MAYBE THERE IS A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE

Kelly tells me she'll call me today before 10AM to arrange to take me to the doctors. I believe her. I believe that I can make a fortune buying swampland in Florida. At 11AM I called her because I was tired of waiting. She says, "I was just about to call you". Yes sir, get that swampland ready. She says she has to go somewhere and she'll meet me there at 2PM. She will call me a taxi and then call me and to be ready at 1:55PM because the doctor is close. At 2:10 she calls to say she can't get me a taxi and she's changed the appointment to 2:30 and she'll try to get me a taxi. At about 2:40 she calls to say the taxi will be here in a minute. I go downstairs and lo and behold the taxi is waiting for me.

I get to the doctor and Kelly is there along with the ever-present Miss Moon. (Why is she Miss Moon? She's married and has 3 kids). It's a different place today than the hospital yesterday. In fact, it seems like a doctor's office. So I think that wherever a doctor hangs out is called a hospital.

I go in with Kelly and she starts talking in Korean to the doctor. It's not that I don't trust her but if the doctor speaks or understands English I'd rather explain things myself. I ask the doctor if she speaks English. She says not really. I ask her if she understands English and she says she mostly does. So far, so good. She seems honest. I give a brief history of my medical story and explain the medications I take. When she's not sure about something she takes a book out and looks things up and shows me the book so I can see what dosages are available in Korea and what I can get. Holy Cow! A professional. We determine what they have, and she tells me that for some they don't have, they have equivalents. I trust her and will try them. She can't find 2 of the things I take and makes no pretense about knowing what they are. I like her better by the minute. I tell her I'll call my doctor in the States and find out what else I can get that would be the same.

She writes me the prescriptions I need and Kelly takes them to the pharmacy while I rush to school. When Kelly returns she tells me that they have to order some of them and I will have them tomorrow. I have run out of two of them so they better be there or I may be a little upset. (Especially since one of them is one of my anti-depressants).

You pay the doctor here when you go. This visit was about $11. Yesterday's visit to the moron was about $12. This is without medical insurance because I can't get that until I get my work visa. But I like the prices since 2 visits are still less than 1 visit in the States just using my co-pay on insurance.

I also learned today that I've been approved for my work visa. What this means is that I'm going to Japan soon. Kelly will have to go to Yesou to get my approval number, and then I have to leave the country to visit a Korean consulate and give them my approval number and they will issue me a work visa. Then I can return to Korea. I have no idea why I can't get a work visit in Korea. Japan is the closest place so I'll make what they call, "the visa run". I'm actually looking forward to that since I'll see a bit of Tokyo. I'll try to arrange it so I'm there over the weekend so it should be about 4 days in Japan. That sounds really cool to me and I feel like a world traveler. Maybe I am.

I got very sad for a little while at school today. I started missing Leah (I miss both my lovely daughters). But it was really nice to be able to stop in and visit Leah at work sometimes when we were both in Austin. And to be able to hang out with her sometimes. I really started to miss that badly. Every day seems to bring a new emotion.

In my 5PM class (the dumber group I work with on Tuesdays and Thursdays), I got really fed up with this one girl. I got Kelly to come in and give her hell which she did. The brat then kept her head on her desk for the class and wouldn't you know it, we actually had a class. Without her disrupting things I actually got the kids to talk a bit. Kelly said I should just use the book and have them read. I told her no. They hardly know any English so what's the point of reading if you don't understand any of the words. These kids know next to nothing. I wonder if all the English academies really don't teach English and just run babysitting services. Or maybe I just expect too much. I don't know. I do know that I won't rush through a textbook when no one understands what's being said.

I didn't eat lunch so I made a dash for the convenience store across the road before my 6PM class. I was chatting with 2 of the girls in the class and asked if they wanted to go with me and I'd buy them something. They said yes and seemed a little surprised that I invited them and offered to buy them something. I told them not to tell anyone so no one would be upset by my doing this. They understood and agreed. At the store one girl said she'd look for something cheap. These are very nice young ladies (about 15). I told them to get what they wanted but they chose one package of inexpensive gum. They are just so considerate and polite and thoughtful.

I work with that class from 6 to 7 and then from 7 to 8 they have grammar with someone else. When they left the school a couple of the girls came up to me and said, "be strong". I was confused so they explained that "be strong" in Korean means to cheer up. I didn't know I was depressed. Maybe they know more than me. Then one of the girls said, "I love you". I think that was meant as "I like you", but once again I was touched by just how nice and delightful they are. I think that if I feel the same about them in about a month, I'll take them out for dinner (the whole class). This is the class I went to dinner with my first night here. I tell them they're my favorite class and I think they're nice people. I would like to show them. They aren't all angels and I have to tell them to stop talking at times, but judging them as a "whole", they really are my highlight at school. I'll have to take some pictures of them to share.

Tomorrow I have one of my twice a week kindergarten classes. I'm dreading it already. They are so cute and are all over me like a cheap suit. But I have no control and I can't get angry with them. I just want to squeeze their faces. One girl hugs me all the time and smiles at me constantly. How can one get upset with that?

I need to get a life soon beside working and being in my apartment. I can't wait for Spring. I need to see some of this country. I also need to meet some people. If nothing pops up for this Saturday, I'm going to a bar. I don't care if I don't like hanging out in bars, I just want to be out with the people. (Of course, maybe the people will all be in their 20's, but everyone thinks I'm young).

Kelly says we start learning Korean on Monday. I told her that was great and I was looking forward to it. My memory is terrible so I wonder how much I'll be able to retain. A hello, please, and thank you would be a good start.

I will close now with a picture of a Korean bath towel. I put my backpack behind it so you can see just how big it is in comparison.