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

Always!

This doesn’t remind you of any superstores back home now, does it?

Doing Laundry in Korea

This is how I do my laundry in Korea.  Other people may have other methods if they’ve figured out a better way, but I’ve not been here very long and so far this has worked for me.

First, check out the washing machine inside my apartment:

(Yes, that is part of a mop.  It was there when I arrived, so so far I’ve just left it there.  I actually need to mop the bathroom floor now that I’ve fixed the drain, though, so I guess I’ll use it soon.)

The washing machine is tucked into a teensy little closet underneath the boiler.

Apparently it has a lot of options.

It is also a Showing Inside Washing Machine.

This is what the inside looks like:

I have been told that you have to put your loads in properly or else your washing machine will be out of balance.  I’m not sure yet if my washing machine has ever been out of balance, or if the sounds I think are normal are it going bezerk there in its closet.  (When it starts to sound like a space shuttle taking off I shut the closet doors and make it do its job alone.)

However, one thing I do know is that Korean washing machines are notorious for ripping up your clothing.  (Maybe there are huge engines in there sucking all your nice shirts in.)

Due to this, there are special bags you must use to wash your laundry:

They seemed very small to me, because at my parents’ house I’d do a ton of laundry all at once.  But after everything is washed and it comes time to dry it all…yes, then I wish I hadn’t done so much at once.

The bag on the left is the large size.  The picture on the packaging for it had a sweater and a pair of pants.  I guess it is for heavy duty things.

The one in the middle had a picture of a T-shirt on the packaging.  I guess it’s more for lighter wear.

The little bag on the far right is a special one with thicker mesh and it is only used for bras.  Sorry if that’s TMI!  You are watching me do laundry, after all.  You may later wish to close your eyes…

Since I heard about the balance issues with the washers, I try to stack mine like a little totem pole or something, like this:

Since I have no idea what any of the settings do, I usually just push the power button (and the washer cheeps a little greeting like it thinks it’s an Atari game) and the button underneath the lights with all the water levels.  A number pops up on the left, apparently the number of minutes it will spend churning and spinning and firing up its spaceship engines, and then I press the Play/Pause button to tell it it can start.

Then I fold the door shut like an accordion-style closet door.

Then I go about my happy life for approximately 56 more minutes, and it seems to go through several cycles of churning and revving and blasting off and spinning and whatever else it does to occupy itself there in its tiny little closet space.

When it is done, it proudly chirps a little melody to me, a small song akin to all those awesome tunes you heard your CPU produce back in the days of text-and-graphics games.  (If you’re too young to remember those, you can at least go play one here.)

Now it’s time to bust these out:

The last  two times that I did laundry, I tried to use the clothespins for everything.  This time I’m trying something new that I’ve seen other people do and I’m hoping it works out alright.  If it does it will save me quite a lot of time not having to clip up everything.

First I set up my drying stand.

I’m not sure what the tiny shoeprints do.  I’ve seen “cleaning shoes” in the stores (a type of indoor shoe, since everyone takes off their shoes inside), so maybe it’s a place to dry those out?

Anyway, the small rack in the middle is already set up, but I still need to spread my dryer’s wings.

(“The sun is up so up with you!  Up ear number one, up ear number two!”)

And those small flying buttresses are indeed adjustable.  I can make my glider bank right or left if I so choose…

But so far I’ve found that it’s most helpful to leave it lying flat.   

I rescue my poor clothing bags from where they’ve been squashed against the edges of the washer (reminiscent of der Taumbler, anyone?)…

…and hang them out to dry.

This little thing (with the corn-ear clips!) is actually quite handy.  I don’t know if it is meant for something else, but I’ve found it to be great for hanging up my socks.

I hang it on the drying stand and usually in a day or two everything is dry.

Et voilà!