Bloodletting and Jang Gi

Last week we went up to Daegu for five days. I had a sort of emergency responder life saving class. We learned about splints and IVs and checking people for wounds and applying tourniquets and calling for help. The practical portion of the final exam consisted of two parts: giving my friend an IV and getting one from him. My partner was a man from my office in Busan, Mr. O. O is not a pseudonym, it is his entire last name. I stuck the needle into Mr. O's arm first and managed not to cause too much pain or blood splatter. Next, it was his turn. I have rolly veins, so he missed on the first stick. On his second attempt, he made me bleed and passed the exam.

We had long lunches all week, so Mr. O and I wandered down to the riverside everyday. I saw some Korean Chess boards and asked how to play. Mr. O explained it and it sounded fun. We went to a little shop and I spent about $1.25 on a set of Jang Gi pieces. We went back to the park and I quickly lost my first game. The red pieces are almost the same as in Japanese Chess, so they were no problem. The green pieces however, were written in a different script and all look alike to my untrained eye. I kept losing my pieces to when I failed to recognize they were in danger.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I lost a few more games at lunch. On Thursday, I lost the first game very quickly, but finally managed to eke out a victory in our second match. The third and final match of that day, I did very well. The longer we played in the park, the more old men (both drunk and sober) gathered around. They were not at all shy about giving me advice and letting me know when I was about to do something stupid. As I explained to Mr. O, during the last game, my team was very strong. I think everyone got a kick out of watching the foreigner learn their game in the park.