Our July trip to the Philippines is coming up quickly, and while I am sad to be saying bye to Yen for ten weeks, I am very excited to fly out. We are going with Yen's friend Nicole, who is from the Philippines and is going home, Zeke and Julie are also on our flight. I am excited just for that.
Today I am buying around 25000 Philippine pesos (620,000won; $680cdn) which I will mostly spend on new clothes and some transportation. This trip will, again, mostly be in and around Manila. However, I am mostly going to meet Yen's parents, who have retired there, so it isn't a big holiday. I will be back on Thursday.
We plan to do a Manila Harbour cruise, go south to Tagaytay and blow through those pesos at the Mall of Asia getting me new clothes. Korea is, unfortunately, not a great place for clothes shopping, as the styles are, understandably, targeted towards Korean consumers. Prices are also higher than what I would get in Canada, and the quality of things such as shoes and jeans have always been questionable. Manila will have clothes from the States and a more varied selection so, I hope, I will be able to get things for the next coupe of years.
Before that is a wonderful 5am bus ride to Incheon Airport. I was also thinking that this might be the last time I fly out of Incheon, as I plan to fly from Busan in October.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Dissertation Progress
I took today (Monday) off of work so that I would have a three day weekend to finish a draft of my dissertation. As it happened, a full work on Saturday led to having a draft ready and off to my advisor. At 11,000 words it is well short of my 12-15k it should be, I wanted to leave room as with both my advisor and Mike reading it this weekend, I am hoping to get ideas and expand upon what I have.
I sent it off and I will enjoy a Sunday, Monday weekend.
I sent it off and I will enjoy a Sunday, Monday weekend.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Surprise Party!
Last Saturday, we decided to throw Yen a surprise birthday party. Her actual birthday isn't until the 23rd, but it was the only Saturday that seemed to work, so we chose it.
She went over to her friend Nicole's while I got everything ready here. Her friends then arrived here and when she showed up with Nicole I was just sitting at the computer. Then her friends jumped out. It was good. By 9pm everyone was here and we were all having fun.
It was the first time since Christmas that we've had more than a couple of people over and, although we had enough space, I am looking forward to my next apartment, which will have two rooms at least.
She went over to her friend Nicole's while I got everything ready here. Her friends then arrived here and when she showed up with Nicole I was just sitting at the computer. Then her friends jumped out. It was good. By 9pm everyone was here and we were all having fun.
It was the first time since Christmas that we've had more than a couple of people over and, although we had enough space, I am looking forward to my next apartment, which will have two rooms at least.
Monday, June 8, 2015
Getting in to the Summer
I haven't been writing much on here lately. Mostly because, as I have said previously, there is simply less to write about. On top of that I am writing a 14000 word paper, which means that I am not always in the mood to write other things. However, it has been a fun few weeks.
I've been heading up to the mountains around my place most weekends, as spring turns to summer Korea becomes green and actually a wonderful place to be (if there wasn't that whole November to March stretch this place would be beautiful). Trees are alive and the weather is downright hot.
With that in mind I've been getting out more, walking and hiking and have dropped 6 kgs. I've also been taking a few pictures.
I've been heading up to the mountains around my place most weekends, as spring turns to summer Korea becomes green and actually a wonderful place to be (if there wasn't that whole November to March stretch this place would be beautiful). Trees are alive and the weather is downright hot.
With that in mind I've been getting out more, walking and hiking and have dropped 6 kgs. I've also been taking a few pictures.
In front of the Nakdong War Museum
Up the Cable Car
Apsan
Daegu on a clear afternoon
the forests (jungles) of Korea
Our only other plan is to fly to Manila on July 25th when Yen's visa is up. I am just going from Saturday to Thursday, as I can't honestly afford this trip. However it is a chance to meet Yen's family, so that seems important enough to find money for. We bought the tickets a long time ago, so all I really need is a few dollars for Manila and around Luzon. I'll then fly back and work here until October 23rd, then fly back to Manila and we can travel the Philippines and move on from there.
I am excited, but I have developed a terrible habit, which I've acknowledged for months now but seem unable to stop, of wishing my time away. Just get through this summer and I'll have my MA done and be out of Korean cram schools. However, the next four and a bit months will also give me a last Busan weekend and, hopefully, a last Seoul weekend. Still, I will be very happy when the MA is finally done.
MERS Update
So it looks like things are a bit more serious than they seemed in my last post, but still not 1/10th as serious as the major news outlets would have you believe. Apparently one doctor who was quarantined decided he didn't need to be quarantined. Citing old male privilege (a valid excuse here in the ROK) he decided to leave and attend conferences etc.
The good news is that it doesn't appear he did that much damage. However, the disease does continue to spread in hospitals where patients are being treated and has now moved outside of the greater Seoul area with cases in Daejeon and Busan. So far there are under 100 cases and the only deaths have been people with compromised lungs or immune systems already (five people over 70, and one in their early 60s who apparently was a heavy smoker). Not that precautions aren't needed, but many patients quarantined have also been released after recovering just fine. Certainly a great deal of extra care needs to be taken with the elderly and infants, but the simply truth is that this is not the Spanish influenza (the first recorded H1N1 virus, which I didn't know until quite recently).
