This picture, taken from TV, shows how crowded a typical beach in Japan looks during the summer months.
21 July 2008
Beach Shot
This picture, taken from TV, shows how crowded a typical beach in Japan looks during the summer months.
19 July 2008
I've Got Da Fee-vah... I've Got Da Fee-vah...
Well, seriously, I did have a fever - for three days.
I first noticed common symptoms of fever this past Tuesday night: chills (at a time when it is very hot and humid in Japan, and we are trying not to use the air conditioner), sore muscles and joints. My wife put this type of cool pad on my forehead, and I went to sleep - or tried to. I really couldn't sleep well that night. I was either too cold or too hot (typical fever symptoms, my doctor later said).
I woke up Wednesday morning, still with a fever and with a decision to make about going to work. I had never missed a day when I had classes to teach, and my intention was to go to work. So I popped some pain medicine and went to help my wife make breakfast.
But my body ached so much that I had trouble even standing up. Then I felt dizzy and nauseous. That decided it for me; I couldn't work that day.
I stayed in bed all of Wednesday, my fever not getting any better, despite taking Bufferin. My temperature was a little over 38 degrees Celsius. It became slightly lower that night, and being that my past fevers never lasted more than a day, my wife and I felt that I would be better in the morning. We were wrong.
Again, I had an almost sleepless night from being too cold or too hot. I woke up on Thursday again with a fever. Although I wasn't feeling dizzy or nauseous like I was on Wednesday, I thought I should stay home again, rest, and get over this thing.
By the time my wife came home Thursday evening, I still had a fever, and she was freaking out, worried about my health. She almost immediately took me to a nearby family clinic. The doctor was very friendly, trying to say most medical terms in English so I could also understand. What the doctor really couldn't understand is why I had such a high fever for a few days, yet otherwise I was basically fine. I didn't have a cold, and I wasn't in any great pain, just discomfort from the fever. He guessed that I might have an intestinal infection, but he wasn't 100% sure. He sent me home with a few pills to keep my fever down if I had to.
I took one of the pills that night to get some much-needed sleep, and it worked - up until about 4:00 am Friday morning, when the fever came back. My wife, still freaking out, wondered if I should stay home. But I insisted on going to work that day, so I popped another pill and headed off.
For most of the morning at work, I was groggy, but fine. But after lunch, the fever came back. The pill had worn off. The doctor hadn't given me that many pills, so I was worried about taking another one. So basically I suffered through that afternoon. My boss in the office must have know I was suffering, because with 5 minutes left in my shift, he said, "Herman, it's time to go home." (That was very un-Japanese!)
When we came home, my wife again took me to the clinic, and she had them do more this time: a urine test, blood test, and a chest x-ray. All the x-ray showed was that I had "nice-looking lungs", according to the doctor. The urine test just showed I had a fever (duh!), and the blood results wouldn't come until the next morning.
After leaving, we stopped for some KFC, then went home. My wife was surprised at how much I was eating, since my appetite had been so small the last few days (it's because KFC was finger lickin' good!). She took my temperature, and my fever was almost gone!
When I woke up on Saturday morning (this morning), my fever was completely gone! We had to go back to the clinic, though, to get the blood test results. I told the doctor that I had head and neck discomfort, and he said that was basically "fever leftovers" and would go away. The blood test revealed that I had a virus, and the fever was because my body was fighting it. That was it. Not exactly earth-shattering.
Anyway, here it is, Saturday night, and the fever still hasn't returned, although the "leftovers" are still around and I have to take it easy. I hope I'll be alright soon, though.
I first noticed common symptoms of fever this past Tuesday night: chills (at a time when it is very hot and humid in Japan, and we are trying not to use the air conditioner), sore muscles and joints. My wife put this type of cool pad on my forehead, and I went to sleep - or tried to. I really couldn't sleep well that night. I was either too cold or too hot (typical fever symptoms, my doctor later said).
