Things to bring from home...

I have many friends coming to Korea this upcoming year. Whether it is to visit or to teach a year in Korea, I have made a list of essential things for them to bring:

Bedsheets: This applies more to those who want to teach or stay long term in Korea. Now, you CAN find bedsheets of all sizes in Korea, but you have to know that they are rather expensive and the fabric is rough. If you're lucky, you can find sheets on sale at HomePlus (Korean version of Wal-Mart). The down-side is that they will have tacky designs on them or easily pick up lint after one wash. I found that the Arrival Store is expensive, too. Some schools might provide your apartment with a bedsheet, but it wouldn't hurt to have an extra one. Since dryers are not common here, it could take days for them to dry. I know without a doubt you can make a trip to Target, Wal-Mart, or even TJ Maxx in America and buy good quality bedsheets for under $20. Oh, and if you're wondering about the size, most apartments come with single size beds.

Medicine: There are pharmacies everywhere you go in Korea. However, I also noticed that Korean pharmacies love to prescribe Tylenol and antibiotics for anything you can think of. It's a good idea to bring essential medicine like:

• Pepto Bismol: Food in Korea is delicious, but it takes some getting used to. It's common that many people do not see solid poop for at least a month after they arrive here.
• Ibuprofin: Don't expect to find containers of Aleve or Tylenol here. Tylenol has to be prescribed and the meds in Korea are a bit stronger than America.
• Allergy meds: If you have allergies, you might want to bring a bottle of Zyrtec or any of that sort. Although my allergies haven't flared up as bad here, it's better to have some than suffer in the spring time.
• Vitamins: If you're a vitamin person, bring some with you. They're overly expensive here. 

Don't worry about birth control, since you can buy it over the counter here. Just make sure to get your doctor to find an equivalent of yours that is available in Korea. He/She should have a list. 

Makeup: Ok, so this does not apply to those with fair skin. But for those of us on the darker side, it's pretty much impossible to find foundation/powder. Korean girls love to look as white as they can. Depending on how much you use, buy a good amount before you arrive. You can find anything for your skin here, EXCEPT for darker makeup.

Toiletries:

• Toothpaste: One thing I have noticed about Korean toothpaste is that it does not contain fluoride. It leaves your teeth with a not-clean feeling. The mint in the toothpaste is also very dull. What I'm saying is, get American toothpaste.
• Deodorant: Good quality deodorant comes from a country that sweats= America.
• Towels: This one is not a huge deal, but do bring at least ONE towel from home. Korean towels are thin and are soaked before you're even dry.

Clothing: You can find cute and cheap clothes everywhere in Korea IF you're skinny. Most Korean girls are tiny, so when the lady at the store tells you "One size fits all," she means, anywhere from XS to M. If you're on the bigger size, just know that you will be very limited.

• Pants: Like I said, if you're a girl and under size 7 you should have no problem. However, for those who are on the healthier side, stock up on those jeans. If you're a guy and have big thighs, I would also suggest you buy your pants before you arrive. You tend to sit on the floor a lot in Korea, so the chances of your crotch ripping or wearing out are high.
• Suits: Most schools don't require you to dress up, but you cannot show up to class looking like one of your students. Make sure to bring some slacks and blazers to seem more presentable.
• Shoes: If you're a girl and over size 9 or a guy over size 10, it's pretty much impossible to find cute/cool shoes. However, this doesn't mean splurge on shoes before you arrive. Because you walk everywhere in Korea, your shoes will get ruined pretty fast. From experience, I ruined a pretty expensive pair of leather boots in 2 months. 

Gum: That's right, chewing gum. Korean gum is meant to last all of ten minutes. After that, the flavor is gone and the texture of the gum turns into something so unpleasant that you want to spit it out instantly. I'm a gum chewer and I want my gum to last. It's possible to find American gum here, but I find it to be a hassle and would rather have my Costco supply of gum ready in my house.

Cell Phone: Don't hold me to this, but there is a rumor that Korean SIM cards will work on unlocked American cell phones beginning May 2012. However, it might not be this simple. I know for sure Korean phones are more compatible with companies that use CDMA phones, such as Verizon or Sprint. Plus, this is one of the most wired countries in the world, so you can have Wifi without a data plan pretty much anywhere you go. 

I'm sure there are a hundred and some things people would want to bring from back home. These are just some items that I found to be pretty convenient in Korea. There are ways to get these items here, but at a higher price or through a friend in the military.

I hope this list will help future teachers or their friends when they arrive in Korea.

Surgery

As most of you in the Facebook world know by now, I just had a Septoplasty. In other words, I had a crooked nasal passageway and had to get it straightened out. Apparently, deviated septums run in both sides of my family and even my little cousins have underwent this procedure. Why even go through all this? Because my friends/family couldn't tell the difference between me and a bear snoring.

A good news about getting this surgery in Korea is that it only cost me ~$US250 including medicine. Cheap right? This same procedure (with a couple of others) would have cost me over $6000.00 in Amurrica.

Surgery:
This was my first surgery ever. I had no idea how strict they were with jewelry and nail polish. They even cut off a bracelet I'd been wearing since college. Anyways, after crying about that, I had to strip naked and get into some patient scrubs! Yay to feeling free. I was then given an IV along with some antihistamine shots and was to wait about an hour before I could be all cut up.

Once I was taken to the OR, I was shot with anesthesia multiple times. It hurt so much, I yelled the F word outloud a couple of times. After that set in and lost all feeling of my nose/mouth, the doctor came in and cut my nose open. As he was shoving stuff up my nose, I could feel my nasal bone snap, crackle, and pop! Of course it didn't hurt, but I felt my bone being shifted around in there. After all that, I could feel the string as they sewed me up.

The surgery itself only took 40 minutes. They finished me off by shoving all kinds of gauze up my nostrils and then taping me up with more gauze in case I bled out. And bled out, I did. My grandma was NOT being supportive and all I felt like doing was crying. Every time I cried, the more I bled. Not only did I bleed through my nose, I even bled out my eyes. I felt like the bad guy from Casino Royale, as he wiped the blood off his eyes.

Post-op:
Going home was not fun. I nearly passed out as I tried to get up and thought about how effed up it would be if I fell forward and hit my nose on the ground. I wasn't allowed to wash my face or breathe through my nose (not that I could, even if I tried). Trying to sleep was even worse. I was told to sleep sitting up, or propped up. ugh. I woke up every hour because I was forgetting to breathe and nearly choked.

Look how wonderful and happy I look right here. I had so much gauze up my nose, it nearly doubled the size of my normal nose! Eating was hard, drinking was hard, talking was hard, life was hard.

Day 2 was not bad at all UNTIL I had to go back to the hospital to get the gauze taken out. OMG I never felt pain like that ever in my life. I cried so hard and told the doctor to just stop. He only worked on one nostril and I was crying like a little baby. Sleep was horrible. This time, I was sleep talking. I still have couple strips of plastic in there. I think it's to hold my nose upright and makes sure it sets straight.

Day 3, I am still taking drugs and am doing a nasal cleanse.  I have bloody mucus dripping out my nose and have to make sure that I wash out everything bad in there. On a funny note, look how much medicine I have!

I have other kinds of drugs to take, but thought it was funny that I could wrap my meds around my neck like a scarf.

Anyways, Merry Christmas Eve. Hopefully my nose will feel better and I can actually breathe out of it.