Bronchitis/Goodbye Jeremy

This week has been hell. Monday I noticed that my voice had started to go. Tuesday morning it had almost disappeared completely. I turned up at Gomdo and I ached all over. The teacher stretched me out on his sofa and massaged my back and neck. Needless to say it had very little effect. I turned up at school but I could not teach, so my colleagues took my classes while I sat in the back of the classroom, struggling to keep my eyes open. Wednesday morning I went straight to Gumdo and asked the teacher if he could take me to the hospital (Korean version of doctor's surgery). I was diagnosed with Bronchitis and pharyngitis. "not just an ordinary cold'" he said. I have the viral version, so it cannot be fought with antibiotics. I just have to wait. The teacher took me back to the Gomdo dojan where he has sleeping quarters, and laid me down on the sofa. I blacked out for 4 hours, only to be woken to have my medicine fed to me. I crawled into school, slumped infront of the Boss who, though it pained him to do so, sent me home. I blacked out again, the moving around having knocked me for six (although all i did was jump in a taxi). Thursday was the same. Both days I struggled to look after myself. I have never felt so weak as immediately after having my tonsils removed when I was high on cyclomorphine and stretched out on the hospital bed. Praying that I would get better, my health improved on Friday, thus I went to work (dished out satsumas to my colleagues to say thankyou for teaching my classes), whereupon the Boss made me teach without a break, and doubled my classes. Despite this, today I feel like its just a bad cold.

So if anybody is wondering why they have not heard from me in a while, this is the explanation.

Today, not caring about my health I went out into the countryside near my apartment for a short while and took photos of the fields and the people working them. (see my flickr). I got the bus there, and not being able to find the bus stop for the way back, I began to walk. I was 2/3 of the way there when the bus driver honked his horn. He gave me a lift back into the city for free which amused me, as that was the bus I would have taken anyway had I come across the bus stop. So I hitch hiked for the first time in my life, even if it was a bus.

I am off to the bar to say goodbye to Jeremy, but there will be no drinking and I will not be able to stay for long if it gets too smoky. I am sad to see him go, but I wish him every success in the future.



Hay being rolled, crops being picked and grass being burned...all in a days work