Life This Week in South Korea: April 8-14, 2024
Monday, April 8
Since there’s so little else going on these days, I thought I’d at least start sharing my daily outfit posts again. Which could be equally as boring as “what I did this week,” since I have like 20 pieces of clothing that I wear on heavy repeat. So much so that things have been falling apart: seams worn through, holes, not to mention stains (#I’mLookingAtYouRedSoups). Also, right now, because of my knee pain (have I mentioned I have knee pain? HA HA HA HA HA), I am trying to wear things that are loose around my knee when I sit. Which means my way-too-big Athleta pants that are so long that I finally just hacked off the bottoms with some scissors and didn’t try to re-hem them (maybe Korean Santa will bring me a sewing kit…or better yet, one of those little hand-held sewing “machines”) and so large in the elastic waist that I’m constantly having to lean both crutches on the front of my body so I can use both hands to hoick them back up where they belong (right under my boobs)…AND my mustard linen pants that, thank goodness spring is here, I finally pulled out of the “off season” closet.
I could REALLY use some new clothes. I didn’t even buy anything new to come to Korea. In January 2023 I meant to write a “how I unintentionally had a no-buy year in 2022” post but then LIFE…so it’s really been a long time!!! I DID buy a FEW things back in January…Old Navy to Katie, from Katie to Korea, to being stuck here in customs for several weeks while I and my Korean friends tried to figure out what the hold-up was (money. the hold-up is always money), to FINALLY receiving the package of mostly winter items just as it was getting warm here. So they’ve been put away for next winter. Except for one green pullover that I did wear on St. Patrick’s Day.
Now I’m waiting for ANOTHER Old Navy -> Katie -> Korea package, and hopefully we learned some lessons with the last time and it will NOT be held up in customs. Also, if things arrive and don’t fit…that’s the end of it. It’s way too costly to send things BACK to the US.
I really need to find some places in Korea that sell plus size in styles I like. Plus size is just REALLY not a thing here. There’s a site that always comes up on Instagram called Cider…it seems a little Shein-like, cheap, fast fashion…but I’m a little desperate here. They have a “curve” section and with my next Social Security check I’m going to take the gamble and buy one pair of pants just to see.
Anyway, trying to decide if I should just include the OOTDs here in the weekly review post…or let it be stand-alone weekly outfit post. What do you think? As for me, I think including them here is easier, but making a weekly dedicated OOTD post might be better.
Anyway, today was the speaking portion of the midterm. It only lasts five minutes. You’re in a room alone with a teacher (not my teacher) and she gives prompts and asks questions…you need to understand and respond appropriately. I think this was my best one so far. I THINK I passed…but the grading on this is more subjective than the written portion, so we shall see. At least I didn’t get as apoplectically nervous as I have in the past.
Then, since it was still early (my time slot was like 2:35-2:40pm), I had Uber drop me at the next door convenience store where I got an ice coffee and another bangeo-ppang ice cream sandwich. Then I played Words with Friends and did New York Times word games for like 2 hours. It was so nice I didn’t want to go inside!
I was so tired I got in bed at 7:30 and think I was asleep around 8. But then I was awake at midnight, and it is now 2:05am as I’m writing this cuz I couldn’t get back to sleep. My sleep is pretty messed up recently.
Tuesday, April 9
At this point I have been up for almost 24 hours, ugh. I am bleary-eyed for sure…but need to fnish a few things before I go to sleep (hopefully go to sleep).
Back to normal class, but the Tue/Thur teacher is speeding up like crazy! I can keep up on paper, but when she throws questions out at a million miles an hour, I can’t keep up 🙁
After class I met with LEP#2. I was not my usual dazzling self HA HA HA HA. Last week he said I looked depressed (pretty astute, that one), this week I just looked tired.
I’m preparing my absentee ballot for the presidential election come fall. Don’t want to miss THAT.
Tomorrow is election day here, not presidental…but we have no class because of it. Yay. I just turned my alarm off and I’m headed to bed in a few and can sleep as late as I’m able tomorrow. PLEASE don’t let me wake up 2am and be awake all night!!!
Wednesday, April 10
Well, I made it to 3am. Ugh. Fortunately, I was back to sleep in under an hour, woke up at 6 and feel relatively rested.
