12-7=?

That's right! 5! I have 5 months (or 22 weeks) left in my contract! *removes link #23 from her paper chain* General update time. Yay! Last Saturday was the busiest I think I've ever been since arriving in Korea. I'm proud that I got everything on my list done, but I paid for it by making my cold worse. Oh well!!!

So I had 6 stops to make: Pyeongchon, Gangnam, Hongik University, Itaewon, Jongno 3(sam)ga and Dongnimmun stations. I made a little illustration with the Seoul subway map to illustrate the magnitude of this endeavour, with the stations labelled in the order I went.

Click to make me bigger!

So why'd I want to visit these places?

Pyeongchon: Hallym University Hospital (link!)

Following my ongoing stomach issues, this hospital was recommended for having doctors who spoke English well. So I went and saw a doctor who diagnosed me with gastro-enteritis (click for Wiki link), which Wikipedia says is "also known as gastric flu, stomach flu, stomach virus, although unrelated to influenza," and then put me on some medication for 7 days. Tomorrow morning will be my last dose of said medication. Here's hoping that issue is sorted.

Gangnam: Dream Eye Center (link! best viewed in Internet Explorer)

Last Saturday I went in for my March check-up. On that day (March 19) it had been 2 months and 20 days since I had my surgery. Next week Wednesday will be the 3 month mark. How are my eyes? GREAT! Now BOTH eyes are at a prescription of 1.2. What does that mean? Well, 1.0 is 20/20! So my eyes are better than 20/20. Mr. Choo estimated 1.2 to be about 20/16 or 20/17. ASSAH!!! I have to honestly say I am SO GLAD I did this surgery. And I'm equally glad I did it at Dream Eye. Mr. Choo has been so accessible and friendly, answering all my questions and always making sure I feel comfortable and informed. I never, for a moment, doubted their skill or level of service in all my experiences there so far. I have I think 3 more check-ups before I hit the 6-mth mark and which point I'm on my own, but I have felt so taken care of up til now, I'm not worried in the least! What a great decision I made for myself!!

Itaewon: What the Book and OKBT

Until this day, I'd never been to Itaewon during the day. Wait... I think there was one time when I first got here... but it was for someone's going away party and I only saw the restaurant where we ate. After that, every other time I found myself in Itaewon, it was at night... and I didn't like it. But I knew there were great things to found there. Particularly an English book store and a plus-sized clothing store for women. I'd ordered 2 books from the What the Book website (link above) and had opted to pay for them in store. So I went and did the paying thing. One of the books (Selected Writings and Speeches of Marcus Garvey edited by Bob Blaisdell) was already in store, so I was able to take that with me. The other (Communion by Bell Hooks) was ordered once I paid and I'll have to go pick it up when it's ready. While there I decided to browse. Now, books are my weakness so naturally I ended up buying 2 more books. One I was in the middle of reading when I left Canada. I left the book (which is #4 in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series) thinking I wouldn't be able to find the next book in Korea so why bother. But of course I found almost the entire series at What the Book and quickly mended my ways! The second book I bought was "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire (yes the one made into a musical). I'm excited to get through all these goodies! Not to mention the books I did bring with me but haven't finished. Ayoy!

I then checked out OKBT and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, they had the terrible "plus size" clothing I've always dreaded when walking into any such labelled store, but they also had practical stuff, like skinny jeans (of which I bought one pair) and cute dresses and the like. The dressing room is really just a back room with no door or curtain, but I was the only one in store and was assured I'd be fine. That aside, A+ will go back (probably right after I pick up Communion lol)!

Dongnimmun: Japanese Prison

I then headed over to Dongnimmun station to meet friends Lindsay and Alexis to do a Lindsay-guided tour of the prison where thousands of Koreans were held by the Japanese during their occupation of Korea in the years 1908-1987. It was, of course, haunting and heart-wrenching, seeing the actual sites where people's fingernails were pulled out, or the box with nails in the sides where Koreans were put and shaken in the box as forms of torture.

But what fascinated me the most were the pictures on the walls of the prisoners held there, particularly this guy.

Notice he's smiling in the "after" picture, where he's left with only one eye. Perhaps he's thinking, "Korea is free. My eye was small payment for that." He even looks more handsome!

Jongno 3(sam)-ga: Nagwon Sangga - Musical Instrument Mall

Heaven. That's what this place is. Hundreds of independently own musical instrument (and musical electronics) stores. HUNDREDS. My goals were a) to see it; b) to test out an electric guitar (I just wanted to feel the difference); c) find out prices (if I can find a setup cheap enough I may buy it here and ship it home). Well, I saw it. Overwhelming the first time actually. I went from guitar store to guitar store trying to find one that was empty and that would let me test out their guitars. I finally found a cozy spot and the owner was the only one there. He was really nice and gave me a mini-history lesson on electrical guitars. He let me test out 2 Squire (Fender) guitars. As I played, other people came into the store, but I was comfortable enough by this point. When I was finished, one of the people in the room asked me a question, which I cannot remember but it was something about music. I ended up staying in that store chatting to her, Mia (her English name), and another guy who was testing out electric guitars.

Minsu (I think)

Mya

Tony (store owner and great guitarist)

Mia happened to also be going to the Hongdae area, so she accompanied me and helped me find....

Hongik University: Hongik University Art Supply Store


I'd been getting bored with my art classes lately. I realised I wasn't really enjoying the painting and was considering dropping the class, but I remembered having been interested in drawing for a long time, so I'd asked my art teacher if she could teach me drawing instead of painting. She said it was no problem and gave me a list of things I needed to get. Having done a little bit of research, I learned that there were a number of stores in Seoul, but that the one at Hongik University was one of the bigger ones. So Mia, my new friend (who as it turns out at one time lived in Canada about 30 minutes walking distance from where my parents live now!), brought me to the store and then we said our goodbyes. The experience was difficult, because I seemed to have arrived right before they're closing time, so I got rushed along and right out of the store. But, when I left, I did so with a brand new giant sketchpad, pencils, small sketchbook and soft eraser, all in a lovely canvas carrying case!

It was a great day for getting things done and seeing new places! I even made a new friend. And to think I was almost too tired after the prison tour to go to Nagwon Sangga!! Left my house at about 9am and got back about 9:30pm. Over 12 hours! Wow. I'm not doing that again tomorrow!