I was sick last week with a really bad sore throat and fever, and had to go to the doctor. I got three days' worth of medicine, took it, felt completely better, then, I think, managed to re-infect myself. I'm not sure why I was so stupid. I used my old toothbrush and drank out of a bottle of Powerade I drank from when I was sick. It makes me so nervous, though, to be sick again right before I go to America, where I have no insurance. It sucks to know I'll be getting up to get a taxi in less than 12 hours, and I feel pretty crappy. The plan is a taxi at 2:45 to be at the Gwangju bus terminal and catch a bus to the airport at 3:30. That means I'll arrive at the airport around 8, then check in and board my 9:30 flight. I go to Tokyo first, with an hour layover, and then Dallas, where I have to spend five hours. Yuck! But finally, at 5:45 local time, just 27 hours after I left my house in Korea, I will be touching down in Fort Myers, where it's a lovely 72 degrees.
The weather in Naju has been pretty unbearable lately. It snowed for three days, and the high has been something like 27 all week. It's really making me re-think wanting to live somewhere with a real winter... I can't imagine myself driving in this kind of slush, and day in and day out of this kind of weather might be too miserable. Then again, I think that day in and day out of 90+ degree weather is too miserable during the summer in Florida, but I have a feeling that if I could experience one summer day and one winter day consecutively, I would prefer the summer day. Too bad that's not possible... it might be kind of fun.
So I went to the doctor again today to get some antibiotics in hopes of warding this illness off before Manuel comes to Florida. It was really bizarre, for a lot of reasons. It was the "hospital" where we went the first time I was sick, last year, and it gave me a weird sense of nostalgia. It's just always fun to experience something you've experienced before, and to realize how much you've changed since that time. Especially in Korea, whenever this happens, I realize how oblivious I was to most things before I learned more Korean. I'm sure I'm still pretty oblivious, but still. There was a TV in the waiting room, where they were showing this really graphic show about a guy who was attacked by a shark. It turned my stomach, and I wasn't even sick. And right below that TV was another TV, which appeared to be showing someone's internal scan. It was definitely a camera inside of a body... could have been someone's intestines. It was so bizarre. And the video was date stamped at the top, so it seemed to be taking place live. But why on earth would they be showing someone's insides to the waiting room? Why show something gross like that at all? At one point the nurse walked by and turned it off, but that was after like, 20 minutes. Korea, why must you continue to confound me?
I've been absolutely dominating my diet for the past 9 days, and I have a 4.2 pound weight loss to show for it. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with my period, and water weight, but it made me happy. I'm very close to my lowest weight ever, and this time I'm determined to keep going and get to 169. I got down to 173 twice, and then for whatever reason immediately sabotaged myself and got up to almost 180. But this time, inspired by the new year, I feel like I'm ready to take that final step. I'm back in the training mindset, rather than just the weight loss mindset, which I think works better for me. I've been running every other day for the past 9 days, and I really did miss it. It's always so hard for me to convince myself to get up and go out, and the first 10 minutes or so are hell, but once I get going it's not that hard to keep myself going and finish. Today I actually went at 6:30, in 27 degree weather, with a sore throat, and wasn't miserable. I felt awesome at the end for finishing it, and ran a few more minutes than I'd even planned, for a total of 30 (in intervals).
I was hesitant, because the snow hadn't entirely melted, but I managed to just run on well-travelled roads and didn't wipe out. I did wipe out yesterday, which sucked, but luckily I just scraped my hand on the ice. It's a good thing I went when I did this morning, because it started snowing again at 8am, and now there's a new layer of slush covering everything. It's true... I really do feel so much better about everything when I'm exercising regularly. So why do I stop for long periods? I don't get it. I've resigned myself to the fact that I need to lose weight slowly, by just doing a manageable amount of exercise that I can make into a habit. When I try to take it off more quickly by working out a lot more, I just get really burned out and quit.
I can't believe I'm going to be home in about two days. It's a crazy feeling. I'm also shocked by how prepared I actually am to go. I'm completely packed except for the few things I'm still using, and I even have most of my room packed and ready to move to the new apartment when I get back to Korea. I'm leaving money in my Korean bank account and I have a budget for my time in America. It's weird how... prepared I feel. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is not having any insurance in America. My mom freaked me out yesterday by mentioning, offhand, that I might just have to get my tonsils taken out, and the thought of a surgery, on top of a lack of insurance, made it hard to sleep last night. But aside from that, I'm as ready as I'll ever be to go to America.
1 comment:
My sister is coming!!! YAY! The boys are so excited to see Aunt Brittany and the other night we read a book called "Somewhere in the world right now". It talks about how its daytime here and nightime on the other side of the world so at the same time of day people are eating Breakfast, or lunch or dinner or sleeping or playing or working etc. I showed them where you lived and we talked about you. IT was cool.
Two more things...yak tracks (probably not necessary but you be the judge), and do you wear gloves? If not I'll buy you a pair while you're here. I know a good place. Love you. Safe travels.
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