Keepin' My Fingers Crossed for Creed...

Something exciting just happened - something that got me a little excited about the future.

I was checking pitchforkmedia.com and I saw that Iron and Wine has posted 2008 tour dates. I am really excited to get to see some live music once I return to the States and this is the first time I have seen tour dates posted by a band for next year. Now that 2008 is only a few short months away, it should be happening more and I am anxiously awaiting the time when I can start buying concert tickets for the spring.

I have lots of hopes and dreams for bands that I would like to see playing the midwest in a few months. KC and Lawrence shows are what I will really be on the lookout for, but I am also in the market to visit St. Louis, Columbia and Dallas (or Austin) to see friends and tunes. Hell, I might even make it to Portland if something amazing pops up.

This signals my inevitable departure from this kooky city back to a land with good beer, good food, better coffee, bigger boobs, live music scenes, English conversations in greater abundance, law enforcement that recognizes the validity of my driver's license, campfires on beaches, Whole Foods and way more freedom.

I am not ready to leave yet, but I am starting to get excited about coming home.

Much love from Seoul

Good News

I walked into the neurologists office this morning and asked, "Do you have good news for me?" Her answer was, "Absolutely."

The diagnosis is a migraine headache. My head hurt for about six days and she said that it was due to a migraine. She didn't have very many answers as to why it happened or what I can do to make sure it doesn't happen again, but I think it is about the best thing I could've hoped for considering the other options she had thrown out previously. I do not have MS, I did not have a stroke and my body is not so overloaded with freedom that it has trouble functioning (although I still think that may be part of it.)

When I asked what I can do to make sure it doesn't happen again she told me that there is really nothing to do. She suggested I "keep on living like I have been living." I responded by saying that that may not be the best advice to give me, but I will take it anyways.

I have to say my encounter with the Korean medical system was all in all a pretty positive thing. There is socialized medicine here and I found it to be incredibly effective, quick and caring. Other than the language barrier I found no flaws in the system and was quite pleased every step of the way. At first I freaked out to be having issues so far from home, but in the end I am glad that I was here. I actually feel that I may have received better care in Korea than I would have in the States - and I have insurance here, something I most likely would not have in the States.

The last week has been pretty hectic. I am glad to finally get some resolution to the issue and move past it. I want to thank all of you that reached out across the ocean and offered support. It made me feel good to know that people all over the globe were sending good vibes my way.

Well, now it's back to life as usual. A little less than four months and I head back to the States. I'm ready to enjoy the final push of my Korean adventure and keep living like I have been living.

Much love from Seoul

Magnets Resonating Inside

The chronicles of my brain and the Korean hospital system continue...

I had an MRI yesterday morning. I was pretty anxious going into the whole thing, but once it all began I became incredibly calm.

When I arrived at the hospital I was handed a pair of pants and a robe-like shirt that I was supposed to change into. I was escorted to a changing room and left to sort myself out. Before I was even finished unfolding the pants I realized there was going to be problems. The waist was elastic and fit quite well, but the length of the legs was comical. They looked like capri pants that I had paid a tailor to cut a few inches off of. Had they been a little baggier, I would have been the closest thing to MC Hammer Korea has ever seen, but instead I looked like I had stolen pants from a thirteen-year-old girl. I found the shirt to be comfortable, but the doc did not. It was similar to a robe in that the two sides of the shirt wrapped around and were meant to be supported with a cloth band that was tied in the front. Mine was missing a button and the shirt showed off the majority of my chest and belly hair. The sleeves went just past my elbows and the doctor was a little uncomfortable around me. I think he was worried the nurse may not to be able to do her job with so much sexiness exuding from the patient. He pulled the shirt as tight as he could and we continued on.

Immediately, I was asked to sign a form. the doctor said a whole bunch to me in Korean and said the word, "Sign!" I asked what I was signing and he said, "M. R. I." and pointed the those same three letters on the top of the form, the only part of the form I could actually read. I felt like there was probably important information on the form and probably something I was supposed to read before I signed it. They called an orderly in who spoke perfect English and he told me what it said. He also explained the procedure to me and, once I had signed the paper, I headed into the room with the orderly, doc and nurse in tow.

I laid down on the "bed" and put my head into the cage at one end of it. The doctor offered me headphones saying it would be loud. The orderly asked me if I liked Korean pop music or if I would prefer something else. I asked if they had jazz and he said, "Do you like Korean pop music?" I asked if there was a classical music option (thought it might help me stay calm) and he asked, "Do you like Korean pop music?" as the doctor put the headphones over my ears.

I was told that the most important thing was for me not to move. I tried to get in a comfortable position and then they buckled me in. The loud sounds of Korean pop idols filled my brain as the bed began to move backwards so the machine could take pictures of it.

