Yanji, China

Chinese sign:


Escape to Russia!



Back in Minnesota, fall break usually involved sleeping in, visiting an orchard, watching tons of movies, or shopping for new winter clothes. This year my fall break included celebrating the birth of Communism, walking halfway across a bridge to North Korea, and escaping to Russia through a wire fence. Every trip truly has its own charm.

Every 3-4 years, TCIS sponsors a trip to Yanji, China. It's a random place to visit, but many of our OCK's (out-of-country kids) come from this city. Their parents work as professors at Yanbian University of Science and Technology, otherwise known as YUST. It was fascinating to see the home of my beloved students! Apart from visiting Yanji, our troup visited other local Chinese sites: Baekdoosan, a beautiful mountain lake that is rumored to be the birthplace of Korea; Tumen, a Chinese sister city to North Korea; and the triangular intersection where Russia, China, and North Korea meet. The scenery of northern China is stunning. It reminds of the stillness and serenity of Minnesota.


Russia pics:





Every trip seems to contain an educational aspect. I learned so much about North Korea on this trip. The "hermit kingdom" is such a sad, horrific, and fascinating country. I was under the impression that North Koreans were not allowed to leave the country, but I ended up meeting several North Koreans on the trip. One night our group ate at a North Korean restaurant in Yanji. The food and service were incredible! The waitresses beautifully sang a number of North Korean karaoke songs while serving HUGE portions of food. One of our tour guides said the wait staff comes over to China for several months to work at the restaurant, but head back into North Korea to do who knows what. We tried to pry personal information out of the waitresses, but they remain extremely tight-lipped. I found a few online articles that slightly mirror our dining experience. Luckily, we were able to get photos!!!

http://globespotters.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/a-taste-of-pyongyang/
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JB08Ad03.html


I've never been truly thankful for freedom until this trip. It's scary not being able to openly discuss faith and politics in public. I'm glad 70% of my salary doesn't go to the government. I'm glad that I have food on a daily basis. I have no idea what will happen to communist North Korea and China over the next fifty years, but the people were extremely wonderful. Perhaps Yanji will be your next vacation spot!



North Korean bridge, restaurant, house, and singing waitresses:






Baekdoosan pics:

Florence Nightingale

The month of September at TCIS is always hectic. Cross country, teaching duties, and weekend trips to Seoul fill every waking minute. I didn't realize I would be adding nursing duties to my schedule. Just for the record, I'm no Florence Nightingale. I'm a horrible nurse. My reaction time is incredibly slow. Good luck to anyone that starts bleeding out if I'm nearby. Seriously.

Luckily, people can change. The proof is in the pudding below. You be the judge.


CASE #1:
My good friend Sarah was mysteriously sick with stomach issues in early September and had trouble eating. After multiple trips to the Korean doctor, she seemed to be on the mend. We celebrated her good health with a trip to an Indian restaurant, but by the time dinner was over, she was violently sick. My friend Jen and I ended up taking her to the hospital overnight. The diagnosis? An inflamed gall bladder and colonitis. What???? Korean hospitals are very interesting. Visiting hours are nonexistent. The nurses don't use gloves to inject IV tubes. Patients move around the hospital with their IV's attached and head down for a smoke in the parking. It's a bit of a freak show. Sarah ended up needing surgery the following Monday. I volunteered to be her "person" and sign all the necessary forms. I waited for two hours while they removed her gall bladder and gall stones. After the surgery, the surgeon brought out Sarah's innards on a silver metal tray as proof of surgical success. I don't what posssessed me to look at her gutted organs let alone take a picture, but it was fascinating! I'm please to report that Sarah is happily back to a normal routine sans gall bladder.

Pre-surgey pics. And no, I didn't squeeze her IV bag.




CASE #2:
Later that week I went biking with my friend Brenna. She ended up wiping out on her bike in the middle of a busy intersection. She managed to pull her bike onto the sidewalk, but almost started to pass out when she looked at her nasty road burns. I froze for a minute while a million questions raced through my mind. How was I going to get her to a hospital? Where should I put the bikes? Do you pour water on a road burn? Do you keep on a bike helmet if someone passes out? What is the Korean version of 911?????
Luckily,she ended up not passing out. I quickly took apart both of our bikes, poured water on her burns, flagged down a taxi, and bribed a taxi driver to take us back to her apartment. I immediately called my friends Heather and John to come over and help out. Heather brought over a "Mom Kit" full of nifty bandages and iodine. I was more than grateful! I ended up bringing Brenna to the orthopedic clinic. I'm always fascinated how resilient human skin is. An hour later, the doctor sent Brenna with a sprained elbow and seven stitches. We celebrated her lack of a broken bone with pizza and a trip to the movies to see "The Ugly Truth".

I'm still no Florence Nightingale, but I think I could be a nurse. I will take pictures at your organs, help you pee after surgery, and call the right people to help put iodine on your wounds.

You be the judge.