Food Poisioning and Tombstones

Again, what do those two have to do with each other? You guessed it, my weekend! And as you can guess, this one was not nearly as fun as the last.

Friday night was a mellow night, eating shabu shabu (Japanese cook-at-the-table food)with co-workers then watching Walk the Line. I was looking forward to sleeping in a bit, but was woken up about 4 a.m., when some bacteria that I had apparently ingested at some point during the day decided that it was time to clear my stomach of its entire contents, and then some. I'll spare the details, and just say that it was not a fun night for me.

Food poisioning is kind of a part of life when you travel, and I have been lucky since I came to Korea. But as in any place, there are certain things that are inevitable...certain must-have-experiences that are virtually impossible to avoid...and the two I was dreading most here were food poisioning and Norebang (Karaoke). I have managed to avoid Norebang so far, but the food poisioning did finally get me.

The funny thing was, I always expected it would come from some really sketchy food, like from a dingy restaurant, or a street cart. I eat that stuff often enough...I love street meat! But given the timing of when it set in, and the fact that no one else I ate dinner with got sick, it had to be my lunch that did it. And I had lunch at a restaurant right next to my school, a place I eat at all the time, and will continue to eat at - although I will never order the same dish!

The suspected meal -- a standard Korean dish called Bibimpap -- rice, meat, veggies, raw egg, served in a hot stone dish. I've eaten it dozens of times, one of my faves actually. But this place served their's a little differently -- the meat is raw when it comes to your table, and the idea is to let it cook against the side of the hot bowl. Food poisioning just waiting to happen.

So I spent Saturday recovering. I was forced to cancel a semi-blind "date" with a Korean guy who I know through very funny circumstances (save that story for later). My coworker Steven was kind enough to bring me some Gatorade and drag me out of the apartment for a bit so I could enjoy the sunshine.

On Sunday I was back in commission, and headed out to the National Cemetary with Matt. Nice place, not spectacular, but worth a visit. It was quiet, which makes it a rare place in Seoul. It it dedicated mainly to those who have given their lives for the nation; mostly soldiers, generals, and former presidents.

A memorial statue on the road into the cemetary.

Reminded me a bit of the big military cemetary in SF, with rows and rows of uniform graves, each one marked by its own spray of fake red or yellow flowers. Occasionally there would be some other colors, but the vast majority were red and yellow. I wonder why they chose those colors? And I wonder how often they have to change them because they get faded?

This is my favorite photo of the day, because of the lighting. A hill dedicated to generals who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Unknown to most Americans, South Korea played a huge role in Vietnam, sending more troops and suffering more casualties than any of our other allies.

This is a bus used to carry the casket of former President Park Chung Hee, who was assassinated in 1979. It was originally covered in yellow chrysanthumums, which have now been replaced by paper, for obvious reasons. Very 1970's!

The tombs of former presidents Park Chung Hee and Syngman Rhee. Rhee was the first president of South Korea, and his legacy remains controversial to this day. Park is controversial as well; while he layed the foundations that led Korea to economic prosperity, he also did away with much of the freedoms of the people. Incense burning in honor of the former presidents.

And despite the fact that we had just spent 2 hours at a cemetary, the most upsetting moment of the day happened on the way out, when we came across a cat that had been hit by a car. It was not in good shape, just sitting in the middle of the road wheezin, and surrounded by the brightest and most unnatural colored blood I have ever seen. Matt and I both stood there, staring, two animal lovers trapped in the midst of that awful realization that there was absolutely nothing we could do for this suffering animal. The best thing we could have done was to take it out of its misery, but we didn't even have the means to do that. It was an awful moment. I just hope that cat is in a better place right now and not feeling its pain anymore.

On a more uplifting note, I don't have to work until 2:30 tomorrow -- a one week reprive before going back to early morning intensive schedule for 2 more weeks. That is why I am writing this at 2 a.m.!!