Once the procedure began I went into a sort of trance. It was a forced meditation that I kind of enjoyed. My thoughts drifted from past memories to future hopes. I remembered concerts I had been to and people I had met. I pictured the drive from my parents house to Lawrence, thinking that the MRI would last about as long as that drive. The only thing that brought me out of the trance was when there was a song that came on my headphones that I recognized. I wasn't sure what it was until the first words came out: "I, I just died in your arms tonight..." The only song not in Korean and it happens to a rock ballad that references death in the first line. Not my first choice for a hospital ditty, but I'm not the Chung-Ang University hospital DJ.

It couldn't have gone much better, but yesterday wasn't the hard part. I go back in on Thursday for the results. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for the "too-much-freedom-in-your-system" diagnosis, but there are still some other possibilities out there...

I put together a little playlist that has been helping keep my mind of the shit that's going on around me. If you would like to play along at home, put the playlist together on your iPod, hold your breath till you're so dizzy that you pass out and head to the hospital:

1. "If It Wasn't For You" - Handsome Boy Modeling School
2. "Bodysnatchers" - Radiohead
3. "Sneakin' Out the Hospital" - Beastie Boys
4. "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" - The White Stripes
5. "Shake It Off" - Wilco
6. "Blue Balloon" - Ween
7. "Luckiest Man" - The Wood Brothers
8. "Cold Brains" - Beck
9. "Hercules" - Aaron Neville
10. "I Feel Like Going Home" - Yo La Tengo
11. "Hospital Beds" - Cold War Kids
12. "Trouble With Dreams" - Eels
13. "Weekend" - Dr. Dog
14. "Helter Skelter" - The Beatles
15. "I Shall Be Released" - Bob Dylan
16. "Heavy Metal" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
17. "Free" - Cat Power
18. "Spider's House" - Califone
19. "L'amour Ne Dure Pas Toujours" - Feist
20. "True Affection" - The Blow
21. "God's Child" - David Byrne and Selena

I've got about 36 hours until I find out what, if anything, is going on with my body. Hopefully I will have some good news to report in a couple days.

Much love from Seoul

Patient

I spent a few hours at the ER last night.

During my last class of the day I started to lose my vision and my limbs and face got numb. I blocked it out until class was over and once I got to the teachers lounge I started to kind of freak out - and so did some of the people around me. I rushed (the word rushed may be misused here - I struggled in traffic in the back seat of a cab) to a nearby hospital as quick as I could.

An assistant from the school came with me so he could act as my translater. He is really good at Korean, so I trusted he was telling the doctor and nurses what was going on, but he is lacking in the English depertment, so I was pretty much in the dark.

I was sitting on a typical hospital bed in the middle of a large room full of other hospital beds. A woman was dying about ten feet from where I was as her family softly cried and consoled her. A young boy in another bed was standing on the bed while a doctor felt his penis. A man with severe head trauma was motionless a few beds away as his head continued to slowly ooze blood all over his pillow. And I was sitting in the middle of this, disoriented and listening to a Korean conversation that may very well decide my fate.

A nurse started taking my blood for tests and I collapsed backwards on the bed. After they had my blood, I was rushed around and some emergency tests were taken. I had to sign a few waivers that I'm still not completely clear as to what I waived. It was an absolutely terrifying experience. I speak often of feelings of helplessness in this country, but this forced me to completely trust people I had never met before.

Not long after the initial tests, the owner of my school rushed in with another woman from school. They were able to help me understand more of what was happening and definitely put my mind at ease a little bit. I had been in the ER for about an hour and had yet to hear a genuine word of English. Then the emergency tests came back and they were all negative (or positive, whatever the good one is) and I became much more relaxed.

A woman tried to do a heart test on me. She had a machine that would only work if she could get the little suction cups to suction to my skin. Apparently I am a little more hairy than most Koreans, because she could not get the cups to cling to my skin. It was kind of a humorous situation and helped ease the tension further.

It was a long night. I ended up back at home in a weird state of mind. I was very thankful for all of the people around me that came to my aide. Without the help of others, I am not sure what I could have done. At the same time, some atypical events transpired over the evening and reflecting on them was not entirely a joyful time.

I went to see a neurologist this morning and she decided that I need to have an MRI and an MRA on Monday to figure out what is going on. Again, a woman from school came with me. She showed me where to go in the hospital, filled out my paperwork and acted as translater between myself and the doctor. I feel as if I understand what is going on a little better now - now I just need to have some patience.

So, on Monday a large machine in Seoul, Korea will be taking pictures of the fruit inside my melon. I will have to wait until next Thursday to get the results. Looks like I may have a week full of stressful thoughts and worries. Good thing I'm a glass-half-full kinda guy.

