Another Christmas in Korea

I don't think that being away from home on Christmas gets any easier each year. Seeing everyone's pictures on Christmas day, especially of loved ones, still makes me want to cry. Maybe this will change when I have someone to share it with where I am, who knows. But as much as I look forward to the season, right now, I always welcome boxing day when it's all over. This year, I was lucky to have my sister join me in Malaysia - more on that in another post.

Friday before Christmas we had our staff party. It was pretty tame this year as we only went out for dinner as the enthusiasm for drinks afterwards was lacking. We met at a galbi restaurant and enjoyed some meat and side dishes. We had a bit of a fire issue at my table's grill which I found funny as instead of trying to put out the fire, some were more concerned about getting a video, which you can see below!

We did a secret Santa gift exchange again which was a lot of fun. Throughout the month treats were left on my desk which were always welcomed surprises. I was first up to open my gift and guess. I did not guess correctly so I had the choice of singing a song, dancing or drinking maekju (a mix of beer and soju). Last year I sang, so this year I chose to drink maekju. I found out that my secret Santa was my supervisor Joanne! She got me some purple tights and a black skirt.

The weekend before Christmas, I held the "Second Non-Annual Luda-Christmas" at my apartment. Last year it mainly consisted of co-workers but as I have met more people over the past year it grew a bit in number but we all still managed to squeeze into my apartment. Sara came over the night before and we prepared gingerbread dough to make cookies the next day. After getting up and ready the next day, we headed to Daiso to find some cookie cutters. They didn't have Christmas ones, but we did manage to find dogs, pigs, hearts and squirrels. Sara really gets all the credit for the cookies as I spent the day cleaning up for guests and making soups for dinner.


                                   

While we waited for people to arrive, Sara and I watched The Family Stone, a favourite of mine to watch at Christmas. Once most people arrived we began eating and drinking Ben's gluhwein (6 bottles of red wine later...) We also did a white elephant gift exchange. Each person brought a used, wrapped item from home that they no longer have a use for. Compared to last year, the gifts were awesome! I ended up with a tumbler filled with different teas. Afterwards we headed out to a nearby beer cooler, then stopped by Underground (the local club) and finished the night off at a norebang (karaoke).

Matt dressed for the occasion 

SY & Chris

One half of the group!

All the shoes

Sara, SY, Ben, Reid and Scott in front

Alexis, James and Laura

Myself, Matt, Chris & Kristine

The best cheesecake in Korea

Leading up to Christmas day at school, we decorated our classrooms and practiced a Christmas song with our class for the song contest. I decided to change my approach this year and let the students pick the song, which can be a nightmare, but it went well this time. One day we all piled into the computer room and we went through songs on YouTube until they fell in love with "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." They also did the majority of the choreography. You can check out the video on Facebook if you haven't already. My class tied for third place.

Santa also visited LCI on Christmas Eve and handed out gifts to all of the students. This year was the first where I had to address whether or not Santa is real, and whether or not there can be multiple Santa Claus'. This led to a discussion of "Was Santa a baby before?", "How old is Santa?", "Why doesn't Santa die?" These are tough questions to answer to a 7 year old when you don't know the stance parents take on the topic at home. But I suppose it's good practice (?) for when I have children of my own, maybe?

My Class with Santa & Isla wearing my Santa hat 

                             

In December I also went with a group to the European Christmas market. We drank a lot of gluhwein this day too.

Myself with Reid and Noelia 

So crowded!!

This also marked Maynah's last weekend in Korea, so after the Christmas market, we all went for food together then a few of us went for drinks in Itaewon. It never gets easy saying goodbye to friends. 

A few other things not mentioned in previous posts: 

My friend Reid had been learning to play the Haegeum (a traditional Korean instrument) so I went to his recital which was awesome. 

I was in the hospital for two days with pneumonia.

Kristine and I went to the Lantern festival. 

The last board game meetup I hosted before Christmas had the biggest turn out in awhile - so stoked!

It was a good busy month. The end of the year is always busy. So much so that I've blogged less, and realized I didn't even post about Halloween!! Too late? I feel the urge to leave you with a quote about the New Year, instead I will leave you with the weather. 

<3

Adventures of September & October

After always seeing the subway stop "Seoul Forest" on my subway map app, I finally decided to check it out. It's huge! I met Myan, who had been before and we walked around for a bit. Within the park there is an area where deer are kept and for 1,000 won (about $1) you can feed them at various times throughout the day. It's a beautiful park that I'd like to explore some more. We didn't stay too long as Myan wanted to check out another spot ways away. Here are some pictures from Seoul Forest:

Myan on the wobbly bridge

From there, the two of us headed to Jeongbalsan, an hour away. By the time we got there the sun was setting so we sat down by the water. Myan had been here before too and knew of a fountain water show that is put on nightly so we decided to check that out. We began by going the wrong way, unsure of where the show was and finally asked someone for directions. By the time we got going in the right direction, we could hear the show music already starting so we ran the whole way ... in flip flops. The water fountain show was put to music, both English and Korean songs. The best part though was the adjectives they chose at the end when they announced that the show was over: "Thank you for coming to the glorious spectacular water fountain show!" That night we ate at a place called Mad for Garlic which is delicious. Since coming to Korea, I have become pretty mad for garlic.

