The subway drops me off in the heart of Seoul National University Hospital where I spend some time wandering around looking for the letters IHC (International Healthcare Center) to appear before me. Finally,there she blows.I walk into a building filled with doctors and patients alike. Some patients have a broken bone, others look as though they've just finished up their chemo treatment. I ask around trying to find the IHC and finally speak to two doctors who speak a bit of English and tell me where to head. I get to the IHC office and am greeted by an English speaking assistant who has me fill out some paperwork. Once completed she takes me into this little room within the office and takes my vitals. Everything looks good so we move on to step two: blood work. :( She leads me to an area where there are about 50+ people waiting to get their blood taken. We go up to the front of the line, she speaks to one of the 9 nurses sitting in a row taking blood from everyone waiting. Somehow I sit down next. Apparently as an American I get first dibs. Or maybe it's the fact that I had to pay 90,000 won (a bit less than $90) to get this checkup. Either way, needless to say, I am less than thrilled to be getting my blood taken as I think most people are. However, the nurse that takes my blood is so good that I don't even notice she started or finished. Next step: chest X-Ray. Once again we arrive in an area filled with people waiting to get an X-Ray, and I again cut the line. X-Ray: complete. We walk back to the IHC office where I wait to be evaluated by a doctor. The doctor speaks a little English, asks me a couple questions, and we are finished. I step out of the hospital, checkup complete, and head to school. End result: I'm as healthy as they come. :)
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