Funny thing happened on the way to class....

I was walking up the last flight of steps to get to my classroom when I tripped (with my hands firmly and warmly in my coat pockets) and hit the top landing chin-first. My head was ringing quite nicely and I thought I would simply have a headache until I touched my chin and found blood. Luckily, the science teacher next door was already in his classroom and wasn't too squeamish to look-- he said it was more than just a scratch and might need stitches... Well, after resting through the shock and dizziness, arranging for class coverage and writing a quick sub-plan, I was taken by one of the bus drivers to the local "hospital" (clinic). When we arrived in the parking lot, my driver looked very concerned and started to apologize (I didn't even know he spoke English!). He said that the school had wanted me to go to the better hospital a little further away, but it wasn't open this early I said that was fine-- he thought maybe I didn't understand "this one is not, ummm, very pretty." and I had to insist that I had been to this hospital before with another teacher and it had been fine.
All I needed was a trained and sober person with a needle and thread to sew me back together. What I got was even better; a doctor who knows some English fixed me up with some numbing shots, a few stitches, a bandage, and some prescriptions (pain relievers and antibiotics--I think) Not the start to the morning I was expecting!

For the last 3 years, I commuted almost 100 miles a day without so much as a scratch, but now, I can't make it 500 feet and 2 flights of stairs without needing stitches! Oh well, I can now say that Korea has left it's mark on me =) There's a little whip-lash to go along with the sore chin, so I'd say I did a pretty good job.

As injuries usually do, this one came at a rather bad time-- speech meet this weekend hosted by our school, I'm attending a performance of the Lion King in Seoul, our English ministry at church has a presentation before the whole church body on Sunday for a Thanksgiving celebration, and evidently it's hard to concentrate on English when your teacher has a bandage protruding from her chin =)