Laser Eye Surgery in Korea

Even before I came to Korea I decided, that I want the mystical laser beams to fix my eyesight. I was diagnosed with shortsightedness and prescribed my first glasses when I was about 12 years old. At the time I thought it would be really cool because my dad had glasses too. Unknowingly, I was wearing my new pair on my first day back to school but the boys were laughing and making fun of me once say saw what was on my nose. In addition, doing sports was so annoying because the glasses would slide of your nose when you sweat. In winter, they would steam up from the difference in temperature once I entered from the outside. Wearing eye make up is meaningless in my case because it vanishes behind the frame. In addition, nearsightedness makes your eyes looks smaller, if someone is looking directly into your face. Hence you look tired all the time and people ask why your eyes are so small. Of course, the time that my former classmates made fun of me is WAAAY behind me nowadays, and with the recent hipster-glasses trend I came to appreciate the sophisticated aura glasses are able to give you. You can be as stupid as a donkey but hide behind your glasses as long as you do not open your mouth.

Still, my nearsightedness reached new proportions recently by cracking the -6.5 diopter benchmark. To visualize what that actually means, take a look at that picture below. The right side was my normal eyesight without glasses. It was pretty bad. I was unable to live without glasses and they were the first thing I had to put on in the morning and the last item to take off at night.

Courtesy of Sara Lynn Hartmann

So, when you actually hate your glasses but your eyes are so bad that you need them to find your way out of bed in the morning without killing yourself by bumping into your furniture, what do you do? Yes, you try to wear contacts. And I did. Extensively. Over the last 2-3 years I wore lenses almost every day. I know that some people find it disgusting to touch your own eyeball but I got used to it. In the beginning, I loved the lenses. It was a new feeling of freedom after almost ten years with frames. I did not feel the soft shell at all and it made my life easier. I was able to wear make up that was visible and sports was not such a dreadful affair any longer because the frames stopped dropping on the ground from the sweat on my nose. However, I wore the lenses too much, sometimes more than 10 hours a day for several weeks. As you can imagine that is not very good for your eyes because the lenses are covering your cornea, which prevents oxygen exchange. I had constant dry and itchy eyes and I was told by my optician and my doctor to not wear them that much any more. Otherwise my eyes could develop an allergy against contact lenses. Therefore, I made the decision to get a laser treatment to fix my eyesight once and for all. My parents already got the surgery a few years back and they are very happy with their decision and encouraged me to do it as well. As Korea is well-known for ranking among the countries with the most plastic surgeries performed worldwide, I was confident to find someone over here who would be able to do the surgery and I started my research....

 After reading some online blogs and reviews I finally settled for the Dream Eye Center in Gangnam,  the so-called 'beauty-belt' of Seoul with over 500 plastic surgery clinics in one district. Yes, that Gangnam from Psy's 'Gangnam Style'. Dream Eye is a well-known clinic and omnipresent in all Google searches, on Facebook and on YouTube. There might have been cheaper options out there but Dream Eye has an excellent English service, incredibly friendly staff, and, they are very professional, which is part of the reason why I chose them. Actually, it is amazing how quick it all went. I filled out one of their online contact forms and got a call on the same day to schedule a consultation appointment a week later. In Germany I couldn't get an appointment at an oculist for f***ing 5 months in advance and in Korea it took them one phone call and a few days. I was told not to wear contacts for at least a week because they want to test my eyes and they should not be affected by wearing contacts. The clinic is on the 14th floor in one of the many skyscrapers that can be found in Gangnam.

View from the clinics waiting room

 The first thing I had to do was to fill out a form on why I want surgery, the fears I have and my general data. Sitting in the waiting room is not that bad because you are able to enjoy the awesome view, make yourself a coffee or use their free Wifi. I was assigned to my own personal nurse/consultant who guided me through the testing. And there were a lot! Next to a regular visual test, one to measure the pressure of my eyeballs, the thickness of my cornea, the dryness level of my eyes, my reaction to light etc. I cannot remember all of them. In the end I was guided to the oculist and he had a look at my results and my eyes and made a recommendation for the surgery that is most suitable for my case. Basically, there are two different laser eye treatments LASIK and LASEK. The first is the most common one, very easy to handle with a quick recovery. The second one is a bit safer, for people with a very high dioptric record. It involves more pain and a longer recovery period. Obviously there are more medical intricacies to it and if you are interested in the differences between LASIK and LASEK, check out this video:

As for me, I was recommended to do LASEK. Partly because my level of shortsightedness was really high and because I wanted to play it safe. That means, there will remain enough cornea to get a re-treatment if my shortsightedness returns in the future. On the other hand, it also meant more pain and at least a few days of recovery in bed. My consultant went on to explain everything from the post-treatment, the different eye-drops I should take to wearing make-up and doing sports afterwards. What I found extremely clever is, that they addressed all of the fears I told them had on the arrival form. Although I knew its almost impossible, I wrote down that I am afraid to get blind. Hence, they offered a free DNA test because blindness due to laser eye surgery can only occur if you have certain type of DNA.

