The Hospital

To get an Alien Registration Card in Korea, there are many hoops you must jump through. One of these hoops involves getting tested for various drugs and diseases. So I went to the hospital...

I located the "international" section. Through a number of hand gestures and Korean words, I was asked to sit down and wait. After about 10 minutes this old dude dressed in the classic hiking apparel arrived. He spoke excellent English and I soon learned he would be my guide for the rest of my hospital adventure.

(Unfortunately, I never learned his name. However, I did learn he was a volunteer there, had the same birthday as me, was 67 years old, and loved to hike and rock climb.)

First we went and got me registered with the hospital. I paid about 16 bucks and got a cool plastic card with my information on it.

Then we went to the family doctor. She spoke English and helped me figure out what tests I would need. It cost $150 bucks. Then I went and paid at a different counter.

Then my dear old friend led me to a new area. I sat down at a counter. The lady busted out a needle (no gloves, no nothing, wow!!) she took some blood... then in Korean told me that they were out of the plastic containers for the urine test. She pulled out a paper coffee cup and drew a black line on it with a permanent marker. "Fill it up to here," she said.

At this point I had to chuckle. I mean, come on! Honestly, if I was a drug user, I could have asked my old dude friend to pee in the cup for me. It was so ridiculous. But you gotta keep those money making bureaucrats happy.

My old dude guide left at this point (he wasn't going to hold my hand while I filled the cup). After I finished providing them with more than enough lab testing material, I wandered around the hospital maze until I found an exit.

It was quite an adventure. I must go back on Friday to pick up the results. I hope I can find the right office.

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