Korean Job Discussion Forums

celticjay · Joined: 27 Aug 2005

I'm just constantly dragging my ass. Everyday is a battle to get up in the morning. I'm constantly riddled with colds, flus and other physical pangs. I'm doing better since I got out of Seoul, I exercise and eat well. My job at public school isn't that demanding and I take the time to recuperate on the weekends. Is anyone else feeling the same way?

C.M. · Joined: 02 Dec 2005 Location: Gangwondo

I was. About a month ago, I was waking up exhausted, going to work exhausted, and coming home exhausted (one afternoon, I was two winks away from falling asleep in class). I put it down to culture shock; my body and mind making some final adjustments, things like that. It lasted about two weeks; feeling much better now.

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

i was like that for my first year during the winter. my second winter has been much better. i put it down to my immune system getting tougher and me buying a humidifier so that i can sleep properly without breathing through a hardened layer of dusty boogers.

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

I think for many people it's the death of 1000 tiny cuts.
Living in another culture, everything you do takes slightly more effort, slightly more thought than it would back home (and of course sometimes it takes a lot more effort).
At the beginning all this extra effort is masked/balanced by excitement/curiosity/caution or whatever, but after these start to wear off, you start to get a sort of chronic fatigue syndrome.

In other words it's a symptom of culture shock, to a certain extent. As other posters have pointed out, it's a phase you should pass out of.

seoulsucker · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 7:16 pm Post subject:

Frequent trips to the gym do the trick for me. I battled fatigue the first few months I was here, then started an exercise routine (3-4 days a week) and my energy level went through the roof.

VanIslander · Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 7:33 pm Post subject:

I thought I simply was "fatigued" this last winter until other symptoms (e.g., chest pain) motivated me to get some tests done.

I was anemic. Not a little, but by a boatload.

Iron deficiency, to be exact, which results in low levels of hemoglobin, which means not enough oxygen in one's blood.

Taking an iron pill regularly has solved that problem.

Don't assume that fatigue is just some psychological condition. Get a CBC (complete blood count) done if the fatigue is debilitating despite your otherwise happy state of mind. Fatigue and the inability to sleep well are two early symptoms of iron-deficient anemia. Possible risk factors: vegetarianism, habitually intense exercise, blood loss (women especially).

Never assume. Get yourself checked out, to be sure.

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

yup... almost time to ship out I think...

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Not at all. If anything, Korea has really breathed a lot of life into me. Having to be at work at 8.30 every day has been really good for self-discipline. Sometimes in the evening I find myself getting fatigued after an hour at the gym or six pints at the hof, but that's a good kind of tired.

SirFink · Joined: 05 Mar 2006

krats1976 · Joined: 14 May 2003

thorin · Joined: 14 Apr 2003

It's the booze stupid.

krats1976 · Joined: 14 May 2003

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

I went through this back in September, and went to the doctor for a blood test. Turns out I was hypo (or hyper, I can't remember) glycemic. He put me on some B vitamins, and I felt much better.

Then a few weeks ago I ran out of them and decided to wait to buy them on the following weekend with my groceries. Sure enough, within a few days, I was exhausted all the time again. Ran out for some more vitamins and I was all better again!

coffeeman · Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Location: Korea

I suffer from it. From poor quality sleeping, I think.
I think it's either from my awful matress (seems to be uneven - my upper body sinks down lower than my lower body), I might start sleeping on the floor, or it's from all the noise I have to put up with at night. I live in a villa apartment full of university students that like to play their tvs loud late at night. The noise proofing is so poor in my building that I can even hear the rain outside even though I have all my windows closed.

I live in what I call a one-room shoebox apartment. I guess I shouldn't complain since my school picks up the rent. Can't see myself staying there very long though.

celticjay · Joined: 27 Aug 2005

Yeah, I think I will go a get a check-up maybe for Hypo glycemia or maybe I'm iron deficient. I think more than anything I'm mentally tired of trying to communicate with non-english speakers in my public school everyday. I just feel like the energy is being zapped from my body.

Costanza! or Can't stand ya!! I love that guy... Nice avatar!