Bunwon 10K Cheerleaders

If you think I ran a 10K this morning, you've got another thing coming.  Five of my Gwangju pals ran in it (under the team name GwangJuicies - sooo clever!), though, so Desiree, Lanae and I went to cheer them on.  Except for the fact that we missed the first three finishes because of a hot game of Trivial Pursuit, we were a pretty bomb support group, mostly because we made signs.  Afterwards, we ate some super tasty barbecue (why do I always try to spell barbecue with a "q"?), complete with one plastic glove per person.  Have I ever mentioned that I love the (perceived by foreigners) weirdness of this country, because I totally do.  I'm no meat eater but this pork was the bomb(dot)com.  Serious.

Pretty Posies

What's this?  TWO posts in ONE day?  I must be crazy...

So much has happened since my last legitimate post (well, lots of little things, I guess...).  Many new friends, dinners, outings of varying degrees, new discoveries and wandering around the Gwangj have been keeping me busy, as well as new shows, books and enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather we've been having lately, even if it is  sometimes through my open bedroom window...

The pictures are from a marathon walk on which Miss Desiree and I embarked a few weeks ago.  I LOOOOVE me some pansies and they're all over this time of year :)

This week has already been crazy and it's only Tuesday...  Last night, a bus full of teachers ventured to the very southern tip of Korea to a city called Yeosu for Principal Suh's father's funeral.  It was a four hour trip (one way!) and we got back at 2:45 this morning.  But, I could really tell how much it meant to her to see so many teachers walk into the room so it was completely worth the trip.  In case you're counting, that's my fourth funeral.  Crazy.

Today was Teacher's Day so there were no classes and the students planned an adorable program to thank all the teachers.  Sometimes I feel like I'm a pretend teacher playing school (which is totally and completely self-imposed, by the way), so being included in the festivities, getting letters from students and homemade cupcakes (!!), etc. really reminded me that not only am I a real teacher but also that I'm making an impact on these girls, even if it happens to be in the tiniest of ways.  I left school at noon today with a corsage on my dress, a smile on my face and a curious warmth in my heart.  (Also, last week, a group of girls asked if they could sing at my wedding if I get married in Korea and asked me to speak at their wedding if I'm still here... they're in first grade.  Homegirls warmed my heart.)

Dionne turned me onto a new, awesome website called iherb.com that sells various health, food, etc., products and not only do these champions ship to Korea, but somehow it's dirt cheap to do so.  I stocked up on things like cumin, chili powder, raw apple cider vinegar (which is doing serious wonders for my finicky complexion - using it as a toner and ingesting a few teaspoons mixed with water twice a day is seriously somehow a magical elixir.  I can't believe the results I've noticed in just a few days!  And now I sound like an acne forum...), and various other goodies that make me feel a little more whole in this delightful foreign land.

"Teacher, you have plastic surgery?"

Two weeks ago today, I had LASEK eye surgery and for the first time since first grade, I can see without the help of glasses or contacts.  Plus, I can see so much better than I ever could with said glasses or contacts and my doctor said it will only continue to improve.  It's still a little hard for me to believe...

Here's how it all went down:
My friend Kim had the same surgery a year or so ago and had been raving about the results.  Upon her urging (and the urging of several teachers at school who had also had the same procedure successfully performed), I booked an appointment for a free consultation at the same clinic at which Kim had her surgery, about which I had heard (or actually, read) nothing but rave reviews.  After having a battery of eye tests performed over the course of a couple of hours (and being told that my eyesight would eventually regress to the point that contacts were no longer a viable option - with my near sighted-ness and astigmatism, my vision was somewhere around -12 in both eyes...), I decided to take the plunge (in true Noelle form - having done little research, but somehow finding myself in a fantastic situation...), scheduling my surgery for three weeks later during my school's midterms.

While it may seem like a pretty big deal to have surgery in another country, especially voluntarily, I couldn't have been more comfortable with my decision.  Both of my nurses and my doctor spoke impeccable English, and made sure to fully explain each step of the tests, procedures and recovery to the point that I didn't have any questions.  Several of the doctors at my clinic had even had the procedure done themselves by other doctors at the clinic, which was a major selling point to me.  Korea is the leading place in the world to have this procedure done and since my doctor alone had performed over 20,000 surgeries, I felt like I was in pretty capable hands...

The day of the surgery, Toni and Dionne went with me (Toni drove me to all of my appointments!  What a peach!  And, she insisted that my nurses take pictures of the whole process, so it's thanks to her that this process was properly documented...).  I arrived around 3:00, had a couple more tests done and by 3:45, I was laying on the operating table, about to have my corneas reshaped.  I was fully aware of what was going on during the entire surgery (and the things I saw were pretty crazy!), but I can honestly say it didn't hurt at all.  But, (and they told me this would happen), during the laser part of the procedure, I could smell a really strong burning scent (since, you know, that's what was going on...) - pretty gross, but totally worth it.

Immediately upon the surgery's completion, I could see (not totally clearly, but that's so not the point)!  I was so surprised and excited and honestly, dumbfounded.  I had to lay in a recovery room for about half and hour and then I was free to go.  Just like that - HUZZAH, Noelle can see.

For the next five days, I literally laid on my couch in the dark, listening to audio books, podcasts and movies (while I was awake, that is) and imbibing as much vitamin C as I possibly could.  The first two days were really comfortable - zero pain, but more anxiety over accidentally rubbing my eyes or somehow screwing something up.  The next two days were uncomfortable - nothing I couldn't handle, but nothing I'd want to go through on any kind of regular (or irregular) basis.  By Saturday morning (my surgery was on Tuesday), I was totally comfortable again.  I have to put in several kinds of eye drops on a regular schedule (and will have to continue to use them for the next eight months!), and other than that, my life is totally normal.

Also, for almost two weeks, I wasn't allowed to wear eye makeup.  If you know me well at all, you can imagine how traumatic this was at first - I've never even considered leaving my apartment sans eye makeup in the year and a half that I've lived here, so going to school on Monday morning with no eye makeup was a little crazy.  Students and teachers alike were staring at me, trying to figure out why I looked so different.  It got to the point that I had to start each class explaining why I wasn't wearing any makeup, which made for some pretty funny situations.  I got asked if I had had plastic surgery, if there were no boys at school that I needed to impress and my favorite, "Teacher!  Is it really you?"  Ohhh high school girls.

Anyway, I'm overjoyed with the results and would agree with everyone to whom I talked about this surgery that this will prove to be one of the best decisions I've ever made.  Seriously, this girl is a happy camper.