Thursday, March 06, 2008

Visiting the Friendly Japanese Doctor


I fell flat on my back with a cold Thursday. I didn't even make it through the day without seeing the doctor. The sure sign I was really sick is that I skipped badminton. I'm not quite back at 100% today but am definately on the road to recovery. No one likes going to the doctor, but I can pick up on the positive and entertaining bits to make it bearable. It's all western medicine so everything is roughly recognizable but at the same time it's covered in a coating of Japanese culture that makes a trip to the doctors like a trip to Mars; the strict order of the paperwork and the shear amount of it, the slippers, the tea, the strange Japanese thermometers and robot nurses. How one takes the medicine can also vary from Canada which is why I specify pill form. And then there's the odd pieces of advice he drops in like, don't take a bath or shower today, eat miso, how many blankets are you using? I was not in much different condition than most of my students this week. I faced sick teachers on Wednesday and going to a different school today, 6 of 16 kids were out with a cold in addition to the whole grade one class having a case of the sniffles and being less than happy campers. I included a picture of a board that helps the school track the path of influenza within the student body. Daily the kids fill-in how they are feeling. If a certain percent of kids is absent, the whole school would be closed to slow the spread of influenza. I have also included a pic of my sick mug that will count as my weekly friday self-portrait.

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