Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mike in brasil]

yes, im hetero.

how about a laugh?

this 5 minute video is about O Jeitinho Carioca ("Sh!t Cariocas Say") its funny but its in portuguese, although spanish might be enough. gives you a good idea of what life is like there right now. the gay guy is the funniest!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM3-ke0wQEA

[tideout]

First of all - I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It's pretty early in dealing with this and I'm sure you'll have mixed emotions with it. I think it's great you're taking a chance in posting about your situation.

I'm a straight older guy for what this is worth.

I wouldn't care about you being positive in my workplace but I've also worked in a field before that had a fairly high number of gays/lesbians in the mix. We also had the occasional client who was positive. As others have noted - be careful with the workplace stuff as attitudes are different here. I can still remember the first HIV person I met. Honestly I was pretty scared but it was a different era and I was ignorant about the situation.

I think you could play a very positive role in the online ESL world in educating people and informing them about issues related to HIV in Korea/immigration etc.. No doubt, we all need more education and or reminders about it - Again, if you choose to do so. This could end up being a controversial topic and I'm sure some may not handle it in a mature manner as sometimes happens on the board with less sensitive topics.

In the meantime - my best wishes to you. I suspect the vast majority people in the ESL world are on your side on this.

[cheolsu]

I would be stunned if anybody did have a problem with working with somebody who was HIV positive. I'd have a much bigger problem working with somebody who had a cold.

[luckylady]

hey OP - make sure you get a second opinion - just in case you never know -

[mr. positive]

0608, wow, you are very brave to be sharing this and I want to applaud that and at the same time express my deepest sympathies. Like others have said, 20, 15, even 10 years ago, I think you'd get more flack, but these days, I think most westerners are pretty sensitive to the topic and would be cool about it. I would say, though, that you can probably expect some initial shock from folks, some weirdness, I think it's kind of natural no matter how good people are if you're the first person they've met with HIV. I'm just saying, if some people are a bit weird at first, I bet it will pass, don't take it too hard.

[The Cosmic Hum]

[Who's Your Daddy?]

I wouldn't mind working with you, but I think you shouldn't tell any one at your workplace. It only takes one asshole and you could be fired for "some other reason."

[northway]

[0608]

Hey, guys. It�s the OP. Thanks for all the feedback. I honestly don�t know how I would�ve thought about having an HIV positive co-worker (though likely fine with it if a bit unnerved, at least at first), so I really wanted to hear some opinions.

About the whole deportation issue, I�m fairly certain that NO ONE gets automatically deported for testing positive (thought that IS what happened some years back; a friend told me that he personally knew a gyopo who got kicked out pretty much immediately upon testing positive). Now could it be a ground for not renewing one�s visa? That, I�m not sure about. In my case, I�ve been assured that the local health center does not and will not share information with Immigration, so I�d be inclined to think it�s the same for E-visa holders, but I�m not sure, though I would sure hope that�s the case.

As for the workplace, I think legally people are not supposed to get fired just for being HIV positive (I must say activists have done a great job in getting the laws changed right in the last few years). However, realistically in Korea, I know most people just aren�t going to take it well, which is why I won�t be sharing this news with anyone that I work with and will also be careful about the National Insurance Health Check (interestingly, I�ve read on Korean HIV forums that the health center--the one where I�ll register--can also somehow ensure that the Health Check testing center doesn�t reveal an HIV positive status to the workplace).

And about the second opinion for the test result, when you get a positive first test, they take another blood sample and send it in for a more conclusive second test to confirm the first result. My result got confirmed, which I was pretty sure would happen, as it explained a lot, like feeling pretty tired for the last few months or so.

Finally, thanks to people�s condolences, but it�s not like I died (or likely will for a long time, as recent studies indicate HIV positive people�s life expectancy is almost the same as the total average life expectancy now). In a way, it�s the ultimate wake-call to do more with my life and to better appreciate my friends and good experiences and all the corny (but true) things like that. These days, I have ups and downs, but the ups are becoming more frequent and the lows not quite as bad, and two things have been a HUGE help: working and my best friends. Actually, I think talking about it openly (including writing on this forum) is helping me, too, I think, so thanks, everyone.

[bojangles]

There is a growing number of doctors and scientists who question the whole notion that HIV causes AIDS.

[You Tube Video] Nobel Prize Winner Challenges The Myths About Aids
December 16, 2011 | Filed under: Health, Videos
California microbiologist Kary Mullis, Ph.D. on whether or not HIV is the probable cause of AIDS.
Created and narrated by Gary Null, Ph.D.
Find more in-depth investigations and crucial information at http://garynull.tv

Read more: http://prn.fm/tag/aids/#ixzz1zLBIvME2
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

[Paddycakes]

I feel for the OP, but HIV transmission through heterosexual sex (unprotected) is extremely rare.

[nero]

[The Cosmic Hum]

[young_clinton]

There are two serious things you have to consider if you are not just pulling our leg.

Number one, on average it takes 8 years for your helper t-cells to get depleted by the virus to the point where you get AIDS. Some people the virus moves faster, some it moves slower, and in some the virus is eliminated by the immune system. The longer you wait to go on the drug regimen the more and more your helper t-cells get permanently depleted and the less lee-way you will have regarding the disease.

Number two, the drug regimen is strict. You have to take the drugs at the time when you are supposed to take them otherwise the virus develops a resistance to one of the drugs and you have to be put on another one. There are no second chances for each drug regimen. You do it right and time it right or you might be screwed. There are a limited number of drugs they can use on you for your treatment and you might have to discontinue a drug for another drug because you can't tolerate the drug.

Are you going to be able to acquire an HIV cocktail in Korea and be able to keep to a strict timing on this cocktail while in Korea? The answer is NO. Go back to your home country and get the treatment that you need. Otherwise things definitely might not be so good for you.

[0608]

Paddycakes, I�ve read the statistics, and you are correct in saying that woman-to-man transmission is quite rare (outside of Africa, where the prevalent type of HIV is said to be especially virulent and drug-resistant). However, with all the people in the world, even a 0.000001% probability is going to mean thousands of people WILL get infected. What can one say to those people? Oh, you weren�t supposed to get infected, oops? It�s everyone�s call to make and risk to take, but unless you�re abstinent or have safe sex every single time, the chance will be there.

Okay, I�ll get off the preacher box now, LOL. Young Clinton, thank you very much for the info about the drug treatment. It�s the issue I�m most concerned about right now. But from what I understand, the most recent drug treatments (namely Truvada) in the US are also being used in Korea now. And the Korean government pays for all medical costs, including the drug therapies. Therefore, I�ll actually be better off staying in Korea, because I have no medical insurance in the US, and I can�t even imagine how I�d be able to afford those drugs by myself. I�ve developed roots in Korea, so I�m actually good with staying here pretty much forever as long as I can go to the States once a year or so and see my family.

Anyhow, I think I�m pretty much over the initial �OMG, my life is all f*cked up� reaction period now. It�s all about starting treatment, starting to live healthier than ever before physically and emotionally, and continue to stay busy until my mind processes my status as just one annoying but manageable part of life. I pretty much cried everyday for the first ten days or so, but I can keep myself in check now if I don�t think about my mom too much (too wussy, I know, LOL). Thanks for all the valuable info, guys.