Today was cleaning up my room, getting all the trash out, doing laundry, and packing an overnight bag Just In Case I get admitted when I go to the hospital tomorrow morning for my doctor’s appointment. A couple people have told me it can happen that way.
Fortunately, several weeks ago when I thought surgery was imminent, I ordered some things off Coupang that my “hospital packing list” was lacking (or out of), like a new 10′ phone charger, US:Korea ac adaptors, chapstick, new toothbrush, a book, etc. I’ll share my complete hospital packing list in an upcoming How To Hospital post (that I’ve only been meaning to write since 2017, so…). So be sure to hold your breath for that.
Then I left around 4pm for a restaurant 45-minutes away to meet Hyungeun for dinner. It’s in an old traditional hanok building and their specialty is samgyetang: ginseng chicken soup. And they make ginseng wine which I’ve been dying to try. I always see huge jars of this in kdramas, with the ginseng roots still in it.
I got there first, so I walked around for a bit until he got there.
The soup was delicious, but so many Korean foods are so hard for me to eat! So this soup is an entire chicken (intact) in a pot of water (with seasonings and stuff). But so what is brought to you at the table is a whole chicken, still on the bone, in practically boiling water. And a spoon. And chopsticks. So while your dinner companion is deftly removing all the bones from his chicken and then happily eating away…you are WORKING for every small bite. If I was alone at home I’d have just pulled that sucker out of the water, put on my plastic gloves and pulled all the meat off, returned the meat to the soup, and gotten on with my life. But. I’m not at home. I’m in Korea. So I’m trying really hard to do it their way but DAMN. The net is I never eat quite as much as I want 🙁 And this was really good.
So the plan is, you’re supposed to pull chicken parts apart with the chopsticks (it’s very tender and falls apart pretty easily) and place them in a shallow bowl, where you really separate the meat from the bone. The bones go in a little bowl pot…then you dip the boiled chicken in a little dish of salt and pepper to eat. It’s quite tasty.
Plus, the ginseng wine. That was interesting. The bottle still has the ginseng root in in, so that’s cool. The wine itself is sort of like sweet/medicinal. Like dessert echinacea (dirt water that staves off sore throats). And at 20% alcohol has a nice little kick.
If I had my own place I’d like to have a couple bottles on a bar cart cuz they’re nice to look at.
After dinner we walked just a short distance to a 술집 (small bar) and had gorgonzola pizza (which I LOVE), served with honey for dipping (YUM how has the US not picked up on this yet) and just one bottle of beer + soju between us. The ginseng wine had done its job well.
Question. Not advice, just curious. Two people here (Korean), when hearing that I have been drinking with my hurt knee, have been ADAMANT that YOU CANNOT DRINK WITH YOUR HURT KNEE. Which…I don’t really understand. On a physical/medical level, alcohol is not going to further damage a torn ligament. I’m not on any kind of medication. And even when I *was* taking the (useless) pain relievers, it’s not like I was driving or operating heavy machinery. So the only thing I can think is that they’re concerned I get falling down drunk and further injure myself. Which a) I NEVER get falling down drunk. I’m EXTREMELY self-aware (well, always, but…) when I drink and never go past that point. B) I’m drinking with a person I trust to not LET me get falling down drunk…or even fall down. And c) If I was a person who got falling down drunk, maybe be concerned about THAT…
Is there some part of this I’m missing?? One of them is a known non-drinker, so that I get. They already have an opinion about drinking. But the other one references drinking frequently so I don’t think it’s an alcohol bias, per se. So I’m just not sure where this “don’t drink with a hurt knee” sentiment comes from.
Thoughts??
Thursday, April 11
Well, today was stoopid. I had the doctor’s appointment at 9:30am. I was trying to get my “just in case” hospital bag together and was finally like this is stupid, there is NO WAY they can admit me today…we haven’t done any pre-op testing, they haven’t told me to not eat for x hours before surgery, etc…so I left the unfinished bag at home.
It was a longer wait to see the doctor than usual. This was the surgeon who will be doing the procedure. It was the first time I’ve spoken with him. His English was okay, not 100%…and he maybe understood 50% of MY english. In hindsight, THIS was really the day I should have had a translator with me. The net of the convo was…the surgery will not be for two more weeks and he is not optimistic that it will relieve all the pain…and a knee replacement is not suggested for another 5-10 years. And don’t go to Japan in May.
