Let the adjusting begin

I knew that moving to a foreign country was going to take its toll on my body.  I tried to condition my body to prepare.  First, I started eating meat again.  I had been a vegetarian since I was 16 years old.  Prior to that time I had very much been a carnivore, but never liked the heavy feeling I got after eating meat.  Why I became a vegetarian is the subject of another blog.  Anyway, recently because of my financial status I decided to start to include some fish, mainly canned tuna, into my diet (I can make 4 sandwiches with 1 can of tuna, economical by my standards).  Then in May, or thereabouts, I decided to move to Korea.  If I was going to do this I was going to go "all in", which meant I needed to start introducing meat into my diet in order to avoid hopefully any uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing situations (I'll let your imagination work things out for you).  Also, this choice wouldn't limit me on how I would be able to interact with my Korean colleagues and friends.  If I was going to live in a foreign country I wanted to fully experience the culture which I strongly believe can only be done through sharing a meal.  So far I am pleased to say, the priming of the stomach worked.  I have impressed my colleagues with my willingness to try everything.  They even liked the idea that I will try everything 3 times before I decide whether or not I like it.  Although I have to admit I don't think I will be up to trying something if it is still moving... I might just leave that to Andrew Zimmern and Angie.

Just chilling at the Cat Cafe.

So priming the body for the food worked, however the one thing I couldn't prime my body for is the new bacteria flora that I would encounter.  When traveling to any country you run the risk of becoming ill since your body doesn't have immunities that natives of that country have to the various contagens that inhabit every corner of the world.  Normally a person isn't bothered since they only stay in one place for about 2 weeks and then return to their homeland where their bodies are adapted to their native contagens. So after 2 weeks of running myself to the edge, stressing out before I came, engaging in an occupation that puts me in direct contact with incubating petri dishes, also known as children, my immune system has been continually tried and tested and for the most part it was working fine.  That is until I decided to join in a venture to the Cat Cafe, where cats are not only the theme but run around for you to pet.  On the same evening we sat in a restaurant where several people and tables were smoking.  Being allergic to cats and then the strain of the cigarette smoke, my body finally said, "NO MORE!" and now I am sick.  On the bright side I was able to go to a pharmacy, explain what I had and was then given 2 boxes of pills, of which I have no idea what they are, and told to take two of each three times a day, at least that is what I think he said, all for the low price of about $5 USD.  I have no idea what I have been taking but given how horrible I felt last night and how much improved I am today, it has made me a believer!

At the Cat Cafe in Ulsan... trying to get into the spirit.
While trying to maintain my distance from the cats.
And yes... that is Dunkin' Donuts coffee in my hand!

Random girls playing with the cats at the Cat Cafe.

Cats doing what cats will do at the Cat Cafe. Allergies
were killing me... no wonder I got sick.