Eastern Medicine meets Western stubborness

Wonjanim, Kristi, Terri, Toni and Anthony (seated on phone) in the Ilsan office.
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Greetings all,

It is hard to believe that this is already my third week here. I am amazed by how quickly the time goes by. There is a lot to talk about but first an update about my bowel movements.....

Wonjanim: Did you go to the sauna yet?

Yes I am finally having "solid" bathroom visits. For those that have spent a considerable time abroad you know full well the ins and especially the outs of bathroom visits. I was doing great for the first week and them BAM--- stupid me drank some tap water, well it was a rough week after that. This week has been better and I am happy to report that things are flowing much better now.

Anthony just got new clothes, which he is showing off.
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This week also presented me with an additional hardship in that I got a terrible cold suddenly. Tuesday morning I woke up without a voice, which as a teacher this is a tough thing to deal with. One of the great things about working around people that are holistically health conscience is that I am always taken care of. The negative thing is that I am then surrounded by seemingly dozens of "mom" and "dad" types giving me their wonderful advice and in some ways ordering me what I "should" do but more in the "you better do this or else". I haven't figured out what the "or else" part would be, but I know not to cross certain people here. So, I listened and now it is Thursday morning and 90% better. Sorta amazing. I have never recovered so quickly from something so fast!

Mary Jane and Toni--- two Korean teachers at the school.
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An interesting thing that I have learned so far about the concept of being sick--- in the west there is this idea that if you get sick it is because you did something to yourself--- for example "I pushed myself too hard" "I didn't wear enough clothing" " I should have taken those vitamins" etc.... When I got sick I was being my typical stubborn self and trying to convince everyone that I would just be okay and I could take care of it myself etc.... Well there is a totally different concept of being ill here. Being ill means that you were not taken care of. So, the blame is not on self but of the people around me-- in this case my coworkers. The reaction of everyone here was almost hilarious--- let me give you a little play-by-play of Tuesday morning:

Anthony, Wonjanim, Soo, Terri and Kristi at a "quiet" dinner the other night.
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Noon, Ilsan BR English center, weather sunny, cool, Fall colors radiating in background--- in walks Rose (without voice and looking somewhat shabby). Terri-- Good morning! OH, WHAT'S WRONG! Rose--- (charades--- thank you 1822 for so much practice!-- motioning no voice) Terri--- OH, we have been working you so hard, here have some garlic (shoves garlic into my mouth) Rose-- choking Mary Jane and Toni--- Oh, how could we have done this to you---we gave you that impossible level 6-1 class-- surly they made you crazy--- have you taken any ()&(*& or #^%$#%? Here I have some of this.... Rose-- now eating something that tastes like rotten eggs-- and very well could be because it is purple and smells terrible Gloria (aka Wonjanim or principal)--- ROSE! Its the food isn't-- we shouldn't have fed her so much Korean spicy food it is too hard for her intestines! Have you been to the sauna yet? Terri-- (who has only been gone for seconds comes rushing into the office with mop bucket like thing in hand ordering me to go home and soak my feet in this for an hour--- meanwhile I don't really know where she could have surfaced such a device so quickly) EVERYONE----?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!! (Long argument among everyone in Korean about whose fault it is that I am sick and what would be the best remedy for me. Rose--- laughing-- what else could I have done.

Picture outside of the Jin-jim-ban. I love this place!
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So in the end I took various eastern medicines all of which were natural but honestly some of the worst tasting stuff ever. Garlic was in a pellet form, but tasted like ingesting strait garlic. I also sucked a ton of bamboo salt, which was the rotten egg stuff-- good for sore throat. For lunch I was ordered to have this special kind of soup that is a basic broth with bean spouts, tofu, fish and some other things (good for colds and hangovers--- mental note). Somewhere in all of this my bowels became a topic of conversation and Terri gave me something that tasted like cinnamon dog treats--- I am to chew two everyday--- good for my stomach issues.

I made the mistake of going to the Dahn center during all of this. For those of you that have either been there or know personally-- this aint just a yoga center--- My ability of speaking Korean doesn't yet get into the complexities of describing illness, so again the charades game started. Before I knew it I was ushered to a back room and two people were tapping and rubbing me in various places. Meanwhile they were jabbering in Korean most likely how it was their fault that this happened. About two hours later I woke up with various heat packs and needles in my body. As I left the head master of the center stuck this adhesive heat pack on my lower abdomen (dahn jon) and smacked my butt as I left. I could only say "thank you" which seemed so silly after all that they had done for me.

My favorite prescription was Terri's mop bucket thing. Kristi and I lugged this thing back home and with scattered instructions from Terri gathered that I was to fill it with water, plug it in and dress in every article of clothing I had and leave my feet in the hot water for an hour. Kristi had done this once, but neither of us could remember how hot to put the water--- the gauge was also in C, so there was some debate on how hot the water really was anyway. Well, at first the water was about 67C, and I could even put my feet in it for more than a second after awhile we turned it down to the high 40s and then lower 40s. Kristi kept telling me that it should be uncomfortably hot. Well, it certainly was--- After an hour I had sweat hard core and felt totally drained. I changed and fell asleep. When I woke up my feet were burned red from the ankle down. I could walk, but it killed. Later Terri, just smiled and said that at most it should be at 40-43. Oh well, it made me feel much better.

I had listened to everyone except Wonjanim, who about every hour kept telling me that I should go to the sauna--- or jinjimbam as it is called. Like I said-- there are certain people that you just didn't cross--- so yesterday feeling much better Terri pulled me aside to say that I need to go to the sauna. I was confused my this until it was presented to me "go or else". It reminded me of that moment at grandmas when I really was too stuffed to have any more food but grandma says in that way "why don't you have some more" you just don't refuse. So, under orders to went to the jinjimbam, which is one of most wonderful places I have been to. More on that later.

(5 min. ago) Wonjanim: Oh Rose, how is your body condition? Rose: Good, I feel much better. Wonjanim: Did you go to the sauna yet? Rose: Yes, yesterday afternoon--- remembered we talked about it. Wonjanim: Oh good, here have this (hands me more mysterious stuff)-- it is good for your stomach.....I shouldn't have given you so much Korean food.

Too funny!

OKay, well all is well here. I am healthy and in good hands. Classes are going better this week and more stories later.

Miss you all.

Peace, Rose