My absolute awesome clumsiness...

Today was quite eventful..
At morning swim squad, day #2, I was coaching on deck. (naturally)
I was leaning on the ladder with my weight on one leg... I went to put my weight on the other foot and miscalculated the edge of the pool!
I fell right into the pool and in the process of doing so the ladder steps caught my foot, pulling it up! Ouch. I was in pain, yet laughing.. b.c. really?! Only me.
I was embarrassed but luckily it was just the other coach that saw me b.c. the swimmer was too busy with the workout! :)
I got out, thought I’d jammed my toe and tried to shrug it off.
Time went by, the pain worsened, the swelling increased...
After an hour, I couldn’t put pressure on my foot except for the outside side of my foot and I def. couldn’t get around very well.
It was time to see the Nurse, despite her recent popularity due to the H1N1 virus spreading rapidly throughout S. Korea.
She took one look at the crooked toe and said I needed to go to the hospital.
How would I get there?!
After a few tries, I secured a driver + car from the transportation section of the school to come get me and take me to the hospital. (Yes, it was the international clinic, so they could speak English)
Waiting in the clinic to be seen by the doc, I see a fellow teacher then a student and his mom... later I see 2 other teachers and my wheelchair-wheeler girl says I’m quite popular..
Now the weird part is that in Korea- even if you have insurance, you have to pay the full amount of your bill on-site!! `No matter what it is... xray, appt, surgery! All has to be paid immediately or you don’t get the service. (Luckily, it happened at work so I got this letter from work to say “We will pay, don’t worry”)
But if you don’t have the $$, SORRY!!
So..
I go to the Xray station which is weird b.c. everything is like an amusement park ride with lines and no real “waiting rooms”.. but b.c. I’m a foreigner (aka paying more) I get preference... (at times, that is- IF I befriend my wheelchair-wheeler.. which I did and she was my age and trying to learn English, so it worked well in my favor once I learned that my connections meant everything)
Also- Korean wheelchairs are not made for people my size! Tight fit!!
I get the Xray and the guy didn’t speak English and was hurting me but we couldn’t communicate except for “Ouch!”
The doctor looked at my Xrays with me- the bone in the bottom part of my toe was pushed over to one side- a place where it should NOT be.. she said “I usually don’t do this, but I will give you cast then you make appointment with special orthopedic doctor”
So... I waited for the cast.
The cast guy didn’t speak English and was hurting me but we couldn’t communicate except for “Ouch!”
I get back and get medicine to take home- the tylenol version... so pretty much crap.
Then- How do I get home?!?
Luckily, the nurse at school gave me 5,000 won (@ $5) to get a cab for the way home.
But.. I have a soft-cast on now;

the pain is pretty bad; and I have the crutches I came IN with , as well as the crutches they GAVE me at the hospital!!!
So holding onto 2 crutches per arm, I hobble out to the street and try to hail a taxi.. lol.
It’s so hard managing 4 crutches that no cabs realize I’m trying to get one...
Finally, the man directing traffic gets one for me, Thank God!
I make it to the gate of my housing area.. and the cab drops me off..
I have to 4-crutch it all the way to the back of my little neighborhood (quite a trek) and THEN up my stairs!! Let’s just say I haven’t left my house since.

I’m real worried about how in the heck I’m going to crutch it up the HUMONGOUS hill to work tomorrow morning at 630am...
I’m real worried about it for hours...
THEN~
School is cancelled for 7 days due to the H1N1 virus!!! It’s like a hurricane but better :) (Sorry, that sounded bad.. I meant the days I get off work..)

So let’s just say it SUCKS about my foot b.c. I really can’t get around.. not even to go to the store or to work or ANYTHING!! you go everywhere on foot here.. so it sucks. BUT it’s perfect timing for the days off b.c. I get time to relax and not have to go up that INSANELY huge hill! :) Whew.