Korea is Going to Kill Us!

Before I moved to Korea the only danger I was worried about was Kim Jong Il launching nuclear missiles at me and vaporizing my skin from my bones and wiping out all human life in South Korea. Luckily KJI and his chubby son have been keeping a low profile lately (planning for the earth-ending bomb, I guess), but there are plenty of things happening in Korea now that are causing me to huddle in bed at night, crying and fearing for my life. Okay, maybe not.

1. DEADLY RADIATION FROM JAPAN

About a month ago the first tsunami/earthquake hit Japan, and multiple aftershocks and subsequent tsunamis have hit the country. As if that wasn't already bad enough, earthquakes damaged several nuclear power plants which have released deadly radiation into the air and water, and everyone thought it was coming to Korea. Apparently last week a German TV station hypothesized that the wind stream would carry the radiation to Korea and people here started to freak out. It rained on Wednesday (I think) and a lot of people had school canceled for the day. At my school, everyone must have had a suicide wish, because people were just carrying umbrellas instead of wearing radiation suits. Anyway, no holes were burned through my umbrella, and my fingers do not yet glow in the dark, so I guess I'm okay.

2. DEADLY YELLOW DUST FROM CHINA

Every Spring wind carries tons of dirt and dust from China's deserts into Seoul and it makes lots of people sick. I have definitely noticed more sick students this Spring, and a lot of my friends are sick as well. I haven't really noticed the dust, except one day when the air looked a little bit yellow. Like radiation from Japan, the yellow dust from China is made into a big deal by the media but regular people don't seem to be affected. One day, Jae Hyun told me that he yellow dust warning was very high and that I should cover my mouth and nose. I brought a scarf with me to school but didn't use it. All the windows and doors at my school were wide open (I know thiis a common occurrence in Korea, but even the windows in the teacher's office, which are usually closed, were open.) No one was wearing a mask. I asked one teacher if the yellow dust had hit yet, and she said it had. I guess I expected everyone to run and close the windows and immediately put on a mask. Once again, no one seemed to care. And I haven't been sick yet, so fingers crossed!

I guess my point is that everyone seems to be flipping out over this stuff and talking about it on the internet and TV all the time, but when it really happens, no one seems to be concerned. Strange.

CHINA RUINS EVERYTHING!