It was a lot of disappointment in a very short time.
Then we did the pre-op stuff: EKG, blood, urine, x-ray. Then I met with the scheduling/pricing consultant. She spoke maybe 5% English, so we struggled. We used our phone translator apps but those are just not that reliable for complex conversations. I’m not exactly sure I understanding the pricing. Plus, there’s a lot of add-ons. If the dr gets in and sees THIS, then he can do it for $xxx, but if he gets in and sees THAT, he’ll have to do THIS thing for $xxxx. If there’s room in a 4-person room that will be less money, but if there are only rooms available in a 2-person room that will be more money. And so on. And while it will cost much less than it would in the US, it’s still going to be a lot ($3-5,000?) and to think that this may not even relieve the pain…
I am feeling very discouraged.
Anyway, I made it home without crying that much (I had to ask for a tissue in the consultant’s office cuz tears kept slipping down my face), but when I got home I had a good sob and then took a nap.
I have not been sleeping well. On bad knee knights, no matter what position I’m in, the pain is distracting enough to keep me from falling/staying asleep.
I didn’t get to class cuz the hospital took longer than expected and I was exhausted and the thought of getting myself up the %*%#@ hill just…was too much.
Oh, so the surgery will be on April 25th. One night stayover, will be released on April 26th. And then it’s sort of unclear what follows. He said recovery would take six weeks and I should not walk. I was like AT ALL? Or “much”? Because…I can’t not walk AT ALL. That is just not feasible.
It’s just all frustrating and hard to understand and WHY??? I know that’s a stupid question, “why did this happen to me – why did this happen to me NOW?” Well, it happened cuz I’m old and overweight and in a situation where I have to do a lot of walking and climb a lot of stairs and get up a lot of hills. I was never in this situation before. At home I was old and overweight but drove everywhere and stairs/hills were not part of my everyday existence. So now I am broken while in a very inconvenient situation.
Sad.
Friday, April 12
Sleep, while still broken, was a little better last night. Some days the knee takes pity on me and hurts a little less…so at least I got some rest. And now I have to catch up on classwork I missed yesterday. But it’s Friday, THANK GOODNESS. Oh, and I should get my midterm grades today. Fingers crossed. I feel there’s a good chance I might have actually passed everything.
My one goal for the weekend is to get myself out of my pity party for a bit and do something fun (fun but easy), even if it hurts, because…just staying home/close to home most of the time is really getting me down.
a few hours later….
BIG NEWS. BIG. I actually passed my midterms! All the parts! Even the speaking and listening! I’m a little in shock. But pretty proud of myself. Go me.
Saturday, April 13
I almost backed out (sometimes, even things I WANT to do, I don’t want to do), but I FORCED myself out of the building today. I went to nearby Seongsu, a nice town just like a 12-minute taxi ride away. I literally walked home from there one day (unknowingly). And I like the vibe there. It’s very “Williamsburg, Brooklyn before it got too big for its britches.” It was a very industrial, warehousy type of area before gentrification began…and its specialty was shoe makers. So there are still some shoe makers and “shoe visuals,” to keep the history intact. But really it’s full of nice cafes and little shops. But not all bunched together (for the most part). You have to walk down a warehouse block to find one or two new things, and I like that feel.
Anyway, I went for breakfast – and it’s hard to find actual BREAKFAST, they’re mostly just coffee and pastries – but I found a place with french toast that was LOVELY…it was like a deep-fried brioche with some kind of cream on top…and blueberry puree. Very nice. But the best part, outdoor seating under an awning (aka IN THE SHADE, my favorite place). Of course since I was a solo diner I was just on the edge of the shade so it wasn’t perfect but…it got better as I sat there awhile and the sun moved more overhead and out of my line of sight.
The people-watching from my spot was excellent. It was a gorgeous day and the people were OUT. In their best cool girl/guy Korean street fashion. What a pleasure. Like Pinterest pages come to life. I WISH I could have gotten pictures but…that’s awkward and difficult and weird and then I usually don’t feel right sharing them on social anyway. But I really enjoyed my time there, in the (almost) shade, with an iced coffee, and the entertainment free for the watching.