Early October, Mel, MJ, Kristine (my new coworker) and I went to the Gwangmyeong Mine Cave through Meetup.com. It was neat walking through the cave and really made me miss playing minecraft. We went to a market afterwards and tried live octopus (it was awful) with some of the vouchers we received. I left early as the others shopped as my eye was really bothering me. When I got to the eye doctor, I found out I had a small scratch on my eye, so I'm glad that I went in right away. My wonderful friends picked up some food for me though! I have now tried persimmons and quite like them. To me, they are a mix between pumpkin and tomato and are best enjoyed slightly defrosted after taken out of the freezer.

Mel, Kristine, MJ and I 

I met up with the group later on and we went to Hello Nature Cafe (the Sheep Cafe)! We enjoyed some bingsu and played with the sheep. They were so cute and super soft. Of course, since we are in Korea, the country obsessed with Frozen, the sheep were named Elsa and Anna.

Trying to get into the Halloween spirit, one night a bunch of us got cozy in Noelia's apartment with take-out and snacks and watched Beetlejuice. We also went to Everland (Korea's own version of Disneyland" which was Halloween themed for October. We went through one of their horror mazes which left us with some good memories. Mel took one step in and decided to not go through. Maynah or Tatiana got down the first hallway and wanted to give up. We were put into a cage and a guy came in to scare us. But in an effort to not get freaked out, Tatiana just started to talk to him "Want to do shots with us?" and he finally broke out of character to ask us how old we were. I think it could have been scarier but it was still fun. My favourite ride was the rollercoaster.

Kristine, myself, Tatiana, Mel and Maynah

Our "scared" picture, Maynah and Kristine did not catch on though 

Mel and I also joined MJ at the pool last weekend. We went to the Olympic Swimming Pool at Olympic Park to swim laps. It was 6,000 won for 3 hours. A couple things I found interesting was that you have to wear a swim cap (and everyone also wears goggles, although that's not mandatory but are extremely useful). Also every 50 minutes past the hour bells ring that indicate you must get out of the pool and there is a mandatory ten minute resting time. On the hour, bells ring again to indicate you are allowed back in the pool. Mel and I have never taken swimming lessons before, we just swim in our own way. MJ on the other hand is a swimmer. She really helped us learn how to swim freestyle and now we just need practice! I was really happy because I conquered my fear of putting my head in water without plugging my nose. I really have been wanting to go underwater without having to plug my nose especially since I am diving more. I think it will be an important skill to have.

Somewhere along the way, I also went to a Drum Festival... which I don't think I posted about!

And there you have it, tidbits from the last two months <3

Lasek Eye Surgery at Gangnam EyeMedi Vision Center

Since I've been in Korea, I have met several people who have received laser eye surgery. Generally, it is more affordable here than in most people's home countries. When I was at the War Memorial Museum this past Spring, I talked to my friend Kris who had received the surgery. It was something that I was thinking about since I knew my vision had gotten worse as I was noticing it on a daily basis but still did not want to wear glasses or contacts daily. I received information about Gangnam EyeMedi Vision Center from her a few days later but didn't end up doing anything with the information as I was a bit nervous to take the plunge being in a different country without any family close by.

Fast forward to the summer and I found out my friend Mel had booked a consultation with them and she asked if I could come along with her. So one Saturday morning we set out and found EyeMedi. It was super easy to find and the place was super clean and welcoming. Knowing that I was going with her that day made me consider getting it done even more. I am not usually the type of person who makes appointments and I often do things by impulse. So after Mel went in with the doctor and I was about to head out to a cafe (as the consultation is about two hours long) I stopped by the front counter. I knew it was a "now or never" situation. I knew I would never e-mail or call them to make an appointment so if I didn't make an appointment then, it wouldn't happen. So I booked a consultation for around the end of August. 

Leading up to my consultation I was still a bit undecided if I would really go through with the surgery, but I knew if I went to the consultation I would be committed. There were several days where I considered cancelled my appointment out of fear. I mean, they are your eyes, it's a pretty big deal - or at least it was to me. I did end up going to the appointment though and found out that my eyes had gotten worse. The last time I had them checked they were about -0.5/-0.75 and now they were both about -1.5. 

Now let's take a moment here. 

Yes I know, my eyesight was not very bad. A lot of people have made the claim and will continue to make the claim that maybe it wasn't worth getting the surgery done. They'd understand if my eyes were -6 etc. But how is that a fair or just argument? Whether my eyesight was -1.5 or -6 I was still having to wear contacts on a daily basis in order to see properly. In order to enjoy the world around me for what it is really supposed to look like - not a blur. So while some may disagree, it was worth it. I had an impairment and it does not matter to what degree it was.

Anyways... 

I don't actually remember much about the consultation. I remember that they went through a regular eye exam, they checked the thickness of my cornea, they put eye drops in my eyes that made them dilated for about two days. Dr. Choo was incredibly helpful, friendly, answered all my questions and relieved my concerns. I'm pretty sure he thought I was crazy for the fact that the only pair of glasses I owned and have ever owned were made in 2008. When I left that day, I had booked my surgery for October 2nd. 