Now, I know you might be curious about the price. Before I tell you, let me state that the price depends very much on your individual conditions and it cannot be applied to everyone. However, I was able to receive a discount because they had a promotion in September. Hence I paid 1.500.000 Won (+/- 1200 €) including post-treatment with monthly check-ups for 6 months, blood serum eye-drops against infections mixed from my own white blood cells to prevent allergic reactions, anti-inflammatory eye-drops, antibiotic eye-drops and night goggles plus a guarantee for re-treatment if the results are unsatisfactory. For me the deal was good enough to agree, especially considering the price range on the German market.

So, I scheduled a surgery appointment within two weeks (How is everything so fast over here?!). My eyes still had to recover from extensive contact lenses usage. On the day of the surgery I had Korean class in the morning and went to the clinic afterwards with my friend Carina. She would help me to get home safe. I was really nervous. I mean, when do you ever get the chance of someone pointing a laser in your eye? It was over really quickly, they took my blood to mix the blood serum drops. Then my face was disinfected, so that no make-up, dirt or whatever else you have on there can get into your eyes during surgery. I was given a pink surgery robe and some slippers and entered the disinfected surgery area through some electric doors sliding to both sides. My hair was hidden under one of them sexy blue surgery caps. Now it was time for my local anesthetic. How? Eye-drops of course! I urge you to try these if you ever feel the need to have the feeling of seeing through someone else's eyes. Quite literally, that is what I felt. Then it was time to get it over with. I was really nervous by now as I laid down on the table. I was surrounded by different nurses and one of them was only there to hold my hand and pet my arm to calm me down. It was all over within five minutes but I must have smashed the bones of the nurses hand. The most surreal thing was that they played a weird 'Congratulations' song accompanied by cracking fireworks sound in background once I was finished. I mean, I just had surgery and your going full-party mode?.... OK.

Post-Surgery Selfie with swollen eyes!

I was already able to see and it was amazing! It was all a bit numb but I was able to get home safely with the help of Carina. I had to take eye-drops every hour for the first two days. More importantly, I was unable to watch television, use my computer or my cell phone for more than two minutes. For that reason, I listen to the Harry Potter audio books for two days straight (Spoiler alert: Snape kills Dumbledore). It was not a comfortable affair, the first two days my eyes were itching a lot, especially at night. And it was a challenge not to rip off the night googles and scratch my eyes out. However, on the third day things started to normalize and now, after three weeks my vision has returned almost completely! I was told that full recovery can take up to 6 months but I am already able to see everything, except for a glare at night (which is normal).

The only thing left to say is: Bye Bye Glasses!

Hiking in Seoul: The peak of Bukhansan

Me and my friend Carina decided to get out of the buzzing city of Seoul to climb one of the many mountains in Korea. Seoul itself is well-known for Bukhansan national park, which is only a few metro stops away from the city center. During the Joseon era (1392-1895), it marked the northern border of the city of Seoul.

Last Saturday, we met in the morning to climb the roughly 800m high mountain. The start was not that hard, although we had some trouble finding the right entrance. Generally, if you get to Gireum Subway station and follow the fully equipped Korean hikers, you'll get to where you want to be. At first both of us were making fun of all the Koreans in full gear. In all honesty, hiking sticks and water proof outfits from 'The North Face' for an 800 meter mountain/hill seemed a bit too much. I had my hicking shoes but that was about all the equipment I was able to bring from back home. As for the rest, Jeans and a t-shirt had to suffice. I made sure to buy some Kimpab (the Korean equivalent of a sandwich / rice roll) and some rice cake for lunch, which we wanted to eat on top of Bukhansan.

Once we had found the entrance, by following the swarm of Korean hikers, we took it slow and enjoyed the nature. It's amazing that Seoul is still all around us and I can understand the many Seoullites who come here to escape the hectic city life.

Me, before we start the hike

Carina, before we start the hike!

Soon, the trail got more and more rocky. We started to sweat, a lot! The trail started to look more like a never ending slope of stairs that slowly lost itself in the woods.It was endless. I finally understood why the Koreans had their hiking gear, it was actually appropriate. In hindsight, they must have laughed more at us than we at them, pitying the two German girls who had nothing more than a normal schoolbag, jeans and a sweaty shirt. 

