Racism in S Korea FINALLY worked in my favor...

                                                                         

                                            

Soooo... racism in South Korea finally worked in my favor.

I recently had necessary surgery at a hospital here, and when it came time to pick a recovery room, I was staring down a very interesting pricing menu:

• Solo room: $450 a night (only for a five star hotel, thank you)
• Double room: $130 a night
• Five-person room: $10 a night

Now, if you’ve spent any time in South Korea, you know the local customs regarding personal space. On buses and subways, people would rather stand through an earthquake than sit in the empty seat next to a foreigner. This is also a place where "White Only" and "No Africans" still casually pop up in job postings, largely because anti-discrimination laws are still missing from the legal books.

Going into surgery is stressful enough without feeling like the main attraction at a zoo. I really didn't want to spend my recovery dodging stares, listening to four other patients gossip about my hair, skin, hospital gown, or staging a strategic operation just to use the bathroom in peace. 

So, I decided to treat myself to the $130 double room to salvage at least a shred of human dignity.

And that is when the universe—and a little bit of systemic bias—blessed me.

At first, the nurses accidentally wheeled me into an occupied double room. The moment they realized their mistake, I was promptly escorted out and placed into a completely empty room. With a window! Wooohoooo!

Best of all, the second bed stayed gloriously empty for all four nights of my stay. I got the $450 VIP solo suite experience on a $130 budget. I got to recover from one of the most stressful things a body can endure in total, uninterrupted privacy.

So, thank you, Korean racism! You finally paid off.