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Radioactive? No Problem!

You can never really get through a day in Korean without someone saying something is either 'good for health' or 'bad for health'.

They seem to be a culture obsessed with being healthy. That and if you're a woman looking younger and being skinny. So, not far off from Westerners then.

Except perhaps things that I've always learned make the most sense to stay healthy.

Like washing your hands before you eat. And after you go to the bathroom. Not sure what bathroom sinks are meant for as Korean women are usually stood in front of them, preening themselves, looking ready to pounce on you if you need to get through to wash your hands.

And then, there's the temperature. It's always cold. I have seen women in the saunas throw down cold water where they walk or where they were sitting after they leave, in an effort I can only guess to 'cleanse' the area so that someone else can sit in their place.

But, it's...cold...water. You can't freeze the germs away.

And now, after my experience with the hospitals, I guess radioactive rays don't exist in Korea.

I went last night to have my foot X-rayed again to see how well it was healing. There is a big yellow and red sign, with an image that looks like radio waves and some BOLDED KOREAN WRITING which I can only assume means DANGER or CAUTION or BAD FOR HEALTH.

But when you walk through the door, it's just a room. With an overhead projector like thing attached to the ceiling. And a medical bench.

And this man, who doesn't seem to have smile muscles and looks like he's constantly hung over from soju. I've seen him 3 times now and, except for a few grunts, he has never spoken a word directly to me.

The man has no protection. None of those bullet-proof-type vests that you put on to stop the harmful rays like back in Canada. (I always wondered why they protected your body and not THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR BODY: your brain. Like, if the rays are SO harmful, where is my rubber helmet?)

So, you sit on the bench, he positions your foot (or whatever you may need x-rayed) and this is the scary part.

He LEAVES the room. He LEAVES you with the machine-that-releases-dangerous-rays and gets as far away as he can from the danger. Either that or the button is in another room. Oh..ya..how conveeeeenient..

Then the machine gurggles and he returns to grunt you out of the radioactive space.

I can only suspect, consdering that this country has more doctors, pharmacists and xray professionals per capita then ANY OTHER COUNTRY that there is a perfectly logical explanation WHY you don't get the space suit to be xrayed.

And anyway, if you're THAT worried about, simply douse yourself in some cold water.

That'll do the trick.

******

Thank you all for your kind emails, txt and finger crossing. Although it was not enough sadly to get my cast removed, it was enough to have the bone healing VERY WELL as my doctor told me .

(which, by the way, gave me the 30 seconds of hope that I had last night of having the damn thing removed.)

Doc: Very good. Excellent. Yes, this bone is healing nicely. Here is you new bone. Your baby bone. It's all healed over

Me: OH GREAT! THAT'S WONDERFUL NEWS!! I AM SO HAPPY!

D: Yes, very good. I will be taking this (pointing to foot) off next week.

M: (a moment of slience) uh..next week?

D: (happily) Yes, next week.

M: aww. thanks

Perhaps it was the hope that made the tears flow a bit on my way home (god I'm a wimp!!) .

Or perhaps it was PMS.

Either way, I'm over it and happy to count down the days to cast freedom!

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