\
Then I went (and mind you, this was Uber to Uber, I’m still not walking any real distance, though I AM walking) to Seoul Forest Park which is a giant park that I think used to be a horse racetrack, which…horse racing in Korea? Sounds so not like a thing to me, but apparently it was (and still is, just somewhere else). I’ve been here before, in the fall. Now it was spring…the cherry petals were all on the ground, but the tulip beds were bursting with color…and people taking pictures.
This is a VERY picture-centric city. And they KNOW how to take a picture! They’re getting ALL the angles – high, low, good backgrounds, where’s the best lighting, etc. *I* want a Korean Instagram boyfriend/photographer!
Anyway, I walked a few very short distances, mostly from one shaded bench to the next, without getting very far from where I could get an Uber when it was time to leave, but still…had a nice little change of scenery, saw cute families, eavesdropped a bit (a VERY little bit) on conversations…and basically just had a nice, much-needed, little outing.
Then went home and took a nap.
Sunday, April 14
To offset yesterday, I never left the abode today. I puttered, napped, straightened, studied, and ordered pork cutlets for lunch and groceries to be delivered throughout the week. Just a quiet day in preparation for the week ahead.
Tomorrow is Tax Day. Sadly, because I only worked half of 2023, my refund is going to be drastically smaller…but at least I don’t owe.
Another week down. Another one ahead. Theoretically.
Anonymous
LOVE reading your posts no matter how they’re organized, so my vote is too do what is easiest! Actually, I realize I’ve missed your OOTD posts. Will be interested to get your take on clothing from Cider. Sending prayers for good results on the surgery.
bettyewp
Yeah, I wasn’t quite organized anough to get an outfit post every day last week…and now here it is Thursday already and I haven’t taken a single outfit post. I had a pretty firm routine/schedule back in the states…I’m having a much harder time here getting into routines. I still have a couple things in my Cider cart but with the million dollar surgery looming over my head I’ve been reluctant to pull the trigger. At the same time, I am DESPERATE for wide-legged pants that won’t pull on my knee when I’m sitting.
So you’ve seen the ads for Cider as well??
Marceline Miller
oops; that was Marceline; didn’t mean to leave my name off —
Lisa
The flowers in your pictures are lovely!! Congrats on passing your mid-terms! That is awesome!!
bettyewp
Yeah, that was such a relief. And now the pressure is on to do as well in the second half of the class…which is the MUCH harder half. And THEN, god forbid I pass the whole class, I’d have to move up to Korean 2, which I hear is REALLY really hard 🙁
Signed, Bettye: The Queen of Finding the Cloud Around Every Silver Lining
Robin
If drinking with a hurt knee was a thing, I’d be dead. I’m on no meds but have two knee replacements in my future (maybe one next Tuesday if my upper respiratory infection allows). I’ve never been warned by Western medical doctors not to drink (well, any more than the usual admonitions about drinking. Heck, I just got off a 14-day cruise with a full package.
bettyewp
Well, I’m glad to hear you’re not dead from drinking with a bad knee 🙂 (or any other reason).
Yeah, now that you mention it, none of the doctors have mentioned not drinking. Don’t walk without crutches, yes. Don’t go to Japan, yes. Even, don’t walk. But not one word about drinking 🙂
The two doctors that I have mentioned knee replacements to have been very NO NOT AT THIS TIME. Maybe in 5-10 years. I’m like, in 5-10 years who knows where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing…I might be setting on a rocking chair twiddling my thumbs, with not much need for knees. NOW, I really need useful knees! And if I get one now and it runs out in 5-10 years, couldn’t I just get another one?? I feel like in the states they’d be all over that…YES MA’AM, ONE KNEE REPLACEMENT COMING RIGHT UP.
Robin
Oh, I love those holders for purses/etc. I first encountered them in Japan and they are just wonderful. I was very shocked on our recent trip to Mexico that at a patio restaurant/bar in Cabo San Lucas they had small tableside “coat trees” to hang purses and bags on. Very nice also.
bettyewp
Yes! It’s such a simple but thoughtful courtesy.
Daenel T.
Not drinking with a bad knee like sounds an old wives’ tale.
bettyewp
Right? Don’t swim after eating, don’t drink with a bad knee.
