Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

I'm feeling the chills and muscle aches creeping in. My ondol's on full blast and I'm wearing a sweater and stocking hat. I still feel cold. Granted my ondol isn't the greatest but I don't think I should still feel cold.

It's freaky, this year I've been sick 3 times, since November. Last year nada. This is the first year I've taught children through the cold and flu season with a long subway commute though, so it stands to reason.

Anyway, I've missed work one day since February. I only had two classes and went home in the first period midway through the class because I couldn't speak. Two weeks ago I caught a cold and bought medicine just in time to cut its progression but I still asked to go home early one day, as I had no classes left and I didn't want to take the chance of missing another day because of a lost voice. My new vice-principal pitched a bit of a drama about me leaving early that day, although, as I said I was missing no classes. I couldn't tell if she was serious or not as I wasn't right there but I could hear her elevated tone from twenty feet away.

Now I feel the flu creeping in. What would you do? I'm thinking I should text my managing coteacher and give her a heads up at least. That way she doesn't assume that I was out drinking up a storm tomorrow.

[OiGirl]

If you are allowed to take sick days, take one and take care of yourself.

Pump up the immune-system boosters...raw garlic, vitamin C, green tea, ginseng. See how you feel the next day.

Or go in to work like a Korean and breathe/cough/spit on others.

[sojourner1]

If you have sick days available, you might take one, go to the doctor in the morning and then rest. The flu is really bad in that you have no energy and feel horrible. That's too bad, I hope you feel better soon.

Yes, this is a huge inconvenience as I found I get sick much more than in the US and Europe. I was sick again and again with colds, flus and tonsillitis during my first 3 months in Korea. I had 2 very mild colds and one case of food poisoning in the past 8 months and hope to make it for another 3 weeks without falling ill. I gruelingly worked about 65 days sick with colds and flus this year.

Yesterday, I ate whole chicken ginseng soup for lunch in a traditional restaurant and ended up with food poisoning, I have not ate anything since and have stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. My Korean friend fell ill too, but doesn't care and accepts that this happens while I said on the phone today that we should go confront them today about making us sick. He says, "no problems with my stomach," after he was the first one to talk about the illness when he called me today. I was like, oh yes, I am having very difficult time myself, it was the chicken being spoiled due to mishandling. I am fasting for the time being. That chicken was spoiled or left out of the refrigerator from the previous night and salmonella was present. Unsanitary substandard food and places sure irk me.

Not to knock Korea, this has been the sickest year of my life for falling ill. The environment can be just brutal on your body. To give our bodies the best fighting chance at maintaining health, it probably is best to avoid alchohol, eat a diet high in fruit, veggies and grains, and avoid the fatty meat restaurants serving big strips of fat and soju. Too bad oatmeal is almost impossible to get as it is very good for us.

[nomad-ish]

[spliff]

Hydrogen peroxide drops in your ears.

[eddie1983man]

eat lots and lots of kimchi

[Voyeur]

Nothing. Get lots of sleep, don't drink or smoke for awhile. Get plenty of fluids and stay warm. And then suck it up. The cardinal rule at 99% of all ESL jobs in Korea is that you shall never, ever even think about missing a class.

So even with the above advice to minimize downtime, if you get the flu - you get the flu. And there is a good chance that you will have to work in a condition that you would never dream of working in back home. That is life here. I have worked with food poisoning, while suffering severe flu and bronchitis at the same time, etc... I've worked while almost passing out in mid-class. At most jobs, taking even a contracted sick-day will ruin your rep with your boss and they might insist you go to the hospital which can be more painful (and pointless) than just making it through your classes that day.

Often, if you are up feront with your boss and promise that you will make it to class, they will excuse from any non-teaching obligations and understand pretty poor performance during that period. But you have to actually get to and through the classes.

[kingplaya4]

Am I the only one that thinks this a major quality of life issue that takes a hit living here? I haven't found my health to be any better the second year either. Nothing serious, just colds and maybe a flu or two. And as everyone knows, it might be less painful getting a tooth pulled than asking for a sick day here.

Koreans really don't seem to care about quality of life. The Korean teachers aren't as sickly as me, but they get sick an awful lot too for a bunch of women who should be in the prime of their life. If Americans were getting sick all the time like this, it would be all over the papers of how to combat the viruses. Here they continue sharing the same towel and soap. (Oh and don't forget to not cover your mouth when you cough.)

[regicide]

[nomad-ish]

[mindmetoo]

Oh man. I'm envious of people who can take sick days. The only person at my work to ever take a sick day was hit by a car. If I were to take a sick day, there's no one to cover my classes. The Korean teachers who already have a full plate would have to work that much harder.

[mrsquirrel]

[chaz47]

I stayed home. My fever broke last night aboout midnight shortly after that my gf brought me some medicine. I probably could have worked but I would have had to leave extra early (because my body aches and I have no strength) then stand on the subway for about an hour.

This new vice principal is a bit of a witch. My managing co-teacher used to praise me for not missing any days (up until this cold and flu season) now things are decidedly different with the arrival of the new vice principal. Makes me glad to be leaving in the spring.

[Binch Lover]

One thing that works well for me is going to a sauna or a jimjilbang. Spend an hour or two soaking in hot tubs and in the steam room and I feel much better the next day.

[chaz47]