Prescriptions in Korea

I’ve been sick again this week, and being sick gave me an ear infection.  My doctor’s visit resulted in a trip to the pharmacy, which ended with the man behind the counter handing me this bag:

This is the second time I’ve been prescribed something in Korea, and I wanted to make sure I posted a picture of the medicines.  They come presorted for you, each dose already organized into a little wax paper baggie.  They’re all connected in a chain, and you tear off your dose along the perforation.  Then you rip the bag open and take your pills.

My doses seem to be the same this time, but last time I had different amounts of different things depending on the dose, and the breakfast dose was measured out, and the lunch one, and the dinner one.  It’s kind of nice that I don’t have to sort them all myself.  (I wouldn’t know how to anyway, I’m sure!  I still don’t know exactly what I’m taking, but I’m sure I’ll be alright.)

Anyway, here’s what part of a bag string looks like:

Both interesting and handy, huh?

Cuteness Done Right

Korea is the place to go when you want something that’s truly cute.  So what better place to shop for baby gifts?

A woman in my church is about to have a baby (or maybe she did since I last saw her), so I thought I’d see if I could find a little something.  There’s a store with a super cute sign near my apartment and I see it all the time.  For a while now I’ve secretly wanted to peek in, and finally I had a legitimate excuse!

So today I went inside.  The man was very nice and spoke a lot of English, and all the clothes were more than cute (of course).  He wrapped the gift for me when I bought it, though, so all you get to see are pictures of the wrapping.  But let me tell you—Korea does it right!  How cute is this?

And it goes inside this bag (front and back):

I’m sure now you understand why my heart had secretly been yearning to go inside this store for weeks.  The sign is similar to the first side of the bag…and oh, it’s more than super cute!  *gush*

And on a semi-unrelated note, after a test I hope was grueling but feasible, one of my students paused after class with a bright smile to offer me this beautifully cute token!

It’s an eraser in a little eraser case.  So cute!  *double gush*

And as if that’s not enough, last night I was gushing over a phonics flashcard depicting that H is for hamster.  The hamster was so fat and so cute my voice rose by two octaves at the minimum.  *super gush!*

Alas, the flashcards are at school, so you’ll have to trust me when I say it was too cute.   

The Perfect Way to Show Your Love: Deluxe Kitchen Stickers

When my kindergarten class graduated in February, one of my students gave me these adorable stickers.  I think my favorite is the frying pan with the egg still sizzling inside, but all of them are super cute.

Acid Rain Was So Last Year

Today it rained a lot.  As those who know me may have noticed, I’m not really a huge fan of umbrellas, as I have difficulty wielding them.  So I had an umbrella in my backpack today, but I didn’t bother getting it out or using it.  My walk to work was pleasant, temperature-wise, but involved me getting soaked by twenty minutes’ worth of rain.

When I got to work and stopped in the doorway to change shoes, one of the desk teachers immediately pounced on me with a paper towel, clucking her disapproval of how wet I’d let myself become.  I had thought this was just another way she mothered me, as she tends to take care of me in many little (and big) ways.

Later, one of my Korean co-teachers was leaving and stopped to ask if my American coworker and I had umbrellas.  Once she was assured that we did, she left.  Again, I just assumed this was another nice gesture typical of those I work with here.

Then my American coworker mused, “Yeah, have you heard about the radioactive rain?  All the kids were asking me about it today.”  Apparently the rain is rumored to have higher radiation than normal now because of the nuclear reactor problems in Japan.

So if I’m glowing by this weekend, it could be a reflection of the countenance of God…or it could just mean the rain’s been getting to me.

‘Cram Schools’ Under Pressure

I thought this article from the Washington Post was an interesting window into the high-pressure world of after-school schools in South Korea.  Click the link beneath the excerpt to read the article in full.

SEOUL — At the headquarters of one of the world’s highest-performing education systems, officials are policing after-hours study haunts with names like Kid’s College and Math Camp. They field tips from a watchdog Web site that reports tutors who charge too much or work past a 10 p.m. curfew, and forward them to investigators who comb streets in neon-lit neighborhoods where students still in school uniforms remain at their desks deep into the night.

South Korea targets private 'cram schools,' citing heavy burden on families