I woke up Wednesday morning, still with a fever and with a decision to make about going to work. I had never missed a day when I had classes to teach, and my intention was to go to work. So I popped some pain medicine and went to help my wife make breakfast.
But my body ached so much that I had trouble even standing up. Then I felt dizzy and nauseous. That decided it for me; I couldn't work that day.
I stayed in bed all of Wednesday, my fever not getting any better, despite taking Bufferin. My temperature was a little over 38 degrees Celsius. It became slightly lower that night, and being that my past fevers never lasted more than a day, my wife and I felt that I would be better in the morning. We were wrong.
Again, I had an almost sleepless night from being too cold or too hot. I woke up on Thursday again with a fever. Although I wasn't feeling dizzy or nauseous like I was on Wednesday, I thought I should stay home again, rest, and get over this thing.
By the time my wife came home Thursday evening, I still had a fever, and she was freaking out, worried about my health. She almost immediately took me to a nearby family clinic. The doctor was very friendly, trying to say most medical terms in English so I could also understand. What the doctor really couldn't understand is why I had such a high fever for a few days, yet otherwise I was basically fine. I didn't have a cold, and I wasn't in any great pain, just discomfort from the fever. He guessed that I might have an intestinal infection, but he wasn't 100% sure. He sent me home with a few pills to keep my fever down if I had to.
I took one of the pills that night to get some much-needed sleep, and it worked - up until about 4:00 am Friday morning, when the fever came back. My wife, still freaking out, wondered if I should stay home. But I insisted on going to work that day, so I popped another pill and headed off.
For most of the morning at work, I was groggy, but fine. But after lunch, the fever came back. The pill had worn off. The doctor hadn't given me that many pills, so I was worried about taking another one. So basically I suffered through that afternoon. My boss in the office must have know I was suffering, because with 5 minutes left in my shift, he said, "Herman, it's time to go home." (That was very un-Japanese!)
When we came home, my wife again took me to the clinic, and she had them do more this time: a urine test, blood test, and a chest x-ray. All the x-ray showed was that I had "nice-looking lungs", according to the doctor. The urine test just showed I had a fever (duh!), and the blood results wouldn't come until the next morning.
After leaving, we stopped for some KFC, then went home. My wife was surprised at how much I was eating, since my appetite had been so small the last few days (it's because KFC was finger lickin' good!). She took my temperature, and my fever was almost gone!
When I woke up on Saturday morning (this morning), my fever was completely gone! We had to go back to the clinic, though, to get the blood test results. I told the doctor that I had head and neck discomfort, and he said that was basically "fever leftovers" and would go away. The blood test revealed that I had a virus, and the fever was because my body was fighting it. That was it. Not exactly earth-shattering.
Anyway, here it is, Saturday night, and the fever still hasn't returned, although the "leftovers" are still around and I have to take it easy. I hope I'll be alright soon, though.
13 July 2008
Why the Small Face?
As I (probably) mentioned earlier in this blog, this academic year I'm working two days a week at a prestigious junior high school located south of Osaka city. The kids there are very enthusiastic about learning, especially the girls. When they see me in the hallways, a lot of the girls try their best to speak to me in English.
However, some of those same girls have told me something I find peculiar:
"Your face is so small!"
You know, I don't know how to take that. That is something I never heard back in the U.S. Is it good or is it bad that my face is small?
INSTANT EDIT: Just a few seconds ago, while writing this post, my wife told me that in Japan, a small face is good. So I guess I can take that as a compliment.
However, it is another episode where I hear something I wouldn't hear back in the U.S. The learning, the experiences, they never stop, even after more than five years here.
However, some of those same girls have told me something I find peculiar:
"Your face is so small!"
You know, I don't know how to take that. That is something I never heard back in the U.S. Is it good or is it bad that my face is small?
INSTANT EDIT: Just a few seconds ago, while writing this post, my wife told me that in Japan, a small face is good. So I guess I can take that as a compliment.
However, it is another episode where I hear something I wouldn't hear back in the U.S. The learning, the experiences, they never stop, even after more than five years here.
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