No, the Yellow Dust is Not Gone

As I've already told you, I went for a long run and walk on Sunday afternoon. Probably not the smartest idea, but the sky was deceptively clear. On Tuesday, I developed a cough that has only since deepened and worsened. Many of my foreign friends are complaining of sinus headaches, infections, and similar coughs. Charming. Yellow Dust persists.

On the suggestion of My Korean Mother, I visited the school nurse who has quite the set up: a whole classroom to herself, set up with beds for sickly teenagers, an examination station with all the gadgets that were nouveau in 1955 (I'm not kidding...it's creepy), and many an anatomical model for what I can only imagine would be an awkward conversation.

When I arrived, she was checking a student out thoroughly: examining her ears, taking her temperature, giving her some vitamins (not like the "vitamins" that Mr. Shue's wife gave the kids on Glee...these were the real, well, Korean version of the real, ones). When she was done with the rugrat, I stepped up to be examined too.

She asked what was wrong and I told her I had a cough. I even helped punctuate my symptom with a little example of what I was suffering from. Before I could sit down and feel the healing powers of this adorable woman, she opened a teeny tiny drawer (honestly, it looked like something from Alice in Wonderland) and gave me a bright red capsule. No questions asked, and a warm smile to excuse me. Well then. No extra care for me.

I promptly swallowed said pill.

And now I'm high.

I just went to the bathroom: my pupils are the size of dinner plates. Class should be an interesting adventure, eh?

I never take cold remedies because of this thyroid condition. I've been told all along that any sort of ephedrine product could send my heart into cardiac arrest, so I've basically steered clear of them (naturally, right?) for the last twenty years. There have been rare occasions (like the time my university roommate [in the dorm] were so sick, we couldn't move for days. We both took NeoCitran because we were pretty sure we were knocking on death's door. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest and I would surely die. After half a mugful of NeoCitran! You can understand my hesitation.

Alas, in Korea, I don't care. If I'm sick from their lousy Yellow Dust, I'll take any old thing they give me. I'm sure I'll survive. I've survived Asia for crying out loud.

So there you have it...me...rambling...and under the influence.

Nice-uh.