Early February

I suffered some rather nasty abrasions to my left foot while I was in Thailand.  After the incident, due to innumerable distractions and a temporary lapse in judgment, I decided against seeking medical attention, instead settling on a few generic band-aids slapped carelessly over the pink, gaping wounds.  For one reason or another I thought walking around a sanitation-challenged third world country in nothing but leather flip-flops, after an impressive chunk of epidermis had been sheared from my metatarsals would yield no negative consequences.  Unsurprisingly, I developed quite a petri-dish of infection which soon spread to my calf and then knee in the form of swollen, black lesions.  By the time I took myself to a clinic in Korea the doctor on staff could only look at me with unamused condescension while stumbling through a limited English vocabulary for phrases like "stupid", "moronic," and "you could have died."  He cleaned me up pretty well and proceeded to write me a prescription for some hardcore antibiotics.  Then a Korean nurse injected three 4" needles of god-knows-what into my rear end.  She must have had magic fingers because the only sensation I can recall was not the prick of the needles, but the firm caress of her experienced hand slapping my taught buttocks.  So did I learn something?  Two things actually.  Blatantly ignoring obvious medical hazards in a humid cesspool of a country can develop into a fantastic story and, thanks to socialized medicine, the extensive treatment and antibiotics that I'm receiving on a daily basis over the next two weeks only costs me about $14.  At these prices how can you afford not to get sick in Korea?

Managed to get some skiing in last weekend.  The mountain we went to was pretty awesome based solely on my novice standards.  Couple good black diamonds that were challenging, yet approachable.  Not like some of the sheer drops I've stared down on Whiteface of Killington that only cause me laugh at the prospect of descending them with anything short of climbing gear and ice shoes.  There were, predictably, a ton of Korean's littering the intermediate trails, and while some would complain about the crowding, I found dodging the human obstacles to be satisfying unto itself.  Here's a group shot with some of the alpha snow-boarders I hit the slopes with.

Slushy snow falling from the sky today.  Nothing like the blizzard I keep hearing about back home in PA.  Also there is talk going around about an earthquake in Seoul yesterday but I didn't feel anything.  Students have been in the building all week because the third graders graduate to high school tomorrow.  I had about five classes over the course of the week and I was actually thrilled to interact with the kids again.  It's been too dull around here lately.  Played a cool auction game that was inspired by Mary-Beth.  Props MB!  You'd be surprised how crazy 12-year-olds go for fake paper money.  Well, I got a five day weekend starting in a few hours.  Here's hoping that whoever you are, wherever you are, your life is as enjoyable as mine.

Cool Thing About Korea #45:  Canadians:  I meet more Canadians in one month in Korea than I ever did my whole life in the States...and let me tell you that they are a charming, intelligent, and sexy group of people.  Here's a slew of funny Molson commercials passed on to me by my stunningly attractive Canadian valentine and in honor of all my fantastic Canadian friends.