Thanks to COVID-19, Plans to Leave Korea Have Been Delayed

My wife and I were planning on leaving Korea in July since our housing contract is expiring then. Unfortunately the Coronavirus in the United States is a big problem including my home state of California, so we have to delay leaving Korea. Although, California isn't nearly as bad as New York or New Jersey, there are still over 23,000 active cases there and everyone is on lockdown there still.

However, I'm just thankful to have a job, still teaching normal classes (outside of a few online classes), and I can save more money before moving back to California in November when I finish my work contract. Am I 100% sure that my wife and I are leaving in November? Nothing is that certain, but that's the latest plan for now. In the meantime, we are planning on moving to the Dangsan Station area of Seoul (near my wife's sister's home) into a small apartment for a short time before we leave Korea.

As far as the Coronavirus in South Korea is concerned, things are really looking up. As of yesterday (April 16, 2020), there were only 22 new cases (mostly from the airport), 4 deaths, 7,757 people totally recovered, and 2,627 active cases remaining. South Korea has certainly flattened the curve and I am proud to call the Land of the Morning Calm my second home. It makes me happy that I will be able to live here seven more months instead of three. Now let's hope the whole world can flatten the curve, so we can go back to church, cheer for our favorite baseball team, go to the park without having to wear a mask, and go bowling with friends!

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

A Unique K-Pop Experience in a Cafe in Seoul

On Sunday afternoon after finishing watching my online church service, I wanted to get outside and do something. I wasn't sure what to do exactly and I thought to myself, "Why not go to Seongsu Station and try to find another trendy cafe and just do some reading?" Little did I know that they call this area the Brooklyn of Seoul now.

I got on Line 2, headed from Seongsu Station, and started searching for some cafes. I passed a cafe that I had been to before called Zagmachi, which you will see after you turn right after you come out of Exit 3 on the south side of the street. If you walk father down, you will pass my favorite one in the area (Daerim Warehouse or 대림 창고), which is also on the south side of the street.

This time I thought I would try to check out a cafe on the other side of the street. I went to Wall Cafe and walked in. There was K-Pop music blasting. When I went to order my cafe, the owner of the cafe said it was a "happy birthday celebration" for APink Namju. Her real name is Kim, Namju but goes by the mononym, Namju. She sings for the girl group APink. I was told that I could write a note for her and put it on the wall. On one side of the cafe, her promoters were sitting together and talking to young ladies that came to drink coffee and celebrate her.

At first, I didn't care that much. I just wanted to read my book since I had never heard of her before. Even my wife didn't know who she was. The owner of the cafe gave me my coffee, a card with Namju's face on it, and a bookmark of Namju's face on it as well. Then I sat down to read my book. A half hour later her promoters sang "Happy Birthday" to Namju even though she wasn't there. Then they cheered loudly making it hard to read, but it was a really unique experience nonetheless. Then another 15 minutes passed by and one of her promoters gave me a piece of birthday cake from Paris Baguette. I couldn't turn that down and enjoyed eating my cake with my coffee.

I kept trying to read, but it was difficult, so I decided to go to another cafe. Before doing that though, I had to write a note for her. You can check it out. I wrote:

"Happy birthday, Kim Namju
From American Friend Scott Worden"

Sadly, I made a mistake when I said congratulations. I typed "생일 추하합니다" when I should have said "생일 축하합니다." Oh, well. I'm sure they were happy with my gesture despite my boo boo. And of course, I had to plug my blog while I was at it. Hopefully, someone will follow me. Haha!

This experience is one reason why I appreciate living in Korea. This is one adventure that I would never have expected to happen.

Scott Worden (The L.A./SeoulGuy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

ESL Teaching Stories: Cheetos are Finger Licking Good

Lew Robertson/Getty Images

I have a funny story to share...

Two days ago I was teaching a high level class of eight students. In one of the activities they   were supposed to write a couple sentences about each of the following:
1. Earliest memory
2. A favorite place to be by yourself
3. Something you lost
4. A unique travel experience

After they were done writing, I had them share with a partner. I sat next to one guy (let’s call him “Cheol soo”) and overheard him sharing his earliest memory.

Side note: His partner was a male student in his 40s, a fund manager, and notorious for complaining to the Korean staff when he doesn’t get his classes booked when he wants. Let’s call him “Seong min”.

Anyway, Cheol soo’s earliest memory was licking his fingers when he was a young child and remembering that his fingers were salty because he loved Cheetos. Seong Min’s response was “Um okay I guess you really loved Cheetos when you were young...Interesting.”

So after everyone shared all 4 stories with their partners, I had all 8 students pick their best story. And Cheol soo just happened to be the last person to share. And I was thinking to myself “I really hope he doesn’t share the Cheetos story or else it’s going to get awkward.” Sure enough, out of all four stories to share with the class, he picked the finger licking Cheetos story. After he shared, it got quiet. Then I said, “On that note, thank you all for coming and have a good night.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

How are Koreans Responding to COVID-19? (March 6, 2020)

Jeong Yeon-je/Getty Images

It is now March and it seems as if the peak has reached in the epicenter of the Coronavirus in South Korea. The epicenter is Daegu, South Korea. Three-fifths of all cases were linked to the Shincheonji cult. You can see the article from the Wall Street journal here.

