Hospital Visit

In my almost 2 years here I've only gone to the hospital once, for my medical checkup to get my alien registration card. That's quite remarkable since Koreans go to the doctor/hospital (they're often the same...only a few clinics to my knowledge) for everything. Often I've been told by students to go to the hospital when all I had was a cold.

Anyways, this all changed when the other day I mysteriously injured my toe. After waking up yesterday morning in pain and limping around all morning, I decided to get it checked out, more out of annoyance than anything else.

Eventually I made my way to the hospital with a Korean church friend. When we got there they said that all the regular doctors were busy, so we should just go to the ER. After they checked my vitals, we sat there listening to an argument between a relative of a recently deceased patient and the doctor. Apparently the relative thought the cost was too much or that the doctor hadn't done his job. I thought it was interesting since it was just out in the open for everyone to hear.

Pretty soon we got ushered upstairs for x-rays. At this point I was expecting to pay a decent amount because of the x-rays. When we got back to the ER, the doctor said nothing was wrong with the bone (awesome!), and offered to do a walking boot or something, but I decided to wait until I could go to the university hospital. So I got an obligatory shot (painkiller?) and a prescription to some mystery pills (painkillers again?). I've heard that the shot and prescription are pretty much the norm no matter what your sickness. I'm sure that they're not all painkillers, but just the fact that they're medicating everything is kind of odd. But then again, you can't buy aspirin or anything else here except over the counter.

When we left, I found out my bill was under $25! Not bad, not bad at all...

Sometimes I get homesick...

"This century, as has been pointed out many times, is the century of emigration, enforced and voluntary. That is to say a century of partings without end, and a century haunted by the memories of those partings. The sudden anguish of missing what is no longer there is like suddenly coming upon a jar which has fallen and broken into fragments. Alone you collect the pieces, discover how to fit them together and then carefully stick them to one another, one by one. Eventually the jar is reassembled but it is not the same as it was before. It has become both flawed, and more precious. Something comparable happens to the image of a loved place or a loved person when kept in the memory after separation." -John Berger

Cherry Blossoms

Spring has finally come to Korea, which means that the cherry blossoms have also come. This is one of my favorite times of year here in Busan as everywhere you look it seems like you can see a tree in bloom. After staring at the naked limbs of the trees all winter, it's nice to finally see them full of life again. These were taken in Gyeongju (about 2 hours from Busan) and at Gwanganli in Busan.



The stranger didn't really get the point of getting more of the trees in the picture...

The road down the hill from campus

Student Quotes: And, But, or So edition

"I have a tussis, and have a snot." (tissue?)

"I love English, so I stay here."

"I hate a lest sleep, but sometime a lest sleep." (rest??)

"I hate a my hair style, so my hair give up."

"I can't propose to her now, but one day I will."

"I'm playing the diet, so resently I eating very small." (I love how recently is misspelled to play on "resent")

"I have a sense of inferiority, so I make up that study hard."

"I have a many friends, but I haven't girl friend."

"I like Kosin university, but I hate yongisland winds." (Hear hear!! Yeongdo wind is horrible)

"I hate him, but I like his girl friends."

"I haven't girlfriend, so you can take my phone number."

"I get to anticipated notebook but I distanted for wanted specification." (???--disappointed?)

"I want to go to the cherry blossoms festival but I need a girlfriend."

"I hated to join major subject meeting so I hid in empty lecture room."

"He likes her, but she loves him."

"I'm very angry so don't touch me ever."

"He has very wild, so be careful him."

"Cityzens." I love the proximity between right and wrong.

Ironically, I saw this gem at a burger joint.

It's the first week of classes and students have started asking questions. Of course these have nothing to do with the classes, but about me.

"Elijah...I heard something...is it true? Do you have a girlfriend? Is she Korean?"

They all seem excited for me. Hopefully some of that excitement gets pointed toward their classes...

Philippines (Jan. 19-26)

I'm going to pretty much limit this to just pictures. If you want to know more about the trip, talk to me sometime...or check out Ashley's blog as she's written some about it.

Church in Bayan the first night (after a 3+ hour hike through the mud and rain).

Muddy legs, even after a quick rinse (I switched to sandals once we got to the church)

Kids the next morning

Beautiful scenery

A bridge on the hike back

Farmers

Outside another church

I did a lot of facepainting

Near the end of the trip we took boats up the river and then rode horses the rest of the way to various churches.

The Lagum area

A Lesson in Hospitality

I've always thought that I try hard at being a hospitable person. I enjoy hosting people and providing for any needs within my means. Yet, I learned a lesson in hospitality just a few days ago in the Philippines.

To make a long story short, my horse guide to Lagum (a rural area) invited a friend and me to his house the day after we arrived. First we were offered coffee, which I later learned grew up the hill. Then they invited us up to see the coffee bushes after we had expressed interest. This was followed by cooking us some corn, and then catching a chicken to feed us for lunch (even though they knew that there was food at the church for us). While they were preparing that at the house, one of his sons walked up with fresh fish and shrimp, so they offered that to us as well. This family was not wealthy by any means, and in fact kept apologizing that they couldn't offer us better things. Yet they gave us the best they had, not withholding anything. They were so happy to entertain us in their home, for hours on end. The only thing he asked in return was that I pray over his broken chainsaw. How often we offer some of our best things, but always withhold some out of sight (and so out of mind). Or perhaps we're afraid of inviting someone over because we're afraid that we won't impress with our belongings or what we have to give. Yet this shouldn't matter. We should give what we have, more especially of ourselves and of our time.