Day Three: Q & A
Another round of questions and answers. Why? Because it sure beats watching bees mate, the paint peel, and fantasizing about running downstairs ripping masks off the CDC workers and oinking in their faces.
Q: Could you let me know your location?
A: Sure can! We’re at the Human Resource Development Center, a government run facility outside Seoul just a bit in Seocho-dong, close to Nambu Bus Terminal. Here’s the link to the location: http://hrd.seoul.go.kr/eng/H01SHRDCBriefAction.do?method=direct
Q: What school are you with?
A: The one your daughter is studying at! Just kidding. Anyways I’m no expert on Korean Law but I’m not about to name my school or institute because they’ve got a hard enough job on their hands already, and also because they’ve been extremely helpful and accommodating to us here. My director, staff head, recruiter, all have been calling daily to see if we’re being taken care of. They even got a representative downstairs to see us an hour ago and take questions & requests.
Q: What’s your money situation? Are they providing things? Did you have a chance to grab your K-ATM/debit cards and those silly Korean code cards for online transactions (at least for KB*, anyway)?
A: Personally, my money situation is great. I haven’t had to pay for anything in the last 4 days, and if I do it’ll probably be to barter for cigarettes by trading my girlfriends hand sanitizer and a painted mask as currency. That’s how things are done in prison, right?
More seriously however, I know quite a few people here who came to this facility with little or no money in their pocket or without their ATM cards because they were told they were just going to the hospital for a quick blood test and then back home. They’re a bit concerned about how they’ll buy a round of drinks when we all go out and party the minute we’re out of quarantine, but as for daily survival inside the Hot Zone, it hasn’t been a problem.
Q: What’s being done for you? What kind of information are you being given? What are things like, etc?
A: For the answers to part one and three, keep reading the blog, I’m trying to document that as it evolves. As for what kind of information we’re being given, it’s very little, and few and far between. I think the last major update we had was almost a day ago. For the most part, rumors circulate about how long we’re in for (some say 7 days, some say 9, some say less) but there’s very little from the mouths of officials other than the occasional: “Hey you! Put mask-u back on.”
Q: How are y’all? Do you guys need anything else?
A: People are doing well, rather quiet today. I think general lethargy has settled in. Moods seem to be still upbeat for the most part, however some people are getting a bit bitchy at each other, complaining more, or simply telling others to stop complaining. It’s definitely not the Spring Break it was three days ago, and a lot of people have isolated themselves in their rooms, but it’s far from Lord of the Flies with tribes divided and fighting over that last piece of kimchi or running around wearing leather jerkins made from the flesh of their foes.
As far as needing anything, the most important thing I feel everyone in here needs is good spirits and a good sense of humor, and that’s up to them. For most, this is their first experience in Korea and it’s not a good impression, but most seem positive, and at least happy to hear that our situation is making a wee bit of news outside the Hot Zone.
Q: Does anyone have a video camera or video phone in there? You should do an i-report for CNN.
A: Most people have cameras and they’re taking a lot of pictures. As for doing an i-report for CNN, perhaps. I did email them but haven’t heard back. It’s been a busy few days for news in Korea.
Q: Can you tell us exactly how long it has been since ya’ll were actually in contact with an infected person?
A: We still don’t know who’s infected or who isn’t. Those showing symptoms have been laying low and keeping to themselves, as have the antisocial types and that leper that joined us last night (kidding, again). My guess would be that since someone left this morning complaining of A/H1N1-like symptoms, that would be about 12 hours since we last had contact IF they are infected. The grim side of me suspects they are, but the grim side of my also knows that the only way to kill swine flu is to destroy the brain or remove the head. Or was that how to kill zombies?
And on a totally unreleated tangent, I’ve gotten some hilarious suggestions for how to pass the time. Things like:
- Backwards Day. Everyone has to wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes.
- Start oinking any time a health worker gets snippy and rude or lies.
- Play hide and seek in the facility.
- Speak spanish to the Health Ministry workers that speak perfect english. Act like it IS english and keep repeating it.
- Tie bedsheets together at night, drape a makeshift rope out the window, then go and sleep in a spare room. When they do room checks in the morning and freak out, quickly sneak back to your room, hide the sheet-ropes, and simply sit there reading a book as if you’ve been there the whole time.