If you pray, keep me in your prayers.
If you're a jew, rub Moses's belly for me.
If you practice voodoo, kill a chicken for me.

I'll be getting through this one way or another, I've just gotta be patient...

Much love from Seoul

Fireworks

There was a huge fireworks competition held in Seoul last night. I bought a couple big bottles of beer and met up with friends to watch it all go down.

The competition came in three shifts. Japan did a show. America (Fuck Yeah!) did a show. And Korea did a show. To be honest they were all pretty good, but I truly thought that the Americans put forth the best effort - we Americans love blowing shit up and we're good at it. We sat close to the Han River, many miles away from the show. I heard that if you wanted to be near the competion you would have had to arrive before 3:00 (and the shows started around 7:00.) Even though we were pretty far from the center of the action, we still encountered a huge crowd. We had a great view of the show though, and I would say that all in all it was a good night.

Too Many People



This picture was taken as we were leaving. I was amazed at how many people there were even though we were so far away from where the actual event was taking place. I guess a lot of people had the same idea as us. If you look closely, you will notice that the sea of people does not end. It goes all the way under that tunnel and for another mile or more behind it. Fucking ridiculous. And if you look really close, you just might find Waldo.

This crowd was larger than the crowd I am usually surrounded by, but there are always huge groups of people everywhere I go. Seoul has too many people. According to my friend Ben (which means according to Wikipedia) there are more than 44,000 people for every square mile in Seoul. If you think about that for a second, it is mind boggling. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and that is a fact that I can back up from experience. I guess I've gotten used to it, but it still bothers me. It is painful to be trying to walk on the street or through a subway station, only to be caught up in a "traffic" jam. It makes me yearn for a town like Lake Nebagamon where there are more trees than people.


Stereotypes



You know the stereotype that all Asians take pictures - it is true. The waterfront where we were was littered with tripods and cameras. I don't think this picture shows how many cameras there really were, but I liked the way it turned out. One of my good friends over here thought it looked like a shot from World War II.

Koreans take pictures of themselves alone on the subway, they take pictures of their meal when it arrives at their table at a restaurant, they take pictures of anything and everything. Maybe that is why I've been playing with my camera so much lately - maybe I'm becoming Korean...

Much love from Seoul

Fact or Opinion?

I was teaching the terms fact and opinion to some second graders yesterday. We have discussed them before, but their little brains need lots of reminding.

So I went with opinion first. I asked what an opinion was and looked around the room to be met with looks of confusion. I said, "When someone gives you an opinion they are telling you what they..." and I placed my index finger on my temple. Instantly a bunch of hands went up. I called on a girl who said, "An opinion is what someone thinks." Wow. Not only did she know the answer, but she was speaking in full English sentences. I was incredibly proud of her (and the rest of the class by association.)

Now it was time to move on to fact. I asked what the word "fact" meant and one hand was raised. A young boy who goes by the name Jason Kim had raised his hand and had a confident look in his eye. I would be a liar if I said he is the smartest kid I teach. I was a little astonished he knew the answer, but I was pleased he thought he might know the answer. I called on him and he said, "You. Teacher you are fat."

I've worked with children long enough to not be offended, but I thought it was pretty funny.

Much love from your fat friend in Seoul

Pictures I Took

I went on a long walk around the neighborhood today. I wanted to take some pictures and enjoy a nice afternoon. Once I began walking, dark clouds filled the sky, but I kept walking and shooting.

I also checked out the SeMA (Seoul Museum of Art) and got to see a cool photography exhibit (check the entry below for more on that.) It was a lovely afternoon and I think I got some good shots. Check it:



I ran into this cat on the street. He was eating some form of meat on a stick and I noticed an emblem that looked like the Royal's KC logo on his sleeve. As I got closer I realized that he was supporting the blue and gold. We had an akward conversation (he didn't speak much English.) It was easy for me to explain my excitement because I was wearing a shirt that said Kansas City on it and he was more than happy to let me take his picture.



I took a whole series of pictures in different mirrors around town. These are two of my favorites that I took.


Another good example of Konglish. According to a co-worker, the Korean on this sign refers to "hormonal medicine." I really like the triple "S" in the middle of the made up word. At first I thought it was some sort of Christian sex club, but I was wrong.


Here's a few more images I captured. This is the world I live in...












I had fun taking these. I've been waiting for a nice day to walk around and do this, but the weather has been pretty shitty as of late. It was a good day and I'm glad to share with you.

Much love from Seoul

Pictures I Didn't Take

I've collected a sampling of photographs from the artists featured in an exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art I saw today. The exhibit was titled "Landscape of Korean Contemporary Photography" and this should give you a good idea of what it was all about. I walk by this gallery all the time and it's never open. I was glad to finally get a chance to check it out.