Swine Scare...

Today I was sent home early from my hagwon (Korean private school) in Hyeondong. I taught all of my classes, and afterwards, instead of staying and working at the school, he made me leave early so that I wouldn’t catch the “seasonal flu” that many of the students had caught.

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(Earlier that day…)

My first class (Middle School Grade 2)…

The students entered the classroom…every student was wearing a green disposable nose-mouth guard or a cutesy cloth mask (they’re sold everywhere, printed on them heart patterns, teddy bears, etc.). It looked like I was at a clinic. The students looked almost indistinguishable from each other with their adorably small heads and masks entirely covering their innocent faces.

Every subsequent class held the same scene.

So, Mr. Yu sent me home early…after I was exposed to all of the Hyeondong students.

He said that twelve students were already sent home on the chance that they might have caught the H1N1 influenza. “Unconfirmed,” he said. “They might have the swine flu, or the seasonal flu. Most of the students you see here in class have the seasonal flu, as do I.”

Oh great. Does that mean I have it now, too?

- Jess