Marceline Miller
Yes, I saw the ads for Cider — on Facebook I think. I was looking at dresses, Uncertain about a plus brand that isn’t “tried and true” It seems like so many just take a straight size pattern and mike it bigger around the belly. That IS my biggest body part, but I also have big arms, thighs, and so forth! I guess what I m saying is that some manufacturers don’t cut proportionately.
bettyewp
Oh, you don’t have to tell ME about manufacturers and plus sizing!!! I was just over there again today, trying to pull the trigger on my Cider cart…I think I just have two pairs of pants in there. I wish they had more variety in tops. A lot of them seem very skin-baring – either low-cut or very cropped. I still didn’t make the purchase – I think there was some issue with my phone, I don’t remember. I’ll get there.
Sally in St Paul
Passing the midterms: HUGE! Congrats!
bettyewp
Thanks, Sally. And then the next day jumping into the deep end of COMPLEX SENTENCES AND NUANCED GRAMMAR…and less than 2 weeks later I feel so behind! But…at least I had that one shining moment.
Denise
Just wanted to write a quick note to tell you how much I enjoy reading your blog. I think I can shed some light on the no alcohol advice you’ve been getting. Alcohol can cause inflammation in the body, including joints. I have arthritis in both knees and when I eat certain foods, the pain in my knees will flare up, alcohol being one of them. I’m glad to hear your knee is improving. I think if you research a list of food that cause inflammation and those that are non-inflammatory it could help in your healing. Big Congrats on passing the midterm!!
bettyewp
Ahh, that’s interesting about the alcohol and the inflammation. I’ll keep that in mind. I haven’t really noticed a difference in my knee between a drinking day and a non-drinking day. But I will definitely look up the foods that cause inflammation even though I can pretty much guess it’s everything that’s on my daily diet ha ha!
Tina
Sorry for the late comments, but I’m catching up on the past 3 weeks of your posts. I am now dealing with knee issues! UGH! I definitely can FEEL your pain. I have a doctor appointment in a couple of days, but I’m currently using a walker to move around my home. I’m off of all carbonated drinks and all processed food to try to reduce inflammation. It’s definitely helping on my end. I’m not a huge drinker, a glass of wine on occasion, so I can’t say about the drinking vs the pain. I do like that you’re adding the OOTD to your posts and I did like the ‘get-up’ outfit. 😊 Congrats on the midterms! Persistence pays off!
bettyewp
Ugh, what are your knee issues, Tina? Do you use any walking aid when you’re outside? Today I walked home from class with just the one crutch, and most of the time I use it like a cane, just supporting me a bit and helping with any wobbliness. I put it under my arm going down the hill. But I was thinking of looking at some canes soon, I guess that would be the next step.
Tina
Long post—I had both hips replaced last year due to end stage osteoarthritis, so the walker and cane were part of my recovery. I really like the cane I have; it is a HoneyBull. I purchased it off of Amazon for around $30 dollars. It has a pivot tip which is good for any terrain and for climbing steps and hills. 😊 It’s also free standing and foldable (which I really like) and it comes in several colors. I went to the doctor who replaced my hips, we did x-rays—which showed osteoarthritis Stage 2 out of 4. Not ready for knee replacement but I need to lose some weight and get more active to prevent it from advancing. I also did an ultrasound to confirm that there weren’t any blood clots. He wanted to give me a steroid shot, but I’m not ready to go down that road with the side effects. Didn’t really get a diagnosis on the cause except for now knowing about the arthritis. He gave me a prescription for Meloxicam, which did NOTHING to relieve the pain, so I’m going to go back to Alleve—I don’t like the side effects listed on the Meloxicam–increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Thanks, NO! One thing that really is helping me is wearing compression socks and I wrap my knee in an Ace bandage. Although that may be difficult for you to do, because I need my hubby to put the sock on me because they are so HARD to get on a swollen foot/ankle/calf. HA! Although there are aids to help with putting on socks—also available on Amazon. I’m not sure if they’re available on the Amazon Global Store, but there should be something similar available local or maybe include it when Katie comes to visit. Hope this helps. ❤
bettyewp
I’ll take a look at that cane. And sorry to hear about your health struggles. This part of getting old is not so fun. Does the Alleve help your pain? I haven’t found any OTC that helps yet…nor did the “pain relievers” the hospital gave me. I do have some degenerative arthritis in both knees ad they are now aching a LOT. My left knee is working really hard right now as the heavy lifter in the relationship, especially going up stairs. So now it’s achier than the right (injured) knee. Ugh.
