So it’s been a while since I’ve updated about my everyday sorta living.  

April has been a weird month — sick for roughly 1/3 of the month, have really been working hard at school making lessons and worksheets from scratch, and have spent a lot of time just… healing.  

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April 1st (April Fool’s Day)

Better known in Korea as “Lie Day.”  Went to my first class, only to find that I was in the wrong class.  The students had switched all the classroom numbers around.  Classroom 1-3 (boy’s class) was labeled with the Girl’s Bathroom sign. 

What prank did I play on them?   I handed each student a “review word search.”  I told them they had 5 minutes to find all the words.  First person to finish would get candy.   Trick?  There were no words in the word search.  For 5 full minutes, the students were furiously searching the puzzle to find any semblance of an English word.  

April 9th (Saturday)

My friends’ band, Levine, played another show at Urban.  Even if they weren’t my friends, I would still go to all their shows.  These guys are talented and they actually make music I like:  good ole rock-and-roll.  I can be found bopping around in the front row wearing my Levine T-Shirt. 

(Strategically-placed lettering?  I think so.)

April 16th (Saturday)

Me, Jensine and Emily attended a Samsung Lions baseball game.  Pro baseball in Korea is affordable ($7 for a ticket) and you can bring in all the food/drinks/alcohol you want.  A quick stop at the chicken/kimbap/soju stand and we were in.  During the 6th inning, there was a block-wide power outage including the stadium.  Cell phones and cameras glowed and waved as the entire stadium was turned into an impromptu nightclub scene.  

(ah the glow of Androids/Galaxies/iPhones)

March - April

Been to various doctors and clinics.

Cold:  Was sick for two weekends with what I think was either strep throat or a really severe cold.  Definitely put a damper on my social life this month. 

Flu:  Took 3 sick days from work, which is a pretty big deal, even for me.  Was pretty much delirious and sleeping for 20+ hours each day.  Still not back to 100% (lingering cough and runny nose which could be attributed to allergies…)

Back Pain:  after a CT scan (which only cost my $40) and an MRI (which cost me $350 as it’s not covered by insurance), I have been diagnosed with Lumbar Disc Degenerative Disease.  Epidural injection was given, and I go back soon for more medication and rehabilitation talks.

(kinda what my back looks like.  note the black area where the disc should be?  yeah that’s what i have.)

Overall, it’s been an semi-interesting month.  I’ve realized that it’s live music that makes my blood flow, so I’ve been attending as many concerts or live performances as I can, including 2 more shows this weekend.  

Also, getting my International Driver’s Permit so I can rent-a-car.  Me and a friend, Russ, are going on a one-day road trip up to Gangwon-do to go bungee jumping!  63meters is 50% shorter than the last time I bungee jumped in Switzerland, but it’s the largest one Korea has and it should still be an adrenaline rush.  Pictures to come next month!

(My next adrenaline rush — t-minus 2 weeks!)

Until then — Amanda