Finally, a well-deserved break

Finally, we reached the old city wall that used to mark the northern border of Seoul. The view was breathtaking!  

the gate through the old city wall

Seoul

Namsan Tower

Once we were on top of the wall, it was no longer that exhausting. In comparison to the trail we took to get up there, it now seemed like a nice stroll. We passed an amazing Buddhist pavilion that was designed in traditional Korean manner with vivid greed and red colors. The two of us were having fun. It was a nice day and there were a lod of people on the road. It was a sunny weekend after all. 

an old pavilion on the trail to the top of Bukhansan

Soon we saw the peak, which was the goal of our small excursion. We planned to have lunch on top of the peak and decided to go all the way before lunch break. Boy, was that a bad idea!

The peak is in sight!

The trail changed back to its old pattern. It was again covered in huge rocks which you had to climb over, rather than hike. I was very glad for my long legs because it was much easier for me to make bigger steps than it was for Carina. While we continued to climb upwards, we met a Korean company excursion. Yes, it is very common for company teams to have excursions and team building exercises in the form of short holiday trips. They were thrilled to meet foreigners and we got introduced to the employee which was responsible for English speaking clients. I wouldn't have been surprised if they would have given me their business card while jumping over a stone. I was glad we met them though, because the trail got really dangerous at this point. We had to cross huge rock formations which were only secured by some iron strings. We had to make our way hand over hand along the rope while, only one step next to us, the rock suddenly revealed a deep cliff. After we reached the peak, we finally had our well deserved lunch break and sore muscles for three consecutive days on top.

it gets more dangerous

and more and more dangerous

a very steep trail indeed!

Seoul (Southern Part)

I did it!

A Korean Flat - Is it different than in Europe?

What is different about living in Korea? In comparison to the flat culture I am used to in Europe, it is certainly a bit different. First of all, the common practice of shared housing with a bunch of flatmates is not very common. Although, the culture is in constant change, usually only foreigners start to share a flat with the occasional Korean flatmate. 

From my experience, Koreans usually stay in student dorms or rent out a room in a Goshiwon. It is a Harry Potter style closet with a bed and a toilet/shower squeezed into 8m². Traditionally, you are not expected to leave your parents house, unless you start your own family and marry. Of course, this concept is also changing as there are more and more single people owning a flat as long as they make enough money. Yet, they have to make a lot of money to own their own place and without family support, it is usually close to impossible. The reason for that is the so called 'key money' (전세 'jeon-se') practice. Instead of paying a monthly rent you usually lease a flat for two years or longer. This practice requires a deposit which can equal up to 80% of your apartments total market value. Then your landlord invests your deposit and earns the interest while the tenant can live in the apartment 'rent-free', excluding utilities, for the time of the lease. 

Given the fact that Koreans do not usually take on mortgages, this system is very popular. However, it makes it really difficult for anyone to rent/lease a proper apartment because you have to provide A LOT of money (up to 80% of market value!) on the spot. Hence, poor students end up living in dorms, Goshiwon, or do not to move out at all. I just met a guy who is 28 years old, unmarried and worked as an accountant but still lives at home because he cannot afford his own place alone. When you marry, you usually receive a lot off financial support from your families to afford the key money.

Still, I was able to find a flat! Believe it or not, non-Koreans actually cannot afford Key money either. I got in touch with my old landlady, I had found on Craigslist two years ago and she managed to hook me up with a nice room in Sangsu-Dong. Then, what is the difference compared to Europe?

1) Keys do not exist anymore.

Before you enter any private property, you have to know they're door code or, in some cases, let your thumb be scanned and recognized. I can enter my apartment only after I have opened three doors with three different numerical codes. 

2) Take off your shoes before you enter the house!

For me this is actually not a big deal because at my German home we handle it the same way. You have to take your shoes off before you enter the house to keep everything clean. 

 Afterwards you have to put on some proper house shoes, as those on the right pictures. They'll keep your feet nice and warm in the winter :).








 3) Bathrooms are similar, yet different to what I am used to.

The shower is all over the bathroom. Hence, whenever you shower, everything will get wet (yes, even the toilet seat). Hence,....

...you should always wear your bathroom slippers!

4) Take a look at the rest of my new flat!

 Thanks for reading, please leave a comment ;)

Moving back to Seoul

I did it! I successfully completed my master studies and I am damn proud of it. As you know, I have not been very active once I started studying in Leiden. Simply put, I actually had to study, A LOT (!), and writing about my little adventures became more and more impossible. However, that is about to change. Now I am back in Seoul with two degrees in my pocket and a scheduled life for the upcoming 7 months (yes, I am getting actual money for what I do). I want to share my experiences with you, mostly, so that my family and friends do not think that I will soon be attacked by Kim Jong Un himself. 