I bought some compression socks last fall cuz my feet/ankle/calf swelling was no joke…but couldn’t get them on by myself. I mean, I don’t wear REGULAR socks for that reason, and compression socks are even harder to get on. Does the ace bandage slip on over your foot/calf to your knee? What does that help with?
Tina
Sorry about the duplicate postings, I thought the first was lost. Anyhoo, by today, Saturday, June 1, I am 95% better. And YES, getting older is not fun!! I still have a little tenderness, but I can put my full weight on it, just not kneel on it yet. For the pain, I was using the off-brand for Aleve–Naproxen Sodium (blue caplets) and the off-brand of the Motrin (round, rust colored tablets) usually from Walmart—alternating each week. Yes, this does relieve the pain but not totally remove the pain. But I’m off of the pain meds and now taking Milk Thistle to clean my liver of the toxins left by the pain meds. I had some 3″ Ace wrap bandages in our home 1st aid kit, but I bought a new one with Velcro—so much easier! I would wrap my knee, but it does tend to slide down, which requires re-wrapping several times/day. For me, the wrap gave stability to my knee–I felt more comfortable walking and it not giving out on me. I am still wearing the compression sock on that leg until all of the swelling goes down, which is VERY difficult to get on. I wouldn’t be able to do it alone either. One of my nurse friends said to roll the sock in your hand, then roll it up your foot until it’s all the way up. This is what my hubby does to get mine on. I haven’t tried it myself, though. Hope this helps!
bettyewp
Hi Tina:
So glad to hear you’re doing much better! Ad oh, yeah, the thought of kneeling on that knee…NO WAY. One night back when it was still much more painful, I accidentally went to get into bed my usual way, which is to sort of kneel, then turn around…and as soon as I put my weight on it I about screamed out in pain! Kneeling was always a little painful for me, just due to my weight…if I ever had to go under my desk to do something with the computer, I had to put a cushion down first…and that only helped a LITTLE.
I can barely get REGULAR socks on, I just don’t think I’ll be able to do the compression socks. I might look into some vetwrap and maybe wrap the knees on days when I know I’ll be walking further or with another person. Vetwrap is something we used to use on the horses (probably still do) and it’s like a self-sticking bandage. You can only re-use it a couple times before it loses its elasticity and gets a little misshapen…but it was really good at staying in place.
Bettye
Tina
I am using the cane I had from my 2-hip replacement surgeries last year—got it on Amazon–HoneyBull cane. It’s all terrain, foldable and comes in pretty colors. The doctor didn’t give me a diagnosis other than to say that I have mild-moderate osteoarthritis in both knees (same as my hips), but not at the point of surgery. The ultrasound showed no clots, but we didn’t do an MRI and I think the problem is muscular, so I may request it next visit (10 days) if it’s not better by then. I am using compression socks and wrapping the knee with an Ace bandage—this helps the most—controls the swelling and helps with the pain. He wanted to give me a steroid shot for the pain, but I’m not ready to go down that path with the side effects. The prescription was a joke, it didn’t even touch the pain and the side effects were possible heart attack, stroke. Thanks, No! I’m taking an OTC NSAID right now and they minimize but not eliminate the pain. And today (Mother’s Day), I twisted it again! So, the pain that was down to a 2 is now back up to an 8. UGH!!! Hope your Mother’s Day was great!!
bettyewp
Ahh, i couldn’t find your message that i knew had mentioned the specific cane you got, but i ended up ordering the same anyway! It should be here this week!
Em D
I am FINALLY getting a chance to come back and catch up with your incredible adventures! I never read one of your posts without thinking: this should be a movie, this SHOULD BE a movie!!! I think Leslie would be a good screenwriter, just saying.
Anywho…so much to comment on… I read every days entry and could comment a book after it… and then there’s the next entry, and so on.
So I will spare you ALL of my MANY thoughts about everything (which I’m sure you can live without) and just say YAY about the midterms!!!!
This way I can get to the next post and see what happens next! (Some time, when you have down time (haha) can you please see if you can manually add me to your email list? That might work, if it’s possible)
bettyewp
I feel like I’ve done that before, added you manually to the email list, but I’ll try again. And interestingly, all three of your comments ended up in the actual inbox this time, not spam or trash.