I've also seen far less masks (at least here in west Daegu) than the BBC claims are being worn. Being that it isn't an airborne disease I am not sure what value masks have. Common habits such as spitting and littering cigarette butts are far more likely to spread MERS than simply breathing on someone. In fact, every case in Korea has been transmitted within hospitals where patients are being treated for MERS, after sustained contact.
It is certainly something health officials here need to be dealing with, and patients should be quarantined, but for the average person here life hasn't changed. I went hiking this weekend, hundreds of mask less Koreans joined me. No one died.
The good news is that it doesn't appear he did that much damage. However, the disease does continue to spread in hospitals where patients are being treated and has now moved outside of the greater Seoul area with cases in Daejeon and Busan. So far there are under 100 cases and the only deaths have been people with compromised lungs or immune systems already (five people over 70, and one in their early 60s who apparently was a heavy smoker). Not that precautions aren't needed, but many patients quarantined have also been released after recovering just fine. Certainly a great deal of extra care needs to be taken with the elderly and infants, but the simply truth is that this is not the Spanish influenza (the first recorded H1N1 virus, which I didn't know until quite recently).
I've also seen far less masks (at least here in west Daegu) than the BBC claims are being worn. Being that it isn't an airborne disease I am not sure what value masks have. Common habits such as spitting and littering cigarette butts are far more likely to spread MERS than simply breathing on someone. In fact, every case in Korea has been transmitted within hospitals where patients are being treated for MERS, after sustained contact.
It is certainly something health officials here need to be dealing with, and patients should be quarantined, but for the average person here life hasn't changed. I went hiking this weekend, hundreds of mask less Koreans joined me. No one died.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
MERS, or How to Fool Fools Who Can't Fact Check
I was asked by my company today to wear a mask to and from work, as a preventative measure against MERS.
Now I try to not knock on people too much, but I am not sure why so many in Korea feel that a mask is a preventative measure against a disease that is not airborne.
There was a single study a year ago that suggested that it MIGHT be airborne, but since 2012 every single case has come from direct contact with someone who has it. Someone with MERS sneezes on you, yeah you might wanna get checked out. But there is not a single case of someone catching MERS who hasn't come in to physical contact with someone who has the disease.
Even if all those fact and studies that the WHO, CDC and European Health Agency can't convince you, just think about it logically. The disease started in Saudi Arabia. Think about how people there dress.
Perhaps Korea could outlaw spitting as a way to halt the spread of MERS? But that is just crazy talk.
Also, while the fatality rate of 38% is alarmingly high, that is 38% of reported cases, which means that a lot of people just got a nasty cough but weren't diagnosed with it. When you factor those people in how does that effect the fatality rate. My guess is it lowers it considerably. Also, look at who is dying in Korea. Two men over 70 and a 60 year old "heavy smoker". I don't mean to trivialize that, but a senior citizen who is already in hospital for a lung infection and gets any other serious lung infection is in trouble.
Finally, and to prove the physical contact aspect, everyone who has caught the disease can be traced back to patient zero, who went to the Middle East and is in agricultural work, or someone who caught it from him. They are ALL in quarantine now. All due respect to the Korean health officials who made that happen, I hope Park Geun Hae buys them all a drink on the taxpayers won.
I get that it is important to be vigilant, but exercising common sense is also important. More people will die in car wrecks in Korea today than will die of MERS. Why isn't everyone freaking out about piss poor traffic safety standards?
Now I try to not knock on people too much, but I am not sure why so many in Korea feel that a mask is a preventative measure against a disease that is not airborne.
There was a single study a year ago that suggested that it MIGHT be airborne, but since 2012 every single case has come from direct contact with someone who has it. Someone with MERS sneezes on you, yeah you might wanna get checked out. But there is not a single case of someone catching MERS who hasn't come in to physical contact with someone who has the disease.
Even if all those fact and studies that the WHO, CDC and European Health Agency can't convince you, just think about it logically. The disease started in Saudi Arabia. Think about how people there dress.
not mask enough for you?
Perhaps Korea could outlaw spitting as a way to halt the spread of MERS? But that is just crazy talk.
Also, while the fatality rate of 38% is alarmingly high, that is 38% of reported cases, which means that a lot of people just got a nasty cough but weren't diagnosed with it. When you factor those people in how does that effect the fatality rate. My guess is it lowers it considerably. Also, look at who is dying in Korea. Two men over 70 and a 60 year old "heavy smoker". I don't mean to trivialize that, but a senior citizen who is already in hospital for a lung infection and gets any other serious lung infection is in trouble.
Finally, and to prove the physical contact aspect, everyone who has caught the disease can be traced back to patient zero, who went to the Middle East and is in agricultural work, or someone who caught it from him. They are ALL in quarantine now. All due respect to the Korean health officials who made that happen, I hope Park Geun Hae buys them all a drink on the taxpayers won.
I get that it is important to be vigilant, but exercising common sense is also important. More people will die in car wrecks in Korea today than will die of MERS. Why isn't everyone freaking out about piss poor traffic safety standards?
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