To be honest the last months went by in a flash. I swear that it feels like it is still a few days after I left Leiden. Anyways, after a summer full of work, cycling trips and language classes, I was ready to leave Germany. I took a flight to Seoul with Lufthansa and I was met with a surprise already 10 minutes after I entered Frankfurt Airport. Turns out, my ticket was upgraded and I would be flying in the Economy Plus section of the airplane. I had better food, more room for my legs and, most amazing of all, no fee for my additional luggage! Yes, I already planned to pay 150€ for one extra trunk full with my stuff, which was now free of charge. I had to take additional luggage because I had to bring a lot of little gifts, winter clothes and SHOES! Yes, these are the pains of a girl with shoe size 45 in a country where the largest female show size available amounts to 255mm (roughly size 40-41)!

Anyhow, what a nice way to start the trip, thanks Lufthansa! My mum was so kind to bring me to the airport and wave goodbye (thanks mum, and sorry you were stuck in traffic for 5 hours upon your return :P ). I passed security checks and soon entered the airplane. To tell the truth, I am a bit scared of flying since I watched too many documentaries on airplane crashes. To prevent jet lag and not suffer from anxiety too much I prepared a plan. I bought German herbal sleeping pills (they're called Baldrian) and ordered all the alcohol I was able to get until dinner. After the first Campari Orange I was already feeling a little drowsy but the red wine for dinner mixed with the sleeping pills soon helped me to forget my anxiety and fall into sleep. Well, at least until the horde of Spanish people started they're little party. One of them was playing chess with the little multimedia device and the other 7 were rooting for him while they were all sitting in two four-seat rows. I was so annoyed, yet so tired! I couldn't bother to say anything....

Once we had landed I was able to forget the Spanish crowd pretty quickly because I was super excited to be back!!! We were all greeted by sign, warning us from the MERS virus. Actually, the last patient was reported to have recovered a months ago but the authorities are still very careful. Immigration went smoothly and we all managed to get to our new homes quickly. I share a a cozy little flat with another German girl and a French girl between Hapjeong-Dong and Sangsu-Dong. I'll post some pictures soon, to let you know what it looks like :P.

Caminho Português: Porto Arrival

I haven't posted anything on this blog for quite a while. Luckily, you will soon see that things are about to change because I am about to start the Caminho Português towards Santiago de Compostela and then Finesterre in Spain! I was in a bit of a hassle the last days because of uni but now I am ready for my new adventure. Boy, have I been waiting for his. I really need some time off an the "pilgrimage" is the perfect thing for me to relax mentally because my brain gets some leisure as well and can think about myself and the steps I have done so far. 

Do you know what the Camino de Santiago is?

Well according to legend (or history) the apostle Jakob evangelised half of the Iberian peninsula back in the days, dying a Merthyr. His body was transported to the nowadays known Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This was in the beginning of the 8th century, Spain (as it is known today) was still occupied by the Moors and people where slowly getting into Christianity. In 811, the grave of apostle Jakob was rediscovered and he was used as a legend in order to help Iberian reunification against the occupation of the Moors. The result was the start of the pilgrimage towards Santiago in every form. On foot, boat and donkey ;). The Catholic Church has the official possession of the remains and if it issues you a "compostela", certificate that you have walked the way, all your sins will be forgiven. Technically, the Camino starts in front of your door although nowadays the most popular way is by far the Camino Frances, starting in France. However, I will walk the camino in Portugal, a map f which is posted below.

Let me say upfront that I am not a religious person but I do not want this journey to be religious anyway. The first thing I will keep in mind is that I will take my time! At the moment I am in Porto in Portugal and I am happy that everything has worked out smoothly, more or less! The first thing that happened at home was that I found out about my online order disaster. Since I was super busy in Leiden, studying and all, I thought it would be a smart idea to order all my hiking gear online. What a bad idea that was. Not everything in the package was not as I expected. The pants were to small and I did not had any pants to properly hike in. For a moment I was picturing myself, all geared up with proper backpack, hiking stick and everything, but in my polka-dot underpants. Ok, that was the exaggeration in my mind during that moment but it was not that big of a deal. Since I have a few days of leisure and sightseeing in Porto before starting the hike, it was not that big a deal but I will not order online again. After my parents took me to the airport I flew to Porto with Ryanair. Turns out that locals are actually really thankful towards Ryanair because since they started flying here, tourism is booming. 

I will tell you all about my Porto adventures, including pictures, tomorrow. But first things first, for those who want to follow me during this journey I will post everything on my Tumblr blog, because I only have my IPhone and its easier to post stuff on the road with Tumblr:

http://lisa-kolumna.tumblr.com/

If you still are a lazy-ass though, you can still follow me via my usual blogger ;). Just click on the above page of "wicked journals" and you will see my Tumbler postings.