For instance, at our guesthouse, we get free rice, coffee, cooking materials, filtered water, plastic pink slippers, and MSG crystals.

These are great things!  Even the pink slippers fit me.  But not all free things from Korea so far have been awesome.

When I first arrived, Korea gifted me with an accursed cold.  This has been affectionately referred to as the Korean Crud, and it’s the reason I haven’t had a blog post in a week.  This one nailed me with nausea, dizziness, fatigue, coughing, fever, and an open faucet of a nose for 5 days.  5 days in these small prison cells we call rooms – you’ve seen the pictures, so I won’t show you another.  5 days with the unique smell of guesthouse + college district + Korea.  5 days, countless tissues, zero sunlight. 

It’s supposed to be common for people who first come to Korea.  Like a red carpet.  But covered in fire ants.  But I’m getting better, almost 100%, and I’m ready for Seoul to smack me around a bit, just not with sickness.