Sick day or not?

Still sick but much better overall than yesterday I ask myself if I should take the day off work. I have just under three hours before I head to my academy to teach and can't see myself getting worse in that time so is it worth phoning in sick?

I've only taken one sick day in my five years here and that was at my previous academy which gave you two sick days per year in your contract. Where I work now there is no provision for sickness. If you can't work you either get docked money or they take one of your vacation days off you. Judging by my last pay check any deduction in money would be about £50 and I can't afford to throw that money away.

Also, work makes it difficult for you to take the day off. If I was going to call them I probably had to have done it two hours ago to give them enough time to cover my classes IF they could. Every few months or so we get emails telling us that now is a bad time to be sick. Also I seem to have the type of body that doesn't like lying in bed if sick. I've found that moving around makes me feel a little better so I'm going to struggle on and take the money. 파이팅! (fighting!) as they say here.

Sick as a dog

Holed up in my new apartment watching films and trawling the internet. Sneezing and sniffling all the time, with the worst sore throat I can remember in ages and praying the medicine from the pharmacist will kick in soon. Once again, thank you glorious students for giving me a cold. I will have my revenge.

Occupational hazard

Another day another cold. What is it with this place of late? I just can't stay 100% healthy. I look at my diet and think, OK no great but not bad so it's not that. I've been here long enough to build up a decent immune system and I take vitamin C as well as drink orange juice. I am getting enough sleep and have little to no stress. Oh yeah, I work in Korea. In an academy. With kids. Who always have colds. Because they get them off the people they are surrounded by. Because when they cough they don't cover their hands or face so spread germs around. And also they tend to have a habit of not washing their hands. Mind you, there's no soap in the bathroom where I work. I love being here, just not when I am sick - which feels like an occupational hazard at times here.

Chamchi jjigae, Korean comfort food

I'm at home as I write this, getting better but sick and have been for the past 36 hours. Of course I can't take the day off work - my employers really don't like that to the extent that they sometimes send out emails telling us that even if we are sick we must go to work.

I have a cold, not flu. I'm not dying but still it's never a nice feeling is it. I am convinced that my students have passed it onto me once again. They openly sneeze and cough without covering their mouths no matter how much I tell them off. I find their hygiene awareness disappointingly bad. Some of my students even need to be reminded by me to wash their hands after using the bathroom.

Right now I am eating my wife's Chamchi jjigae (참치찌개) which is a dish you can find available on many many street corners. My wife didn't really cook much before we started dating but she now cooks more and more and is getting better. Her Chamchi jjigae is my favourite. It's not too difficult to make but you need the right kimchi, which we get from my mother in law. My wife makes it without tofu. What is Chamchi jjigae? My wife's is basically tuna, kimchi, water, leeks and sometimes chilli peppers plus some secret seasoning which she doesn't know the English translation for. It really hits the spot and hopefully will help me feel better. You know Summer is ending when you get a cold like this.

At the back of my mind

As I sup on my cup of tea I think of my students back in Korea and how kind there were in giving me the cold I have right now. I sniffle and sneeze my way through my time off and contemplate my revenge.