Night Four: Q & A
Q: Have you seen anything in the American press about your situation? I’ve been checking the New York Times, USA Today and the Washington Post for the past three days and still nothing. Has anyone even contacted you?
A: Several people here have contacted the U.S. press directly, via web, phone, or email, including myself personally. I’ve also received quite a few emails from friends and family back in the west who have also contacted everything from local newspapers to global publications. There hasn’t been a whole lot of interest at looking into the story expressed yet.
The Korean press, however, has been covering us. The Korean Herald should be coming out with a piece soon. I’ve been contacted by the JoongAng Daily via email as well, but haven’t heard back from them.
Additionally, I see several mentions of us on TV here, usually buried way beneath the Norks with Nukes and the Ex-President taking a nosedive off a cliff.
Q: Have you heard anything about all English teachers being quarantined? Not just ones in your center but in all of Korea?
A: If they want to round us all up, the best bet will be the Boreyeong Mud Festival. Otherwise the government would have a helluva time and it’d turn into something between Benny Hill and Hot Zone. So no, I haven’t heard anything about ALL foreign English teachers being rounded up yet.
On a more serious note, I was told by a few people via email that those working for EPIK will have to go through a seven day home quarantine upon arrival in Korea. I don’t know how it will be enforced, or if it’s just some higher ups attempt to project calm and control of the situation, or total BS. Sounds a bit like standard Korea paranoia however so it could very well be true.
Q: What do people do for fun now that you’re in there for a few days.
A: Quarantine’s kind of like being in high school in a small town. Not a whole lot to do ‘cept dream of ways to get out and head to the big city. Most of us surf the web, play video games, watch movies, and sleep. I’ve seen a lot of napping today. Smoking cigarettes outside is sort of like when those rebels mom and dad warned you about hang out by the shopping mall and the guards get all miffed but can’t do anything about it until someone does something dumb and crosses the line. Our school brought a ton of books by today so I’m sure people are going to be quite well versed in Jane Austen and Tolstoy by the time we’re out of here. My girlfriend goes jogging on the balcony area to keep healthy and of course I blog about this whole silly mess far more than I probably should.
