The end of Week 2

I'm sick today. Knew it, just knew it, last night. I went to bed cold and shivering (but clean and frescacita!) after washing my hair, for the first time in days, in our cold water. Man, we have just been having some issues getting this hot water thing resolved. I'm trying not to be demanding because I just keep thinking about all the people all over the world who have no running water at all, neither hot nor cold--who've never had it in fact. Well, a guy is coming tomorrow to repair the water heater, again, we think. The bilingual directors at my school are handling the negotiations. My roommate and I are the clueless ones who can't talk to these workers at all...I'm kind of amused by the whole thing.

I wish I could go running in the morning before taking a cold shower, is all. I haven't gone jogging yet here but keep meaning to do so. Only now I'm sick. I think I will have to jog by the river. (it's maybe 1/3 mile away? 1/2? ) (and by the way that is an urban, cement walled, canal-type, verrrry low level river at this point, not a lush flowing thing) In my neighborhood it is not possible to go jogging. You would so die. We don't have sidewalks. We do have gutters and narrow streets with fruit and vegetable vendors, parked cars, buses, or some combination of the three.

At any rate, I was cold last night, but I just felt in my bones that it was more than my cold fresh hair wash that was making me feel the way I did. And sure enough, this morning I woke up and preferred not to swallow. I lay there for a while enjoying not standing up, and then after a while I got up and drank a lot of orange juice (if I have to swallow, I might as well make it worth it, I figured). Then I went to work and thought, 'Wow, I have to get through seven classes like this.' First was pre-school. Fortuitously today we were making masks so I had less talking/shouting/making myself heard above twelve five- and six-year-olds to do. But I kept having to crouch down to help them with glue or scissors or to help put their masks on. And every time I stood up I thought I'd black out! But I didn't.

A couple of my Korean Teacher (KT) co-workers gave me some ginger tea, and that got me through a couple more hours. But by the end of the day, after my five-classes-in-a-row stretch, I was beat. I even took the bus home instead of my usual walk.

Don't even joke about it being Asian bird flu! 'Cause I already have!

I knew it would happen and was just waiting for it. Not quite two weeks, man. I'm superglad it's the weekend now so I can rest and relax.

Speaking of R & R, I talked to my first American soldier this week. On my daily walk to work which passes by Camp Henry I usually don't see anyone except the Korean policemen who are in the guard shacks, but one morning this week I saw a clearly American guy in camoflauge, boots, the hat, etc. "How ya doin'!" he said. I responded in kind. It was all quite lovely.

We Westerners tend to make eye contact and say hi to one another just in general. There aren't many of us.

Did you know a giant stem cell research center is opening in Seoul?? Yeah!!

Off to desperately needed sleep...