't lay down without nearly crying.
On Friday I went to work and when it came time for me to go home, my co-teacher had to walk with me to be my support. I made it from my office to the main entrance in about 5 minutes (normally about 30 seconds) and had to stop and wait for the pain to decrease enough so that I could walk a little more. All this time, my students were milling around, trying to talk with me and I was trying my hardest to put on a game face, but it was hard.
Sunday, the doctor's office is closed so I went to the public bath and just soaked for a bit. Finally, it dawned on me to sleep with a heating pad on my hip. So, Sunday night I laid down on the floor mat, turned on the heating pad and tried to sleep. I think I slept for a total of 4 hours of intermittent sleep woken up every 30 minutes by the daggers running up and down my leg. On Monday morning, I woke up, called in to work, and when I stood up, I was actually able to stand up nearly straight! I was so happy I even told Yoon mi to look at me! I think she was less than impressed at her 34 year old husband being able to stand up on his own. . .
Its now Wednesday, my school has let me stay home all week to try to get this back problem solved and I can see little bits of improvements everyday. As much as this therapy has hurt me, I feel like it is actually getting to the root of the problem instead of treating the symptoms until it is so bad that I need to get surgery. I hate going to therapy everyday because when he starts the pulling and stretching it hurts super bad, but I know that its all getting better. I just hope it gets better sooner rather than later.
I think the worst thing about this isn't the debilitating pain. It's definitely the inability to help my wife. She goes to work everyday, then comes home and has to cook, clean, take care of the rabbits and by the time she's done with that, she has to take care of herself and go to bed. This is not the way to be a good husband but there is literally nothing I can do to help. I try to wash the dishes but right now I get halfway through and I have to take a break because I can't handle anymore. Yesterday, I made rice and washed the dishes from breakfast and lunch. That meant I poured rice into a bowl, washed it, put in more water and put it in the machine then washed 3 bowls and some chopsticks and spoons. That was the extent of what I could do around the house. I know my wife hates it. I just hope that she can deal with this a little bit longer. I know she will because she is amazing, but I still don't like to put her through all of this.
Oh, and I started the doctor's herbal medicine on Wednesday morning, as of Sunday I am down to 127 kg with no exercise but serious dieting. woot!
a new beginning
Well, I've tried other blogs but I'm not a good fictional writer. I can't keep up with the stories at a pace that needs to be set to keep an audience. . . I also can't really make them that interesting. They tend to be a lot better in my head when they start, but I am not good at getting past the start. So, I've decided to look at my own life. For me, my life is pretty normal. I get up, I eat breakfast, I go to work, I come home from work, I talk with my wife, play with the pets and go to bed.
However, I realized that my life isn't like everyone else's. When I wake up, I'm lying on a matress on the floor. When I eat breakfast, I sometimes eat rice and soup and kimchi. When I go to work, I am one of two English speakers in a place with over 1000 people. I live in a country that has nearly 49 million people crammed into a landmass just a bit larger than Indiana. The woman I love more than anything I've ever loved before is not only of a different race, but a different native language and a completely different culture. My pets aren't dogs and cats but rabbits. My life is not normal. I have friends here in Korea that make it seem like my life is not that unusual, but when I look at everyone I've known through my life, I've had quite an interesting life.
The goal of this blog is to be my creative outlet as well as a way to communicate with everyone about what I've been doing. Its a way for me to express whats going on in my mind as my life's pages keep turning. I'm in the middle of a chapter now and I can't wait to get to the next one; but like so many books, I want to be able to read it again and again because its quite fun. However, no one is documenting my thoughts and actions. So, I guess that's up to me.
Periodically, I may insert entries from some of my fictional blogs so that I can keep that story progressing but at my own pace. I thrive on feedback, so please, follow and comment.
Thanks
Jamie
However, I realized that my life isn't like everyone else's. When I wake up, I'm lying on a matress on the floor. When I eat breakfast, I sometimes eat rice and soup and kimchi. When I go to work, I am one of two English speakers in a place with over 1000 people. I live in a country that has nearly 49 million people crammed into a landmass just a bit larger than Indiana. The woman I love more than anything I've ever loved before is not only of a different race, but a different native language and a completely different culture. My pets aren't dogs and cats but rabbits. My life is not normal. I have friends here in Korea that make it seem like my life is not that unusual, but when I look at everyone I've known through my life, I've had quite an interesting life.
The goal of this blog is to be my creative outlet as well as a way to communicate with everyone about what I've been doing. Its a way for me to express whats going on in my mind as my life's pages keep turning. I'm in the middle of a chapter now and I can't wait to get to the next one; but like so many books, I want to be able to read it again and again because its quite fun. However, no one is documenting my thoughts and actions. So, I guess that's up to me.
Periodically, I may insert entries from some of my fictional blogs so that I can keep that story progressing but at my own pace. I thrive on feedback, so please, follow and comment.
Thanks
Jamie
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