Being Sick in Japan

So, something I was definitely not counting on whilst in Japan was an urgent need to go to the doctors!

After being in excruciating pain for 4 days, literally since I was on the plane, I was sobbing over the phone to my mum (because I was completely terrified and it hurt so much!) and she gave me the ultimatum to ask my teacher to take me to the doctors in the morning or she would call my school and tell them to send me an ambulance... haha...

It can be incredibly frightening to be so sick that you need to go to the doctors in a foreign country where you barely speak the language, and certainly don't know any medical terms beyond "I have a headache", "I have an earache" and "I feel sick". In Japan, it is much more common to go to the doctors for mostly anything, as opposed to here in the UK where I feel we do try to avoid it. I also know that in Japan, anything the doctor says is taken as fact, antibiotics are prescribed for most things, and in fact the whole process is completely different to booking a doctors appointment in England. 

Firstly, I asked my English-speaking teacher if she could take me to the doctors. Expecting to have to make an appointment, I was completely unprepared when she immediately grabbed her coat and lead me outdoors. The doctors surgery was only a few minutes walk from the school, and on the way there she asked me of all my symptoms.

Upon arriving at the doctors, we went into a small waiting room, I filled out some forms to say I was a foreigner I guess, and some of my symptoms, the receptionists puzzled over how to pronounce my name, then I sat and waiting awkwardly for ten or so minutes whilst my teacher checked over what was wrong.

After what felt like the most dramatic wait ever, my name was called and we were led to a second waiting room, where I had to put my bag and coat in a special box whilst I waited, I still don't understand why! After a few more minutes I was called into a doctors room like I had never seen before! Four doctors were lined up, with chairs in front of them, all with a patient bar one (my doctor!) and so many tools and things hanging from above and on moveable arms, I could seriously liken it to some mad scientists human experimentation room!

I sat awkwardly and terrifiedly down, whilst Watanabe-sensei explained what was wrong. She talked for a very long time, I had no idea what she was saying. The doctor talked back, also for a very long time. Watanabe-sensei explained that he needed to look in my ears and my throat, which I expected, but also up my nose and in my eyes, which was kinda weird. So he did, he then talked for a very very very long time, at least it felt like it. Finally Watanabe-sensei turned to me and said that I have two very bad ear infections, then she had to look up the word for 'sinus' because I also had a sinus infection and a mild throat infection, probably caused from a pocket of air swelling from the air pressure on the plane. Yes, I am super unlucky. I then got given two options. Medicine, or warm water squirted at high pressure up my nose to wash the infection out? Uhm, I think it was a no-brainer. I then got awkward and asked if they had any liquid medicine, because I don't think I could cope taking 3 capsules a day for a week the size of my little finger. He said yes, but it's kind of expensive, but at this point I wasn't fussed as long as the pain went!

I settled with this, and so left the surgery. I was so worried it would be expensive, as I had insurance but I knew I'd have to pay upfront then claim it back later, but it was only about ¥3000 (£17) for the appointment, then we had to go to the pharmacy and pay for the medicine... The 'liquid' medicine I got was actually a weird powder that I had to mix with water and down in one. Not fun. But I was surprised that this 'expensive' medicine was actually only another ¥3000, I was genuinely thinking £50+

FYI, that night I took the medicine, it was completely disgusting, I didn't quite make it in one go and I almost threw it up instantly, but amazingly it worked! Basically by the next day, all the pain had gone, and the only things left were an annoying cough, which I could cope with, and unequalized ears, so pretty much everything sounds very underwater. Actually, I still have problems with my ears now, I don't think it will ever go away at this point! 

But that pretty much sums up my experience with Japanese doctors. It was a weird one, a unique one, and a very unexpected one, but I'm glad I got to experience something like that, just in case it ever happens again!

'Til next time~ またね〜

The Things I want to do...

It's always important in your life, to have a plan for the future. Until a few weeks ago, I had no plan, no idea what I wanted to do, and I feel like I wasted so much time trying to pretend I did. I'm not saying it's bad if you don't know what you want to do yet, but everyone always wants you to know, and I think I kind of panicked and went to University because I thought it was the right thing to do. I was kind of interested in Photography when I started, and I am grateful for all of the experience I actually have gained in the field (I think I can take a pretty picture now!) but all the course really taught me was that I don't want to be a photographer. I found the stuff I was good at and the stuff I was bad at and the stuff I liked and the stuff I didn't, but I only really got interested in photography in the year before I started my course. There are loads of thing that are just passing interests. Maybe I would have continued photography as a hobby anyway, who knows? All I know now is I don't want to be a photographer and I don't want a career in photography. I like editing, but that's different and I am probably better off doing it on my own anyway, my degree doesn't even really teach it!

I have one year left, the final dissertation year, so there's no point in me quitting now. I'm probably going to pass the year, I know what to do I just don't enjoy it any more, but at least I'll have a degree. But anyway, the point of this is I know what I want to do with my life now.

I was inspired when I found this website, gogonihon.com. I have always wanted to live in Japan. There have been fluctuations of what to do and why but the one constant has always been to go. It started with me considering JET, that was what I planned to do for quite a few years. Then I just went through different phases of why I wanted to go, and then I kind of gave up hope. I thought there would be no way I'd be able to do it. But one thing I never considered was to study! Somehow! After discovering the Go Go Nihon site, I realised as long as I could get the money together, it is completely possible that I would be able to go for a year!

I have a friend, Emily, (She can be found here!) and she is going to University to study Asia Pacific Studies. Her third year is a placement in Japan, and I am so jealous, it's all I've ever wanted, and I wish I had discovered this before I started mine (but I also had a thing about not wanting to move immediately to the other side of the country). She has really inspired me too, being able to talk to someone, physically talk to them when they want similar things to you can get you so motivated! It was also inspiration from her to start this blog! Reading hers just made me want to write, even though I don't think I'm very good, except at rambling!

The school I have fallen in love with in Japan is Yokohama Design College. At the moment, I am saving up to go to their summer school next summer 2014, then in a few years when I have more money I will be applying for a 1-year long Japanese course at the same place. This is actually my dream, and it looks like it's finally coming true!

So this is really the long back-story behind my blog, if you read it all, thank you so much and I hope I didn't bore you too much! There are going to be a variety of different styles of posts on this blog as I have said before, it's a really personal thing for me but telling people about it makes me happy, so thank you, reader, for being involved!

'Til next time~ またね〜