However, the point of this blog post isn't to bash the Shincheonji cult. God has already exposed them and due justice will happen one way or another. The purpose of this post is to let you know how South Koreans are responding. Almost everyone in public wears a mask nowadays. Since I'm a non-Korean, if I don't wear a mask, people will look at me like I'm strange. Also, a month ago before the virus got out of control, I was sitting on a bench at Nakseongdae Station waiting for my train at 6:00am. I hear an older woman next to me say "hello" and then I look over to her. She motioned to me that I should wear a mask. I politely nodded and then got on the train once it arrived.

Speaking of the subway, it's very easy to get a seat on the subway compared to normal rush hour or after 10:00pm on Line 2 when it's usually extremely crowded. Shopping malls like COEX Mall and IFC Mall are much quieter and parks are very pleasant to visit, so this virus has a huge advantage.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)
Instagram: l.a.seoulguy

Coronavirus Scare in Asia (Updated: February 17, 2020)

Where Did it Come From?

China state media reported that some of the people who fell ill between Dec. 12 and 29 are sellers from a local wholesale seafood market. 

That market has since been shut down for cleaning and disinfection, according to the CDC.

“What’s happening over there is in a particular area of China at a seafood market, and… it [first] appears that transmission is from animal to human,” Nikhil Bhayani, an infectious disease physician with Texas Health Resources, told Healthline.

What is Coronavirus?

“Corona means ‘crown,’ so these viruses appear crown-shaped when looked at under an electron microscope,” said Bhanu Sud, MD, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Medical Center in Placentia, California.

“Most coronaviruses are harmless,” he said. “They’ll usually cause mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. Most people will get infected with these viruses at some point in their lives.”

Sud emphasizes that while the outlook is good for most people infected with this type of virus, the SARS and MERS strains are more serious. 

The death rate is around 10 percent for people with SARS and 30 percent for those with the MERS variant.

“What is unknown right now is the virus being typed. They’re doing testing to find out what type of virus this is and whether it’s more similar to SARS or MERS,” Bhayani said. “I have a strong feeling that this is going to be a new virus.”

No Treatment Available

According to Sud, human coronaviruses most commonly transmit from an infected person to others via:

1. the air by coughing and sneezing
2. close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hand
3. touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands 

“In the United States, people usually get infected with common human coronaviruses in the fall and winter. However, infection can occur at any time of the year,” he said.

“Most people will get infected with one or more of the common human coronaviruses in their lifetime,” he added. 

Sud also points out both SARS and MERS outbreaks were from animal-to-human contact, with SARS most likely from contact with bats and MERS from contact with camels. 

“Since the organism causing infection is a virus, to date, we don’t have any specific antiviral medications,” Sud said.

The Coronavirus (1,775 deaths) has killed more people than SARS (774 deaths). 25 countries have been affected, mostly people that have traveled to the Hubei Province of China, where the epicenter of the disease started (Wuhan). 

Fifteen cases have been confirmed in the United States, including a 35-year old man in Washington state, a couple in their 60s in Chicago, and eight people in California. 30 cases have been confirmed in South Korea, where I live. Here is the count of cases in each country:

(As of February 17, 2020)

Total Number of Cases                      Deaths         Recovered

• Mainland China: 70,550 cases       1,771          11,039
• Others: 710
• Singapore: 75                                                 19
• Japan: 59                                                       12
• Hong Kong: 57                               1                2
• Thailand: 34                                                   14
• South Korea: 30                                                9
• Malaysia: 22                                                     7
• Taiwan: 20                                      1                2
• Germany: 16                                                    1
• Vietnam: 16                                                     7
• Australia: 15                                                    8
• United States: 15                                              3
• France: 12                                       1              4
• Macau: 10                                                       5
• United Arab Emirates (UAE): 9                              4
• United Kingdom (U.K.): 9                                     8
• Canada: 7                                                        1
• Italy: 3
• Philippines: 3                                   1
• India: 3                                                           3
• Russia: 2                                                         2
• Spain: 2                                                          2
• Nepal: 1
• Cambodia: 1
• Belgium: 1
• Finland: 1                                                        1
• Sweden: 1
• Egypt: 1
• Sri Lanka: 1                                                     1

1775 have died (1,696 from Hubei Province, China) while 11,039 in China have recovered (6,642 from Hubei Province).

Bottom Line

The best advice is not to panic, make sure you wash your hands all of the time, limit your time outside (just to be safer) but don't stay home all the time. Staying home all of the time could lead to depression and the coronavirus isn't that severe at this point. You could wear a mask, but they have been proven to be very ineffective unless you're sick and limiting germs from infecting other people. To sum up, live your life and if you're a Christian like myself, rely on God, take precautions, and stay calm.

Scott Worden (The L.A./Seoul Guy)

Instagram: l.a.seoulguy