After my long rest on Sunday night, JiMin presented me with a kitty-cat face mask to cover my mouth and nose when I go out. Despite being a bit (for some reason) miffed at the offering, I thanked her and reminded myself of the good intentions behind her actions. Face masks in all shapes, sizes and designs are very popular in Korea. Joel even said once that he saw a music video with a Korean pop star wearing a sequined mask. They're a fashion statement. The first time I saw someone with a mask on I almost took it personally. What? They think I carry diseases or something... I thought. Kinda stupid, right? I vowed to never succumb to the mask. But I have to admit I've considered it more than once this week. The picture above is a display of some masks at a local stationary store.
A cold came over me on Wednesday morning. It was pretty much just a runny nose thing, so I started to pump up the fluids and vitamin-c drinks. Mrs. Joe asked me if I was sick, and I said only a little. One can never be too careful about admitting illness in Korea, unless one prefers to be smothered. I tossed and turned that night, trying to find a position in which my air flow wouldn't be obscured by my snot. Falling in and out of sleep makes for a long, unrestful night. So in the morning, when I'd almost completed a full roll of toilet paper and couldn't do much of anything without sneezing, I realized it was time to admit I needed some medicine, lest I spray my students with germs during class.
Moxanim almost immediately recommended I go to the hospital. I said I didn't want to, and could we try some medication at the pharmacy first? Moxanim questioned me about my throat and asked if I was cold at night, just in case I'd played down any other cold symptoms. I assured him it was only a runny nose. In the United States, we self-medicate a lot because health care is so expensive. In Korea, health care is free, and so many people go to the doctor when they feel even a little under the weather, which is exactly the kind of behavior that most Americans fear. But people don't talk about it like it's a terrible thing to do when you get a cold. It's just what people do!
I've pondered this phenomenon quite a bit since I've been here. I wonder if a hospital full of common cold patients is more of a scare in the states because there are not enough hospital workers in America. These days, most Americans are too lazy to go to school for that long. Koreans on the other hand don't fear hard work as much. (At least this is how it seems to me.) Or if it's just because, of course, private health care would be in danger if there were a public health option, and there's already an economic crisis in the world. Also, Koreans, in general, are more concerned about their health than Americans are. They probably do so much preventive health care that they don't have as many major surgeries or operations as we have that cost the health insurance companies a ton of money. All of this is just observation and reflection anyway. I haven't followed the health care debate real closely in Korea, but I understand that currently the Senate is considering the public option as a last resort and trying first to pressure private insurance companies to make health care more affordable.
Anyway, my trip to the pharmacy... Moxanim did the talking, and I was given a small paper bag with three things in it: a set of 3 pills, 3 packets of a brown powdery substance, and one plastic packet of a Chinese medicinal juice. According to Moxanim's instructions, I could drink the juice right away and take the other two after eating lunch. The juice was bitter but bearable. It was the brown powdery substance that made me gag. (Moxanim sort of chuckled to himself after giving me the instructions and grabbed a candy from a jar in the kitchen.) The light blue wrapping had a picture of a cartoon red face with a drippy nose. It was cute and seemingly important to stop my symptoms, so I poured the powder in my mouth and chased it down with water.
My runny nose persisted off and on throughout the day, but I fell into a deep sleep last night. And I'm feeling much better today, though my throat was scratchy this morning. I bought some Halls this morning at a convenience store, and the packaging said "vapor-action, honey lemon candy." Candy? Now, that's my kind of medicine!
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