Gross Gogi

I realized it has been a while since I blogged.
I managed to sort out the lost card thing and gain access to my funds in Canada again (however, not without some reminders of the lack of customer service that is our Western society) and I began my new work schedule, which is a lot busier then before, but still fun (remind me to revisit this comment after a few weeks).
Friday was Anna'a last day at work and so we all went out for a big dinner and lots of soju. Our table drank so much soju they gave us two containers of bamboo soju free. This soju tastes like apple juice (I can actually drink it without feeling like a homeless person who recently purchased a bottle of rubbing alcohol). Mr. Lee then decided we should all go to the Nori Bang, which by that time we all thought was a fabulous idea. For the next couple of hours my coworkers and I sang a collection of Korean, American and yes - even Canadian (Go Avril!) songs until our little soju soaked voices were raw.
After the Nori Bang - and lets just say the soju had worn thin by then - I went downtown to meet up with my friends Helen and Nathan for a drink at Mackenzie's. It was Helen's birthday on Friday and I had promised to buy her a shot of something. The evening ended a so many do...another bar or two later and a few more drinks....a good time had by all.
The next day, or shall I say evening, I was awaken by my friend Hope calling me to ask me to dinner with some of our friends. It was Gino's birthday on Thursday and a group of foreigners (hmm...what exactly do you call a group of foreigners..a gaggle..no...a pack...no...a flock..YES a flock of foreigners)..ok...so, a flock of foreigners were meeting for dinner and then continuing on to a pub crawl sponsored by the local foreigner newspaper, 'the Ulsan Pear'. I decided I could do with something to eat and got ready to meet my friends.
We had a great dinner...gogi and all the fix'ns...it seemed like a good time. Then everything went horribly wrong.
DISCLAIMER: Those with a weak stomach may wish to stop reading here and skip to the last line of the page.
After dinner we went back to Mackenzie's to begin the pub crawl. I began to feel 'ill'....shaky and just not right.
Considering I was out late the night before I simply ignored the signs and pushed on. After an hour I was still feeling very sick. My friends decided to go to a different bar and I followed..trying to be a trooper. However, as soon as we arrived at Tombstone I knew something was wrong. My friend Jo ran up to me and asked if I was ok - I felt like I was going to faint. What the heck was going on?
After a few green teas to get me on my feet I caught a taxi home. The next 12 + hours was spent slouched over my toilet..not a pretty sight...being more sick then I thought was humanly possible. On Sunday afternoon I called Andy and he told me to go to the hospital. I got in a taxi and after a feeble attempt and a desperate call to Andy to tell the taxi driver I needed to go to the hospital, I arrived at Ulsan Hospital.
Andy (and his 3 year old daughter) met me outside and he helped me get admitted. I was hooked up to an IV and given a ton of needles since I was pretty dehydrated at the time. Koreans are funny people who don't tend to be subtle when it comes to foreigners. On a good day I normally get stared at...being white, tall and single female I tend to expect the long glances from those walking past and the occasional remark "Weguk"..which means foreigner in Korean. But here I am lying in a hospital bed feeling like deaths door..I have been literally throwing up my guts for the last 12 hours and this Korean man can't stop staring at me. Although I can't be sure but I think even when I threw up in front of him he didn't blink.
After several hours hooked up to the IV and a visit from Anna (word travels fast) they told me to go home and rest. Anna drove me home and made sure I was safely in my apartment.
Today is Tuesday and I am still feeling quit sick. I tried to eat some mandu last night but lets just say it didn't sit well. Liquids are the diet of the day. I have vowed to everyone that I am never eating meat again, although right now any type of food makes me sick again.
However, the good news is I did buy a new camera - it is a Sony DSC-V3 with 7.1 megapixels. It is awesome. I only have Korean instructions and I am waiting for the English ones to be sent so my use of the camera will be limited until then- but it is beautiful! Always a silver lining.
Ok...so the beginning has been a bit rough but I am hoping the rest of 2005 is less dramatic then the first week has been.
Ciao for now
Colleen