Kimchi Ice-Cream just sent me a link to another blog that really should be looked at. Also Kimchi has some great information about H1N1, treatment, world health guidelines and so forth.
Quote from above blog:
Her: “Joy! Do you have the H1?”
Me: “What are you talking about?”
Her: “The pig virus, do you have any symptoms?”
Me: “No.” (serious and confused look)
Me: “Why?”
Her: “Somebody is asking, there are some cases.”
And she proceeded to tell them something on the phone and then we continued class.
The above teacher has nothing, nothing at all to do with any of the people in quarantine. They don’t work at the same school, they have never met any of us, for all I know they are not even in the same city as any of the teacher’s from the quarantine.
When I thought there was an overreation to our group being rounded up and bused back to a central quarantine, I have a feeling it will be nothing compared to the discrimination that is coming. One thing that has been pointed out over and over is that his could have happened anywhere. We have yet to see if taking care of patients and potential patients is going to be done with education, or with discrimination and fear.
I think teachers who run into this kind of situation should post about it so that we know how far reaching it is really getting. Those of us in quarantine really only know what is happening in here. A couple of people have blogged or e-mailed to me that they are seriously reconsidering taking visits to the states or Canada because of complications getting back in. Hopefully because of the precations taken with our group, it won’t affect the rest of the instructors around the country like that.
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Ruby Ramblings 
Oh wow that was my blog !! blush!
Yea it was completely random.
I followed up with my teacher as to why we got the call and she said it came from the ministry of education here in Gunpo. I work for a public school. She said since May 21st they are going to start checking everyone.
I will update if anything else unfolds.
I have a friend who works in a nearby city and her private school has shut down for the week. The last I heard was that she can’t meet any of her coworkers and leave the house much. She was instructed to buy a thermometer and take her temperature and report it.
This certainly is starting to sound like something that may blow out of proportions.
Comment by joy May 25, 2009 @ 11:08 amThe fact that the ministry of ecuation is getting involved and targeting people who had absolutely nothing to do with our group is what is really setting off warning signals for me that this will probably get way out of hand.
Comment by therubycanary May 25, 2009 @ 11:39 amHi, I’m an English teacher here in Korea and got the link to your blog from Kimchi Ice Cream (I think). I was also asked this morning if I was feeling sick and my vice principal said something about a problem with the Swine Flu and warned me to avoid the Gangnam area. Luckily, I haven’t been in America in eight months and I haven’t left Korea since before Pig Flu broke out, so they let it drop. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you in quarantine. What a rough introduction to Korea.
Comment by Cait May 25, 2009 @ 12:30 pmThe Ministry told my boss they were registering all Americans–not Canadians or any other nationality. Creeped us all out, and we’ve been here a pretty long time.
Comment by ZenKimchi May 25, 2009 @ 1:44 pmThis afternoon, our secretary came into the foreign teachers’ room at my hagwon to pass on a message from our director. He advised us to stay away from Itaewon and Hongdae, and to not meet any foreigners outside of our group of 8. That’s how I found out about this whole thing.
Apparently, lots of moms called today worried about if the flu had made it to our institute. I’m really interested in seeing how this next week goes.
Comment by PamJane May 25, 2009 @ 3:01 pmWe’re out in Sokcho (other side of the peninsula) and my husband’s hagwon director received several phone calls regarding our family, especially since we just got back from the states a few weeks ago and just recently got the flu. One was from the ministry of education, not sure about the other.
Comment by DomesticBliss May 26, 2009 @ 11:04 am