Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thomas pars]

Me: 7.

Colds, Flu, ear infection. And strep about 3 times now.

Anyone else been sick WAY more than usual this year?

[blackjack]

touch wood but i haven't been sick in 2 years other than hangovers

[scorpiocandy]

When I worked with kids I was sick almost every single week. Then last year nothing because I stopped working with children. This year I've already been sick twice so far and I'm NOT happy. In fact I'm in the middle of another cold right now.

[NYC_Gal]

Quite a bit, but it was my first year teaching at a public school, halfway across the world, so my immune system was constantly battling.

Back home I took public transport daily, and taught kids privately, but the exposure wasn't as vast as here, not to mention the lack of mouth covering during coughs that I find here.

I've loaded up on vitamins and try to eat a lot of fresh produce, though, so hopefully I'll be better my second year.

If you're talking about sick days (off) though, 7 or 8. Some of them were what my mother calls "mental health days" though.

[Cerulean]

Twice, but I've had a hard time shaking them.

Last year, consistently sick because of the mold in my house.

I lived in the south for a while and seemed to be fine after the first winter. I'm just outside Seoul this time.

By the way, I have worked in this country for a long time and I have only called in sick once and that was because I was hospitalized and had to have an emergency surgery. Even then, I only took 2 working days.

No judgment on those who do take time off. My point is, I find it really hard to do.

(And no, I don't love my job.)

[egrog1717]

WAAAAAY more sick this year (2nd year at a PS)...

Laringitis (sp?) x2 in the Fall... Pressure headaches 2 or 3 times... Flu just after Christmas... Sinus cold in February that lasted until almost March... Another one in early April that's just starting to go away now... And my allergies have been on fire for the better part of the last 2 months...

The lady at the Red Door knows me by sight from all the good ol' fashioned Western magic I've bought off of her in the last few months, lol

[morrisonhotel]

6 months in and no sick days. I just worked out that I haven't actually had one sick day in 6 years of working full-time. Do I get a medal or something for that?

[mattdsoares]

Been here 3 months. Within 2 weeks I came down with a sinus infection. I knew it was getting worse but my vice principal tried to convince me it was just a cold. I let it go untreated and it turn into a nasty case of bronchitis. I finally went to a clinic and got some meds and was cleared up in a week. I've been great since then.

I often got bronchitis back in the US too, so this isn't strange for me.

[English Matt]

My first year here I was sick a lot....like 7 or 8 times. Nasty chest infections for the most part....with bronchitis kicking in once the primary infection had been dealt with. I think I must have spent around 4 months of that first year hacking my lungs up. I also had a couple of lengthy bouts of sinusitis (one lasting around 5 weeks).

Then the next 8 months were much better......only 1 or 2 minor colds. The past 3 months, however, have been horrific. I've been bouncing from cold to cold. It seems that within a couple of days of my getting better, the kids at my school are already hacking away with a new infection. I would say that I have had 3 or 4 colds (one felt like flu....I was barely able to make it through the day at school).

In my first year I took maybe 6 sick days. This year I have taken around 4......in the last 3 months (aside from one day during my flu) I have taken no sick days and have struggled into work even when I felt like I was dying.....this is because I am leaving after this contract and would like the school's last memory of me to be a good one so that they will give me a good reference.

[Senior]

A few guts aches from dodgy food.

Not a single cold since I started taking a vitamin D supplement 18 months a go. Used to get at least two colds a year.

[NYC_Gal]

Oooh you reminded me: Food poisoning on Christmas day from some dodgy banchan the day before (projectile vomiting. Yummy) and also a few months ago from a bad yogurt drink.

[caribmon]

I don't get sick. I use GNM.

[BringTheRain]

Short answer: Me : Zero.

Long : I was sick all the time when I first got here. I would continue to get sick often when I was teaching kids.

Now I like never get sick and I wash my hands like I have OCD.

[hamie]

I'm sick (with the flu or bugs picked up from the kids) no more than when I was teaching in my home country.
That being said, I do drink more here and I'm not sure if you'd class a soju hangover as being sick.
Sick days used in the last couple of years.... nil.

[southernman]