At the beginning of September I had the opportunity to accompany Mel to EyeMedi as she was getting her surgery done. What is really interesting and unlike anything you'd probably experience back home is that you are able to watch the surgery. When she was all set, we were taken to the floor above and given medical gowns to wear. There are two surgery rooms, walled by glass so you can look in and watch it happening. As well, there is a live feed of a close up of the patient's eye so you can watch every move the doctor makes. As the nurse got Mel ready, I watched the previous patient get her surgery done. It wasn't awful to watch, although some parts did appear to be painful despite knowing that you cannot feel anything during the surgery. Next up was Mel, and I watched the live feed of her surgery too while sitting right outside the surgery room. She did it like a pro and was amazed by the immediate results when she left the surgery room. 

Fast forward another month and it was my turn. I knew exactly what to expect since I had shadowed Mel throughout the process. I was also able to ask her questions and get her first hand wisdom and experience. The week leading up to my surgery date, I felt good about it. I didn't think I was stressed about it. Until Wednesday night, the day before the surgery. 

I went to sleep that night and had a dream... 

I dreamt that night that I went to EyeMedi a day before my planned surgery in order to ask some questions. There was not an English speaker there so they thought I was there for my surgery. I was taken immediately to the surgery room and the surgery was performed by another doctor I had never met. When I left, I was given a bag of eye drops without any consultation on how to use them. So by the time I got to the my apartment I was freaking out and worried as they did the surgery while I was wearing mascara. I kept calling them but they would either not answer or they would hang up. And then of course I woke up. 

Needless to say, I was obviously a bit stressed subconsciously. I tried to go through Thursday normally. After work Chris and I headed to the subway station and met Noelia and we all headed to EyeMedi. I had my support team! Not to mention my best friend from home was up at 4am and messaged me in support right up until the minute I went in for surgery. I cannot express how thankful I was and am for his continual support. Thank you. When I arrived we went through the process again of checking my eyes, then we headed up to the floor above! Chris is not a fan of things like this so she didn't come up but Noelia did. They drew blood in order to make PRP which is Platelet-rich plasma eye drops that would speed up the healing process. After getting my face cleaned I was laying on the surgery table. 

I felt pretty frozen during the whole thing and the best I could muster whenever the doctor asked if I was okay was a mmhmm. You do not feel a thing during the surgery aside from the cooling water after the laser part. Which is incredible cold. So much that it took everything inside of me to refrain from pushing the doctor away from me after he did the first eye. All you have to do is "look at the red dot". It was painless and it was fast. About ten minutes each eye, only 7 seconds of laser time each eye. Afterwards I felt good, tired, but good. 

The next few days I spent laying in bed resting and putting in eye drops - so many eye drops. Usually people are sensitive to light after the surgery during the first bit, but I was not thankfully. They put non-prescription contacts in after the surgery as bandages. So a week later, I was back at EyeMedi to get those taken out. Normally your vision gets a bit blurry again once they are taken out but mine was not. They took pictures of my eye and they were very clear. I will say though that the sensation of not wearing the contacts was bizarre. The cornea is finishing growing back and as a result your eye is not smooth yet. The scratchy feeling you experience every blink was so strange. This too goes away though. 

All was well until Saturday. I was out and had been experiencing the feeling of there being something in my eye since the night before. It eventually got so bothersome that I messaged Dr.Choo and went in right away. 

I had a scratch on my eye. 

Not really a huge deal, and apparently there are many factors as to why this can occur. I had to wear another contact bandage for another day and a half. It immediately made my eye feel better. I took it out myself on a Monday morning, about a week and a half ago now and I have been feeling great ever since! I have another check up on Friday which I'm sure will go well. 

Getting laser eye surgery was the best choice for me. I no longer have to worry about bringing my glasses when I go see a movie, or wearing my contacts when I go on vacation in order to see everything perfectly. I no longer have to squint or walk closer to my classroom board to check how many stickers to give the students at the end of the day. Most of all, because I am continuing my diving adventure, I no longer have to worry about contacts underwater - something that was going to become a huge hassle! 

I cannot give EyeMedi a better recommendation. They were professional, helpful, and friendly. Dr. Choo goes out of his way to ensure that we are looked after and is only ever a text away to answer any questions. I am so happy to be able to see without contacts or glasses and so happy I chose EyeMedi!!! 

Here is a link if you would like to watch a filmed version of my surgery that is now on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLBRiTIWCA8&feature=youtu.be

And a few pictures of the adventure courtesy of EyeMedi! I have also been featured on their blog, which you can find here:

http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=thefreeland&logNo=220142745805

Drawing blood for my PRP drops with Noelia's support!

Dressed and ready to go!

Surgery is complete!

With Dr. Lee! 

Resting post surgery 

Dr. Lee checking my eyes after the surgery

My dilated eyes!

He kept telling me that everything will be okay, don't worry!

Leaving after the surgery, goodbye Gangnam EyeMedi! See you soon for all my check-ups! 

<3