Monday, February 23, 2009

chills, nature, and a simple prayer


MIND - I had the chills on Wednesday night. I came home and went straight to bed after taking some acetaminophen and allergy medicine. On Thursday, the same thing happened. Tetsuya got me some energy drinks (here in Japan, they are tiny and more like health boosts as opposed to Red Bull types). I struggled with the chills all day, but figured just one more day, and I can rest. Well, even though I know my body is aging (and it does so quickly after 30!) I told myself I could do it. What a mistake. I was dizzy, weak from not eating, and still having the chills. The commute seemed to take forever, and I was actually sleeping on the subway! I got to work and at a co-worker's request, checked my temperature. 39 degrees! (102.2). I made arrangements and left to see a doctor.

The doctor's office is near my apartment, but again, I was moving in a slow-motion daze. It took an hour to see him, but I found out that 1) I didn't have influenza 2) He had vaccinations on hand 3) He had drugs and 4) he would be done with it all in 30 minutes. The bad news was I didn't have enough cash on me. Strange thing about this technological powerhouse of a country---checks/credit cards are the exception. Cash is the norm. This was amplified by a conversation I had with an adult student about how shocked they were that foreign teachers employed by a company that went under had absolutely no money. Japanese are big on spending, but they are equally serious savers. They spend what they have and put money away for rainy days.

Even more strange, when I asked where an ATM was to get the difference, he said, "Oh, just come by tomorrow or the next day. I will just take 5000 yen today, okay?" What a throwback! Cash and the honor system! It's a way of life here. So, as I continually plug away at the credit card gorilla bills on my back, I remember that living sensibly can really help me reach my goal. As for the fever, prescription drugs did the trick....3 pills, 1 powder, 1 gargle, and 1 cough syrup. It's funny because the meds were given almost exactly how they serve food...cute, individually wrapped portions...just enough for the 3 day period, in not one, but two bags. So why is this a mind story and not a body post? Because this episode made it clear to me that I wasn't taking care of my body enough. (Why does it take loss of health to trigger that?)

So, I am not buying cigarettes anymore. I will just smoke Tetsuya's, which I hate btw, until I get sick of it altogether. This technique is really quite effective. Today, I smoked 2 cigarettes as opposed to 8....and I saved money. So, clean body, clean mind. I'm going to go for it. *update....i bought and smoked cigarettes. oops!*

BODY - This weekend we rode to Osaka Castle Park and enjoyed the Sunday afternoon. I am not an athlete or even the outdoorsy type, but as I get older, I have come to love it more and more. Everyone was at the park, walking, jogging, cycling, spending family, dog, or lover time together. It was romantic, and sweet, and oh so healthy! We live literally 5 minutes from this huge castle with a moat, garden, fountains, park area and all this unimpeded exercise sidewalk/road. It was inspiring, and having battled the fever from hell, I committed to making more effort to take advantage of this in the future.

SPIRIT - I wanted to go to church Sunday, but didn't make it. I think about it a lot, and instead of being inspired, I bog myself with old memories and just get tired. I'm sure there's some guilt sprinkled in there too. But something keeps calling me to go. Must be the strength of prayer warriors in my family tapping on my shoulder in my receptive sleep--my mom being #1 I'm sure. It's so different living in a non-Christian country...I mean, people claim agnostic as often as we hear people claim Christianity at home. Tetsuya and I often debate this point as he seems to think that geography and religion categorizes all foreigners. (I really need to learn Japanese if he plans on talking about that more.) It's just a fact here. Sunday is a day off from work, no special programs on TV or seeing people go to church. It's just another day. Strange.

LANGUAGE BARRIER OR CULTURAL BRIDGE?

Tetsuya's Prayer:
Thank you for Margaret. Thank you for pay food. Thank you for Life (A new supermarket that just opened up across the street reducing my grocery shopping gripes tremendously). Thank you sushi. Amen.

Monday, February 2, 2009

fiesty work women, cheer yourself up, and old macdonald

MIND - Motherhood woes cross cultural barriers. At a farewell party for a coworker from my adult teaching job, I tried to hide in the corner away from the guest of honor and away from a nabe pot. I was quickly surrounded by 3 older women and the office assistant manager. I figured they would get lost in their Japanese communication, leaving me to enjoy the melodic hum of the language I have come to enjoy, but the ring leader kept pulling me into the conversation. Three of these ladies have two children a piece so it was only natural to hear friendly advice passed around along with the shabu shabu plate.

They told me they would test my Japanese and give me some etiquette tips, but they mostly teased me, which I loved because it reminded me of Samoa. Somehow, the conversation drifted to my plans (if any) to marry and ended (believe it or not) on teaching Dating in English classes with complimentary kava candy. We had a great time laughing and hatching our imaginary marketing idea over the outstanding menu. All in all, I wasn't nearly as angry after the dinner as I was before when I had to pay $50. Those ladies and their advice was worth every penny.

BODY - I keep forgetting my ipod so instead of staring into space, I decided to count how many stairs/footsteps it takes for me to get home. (I know, it's the OCD in me.) After the 10 minute bike ride from the daycare center, I have 20 stairs up into the bike parking lot, and 20 down, then 60 into the station from the street...then get this, 300 paces (including 20 more stairs) to get to the platform position that minimizes my walking. Isn't that crazy? I stopped counting after that, but estimating I think it's 50 paces to the transfer platform, 40 more steps, and then another 50 paces to get to the right car on the platform. Then 10 steps to an escalator, 20 steps, another escalator, 50 paces to the next 50 stairs, then the bike ride home. Are you tired yet? That's why I take a cig break on my way home. lol. I wish I had a pedometer for all those librarians who took those hokey "walk across america" challenges to meet some HR person's goal to get us healthy. I would blow those chix outta the water!

SPIRIT - I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad. After reading it twice though, I just feel weird.
FOOD
hot tea or water, chocolate anything, kaki-peanut mix, grilled jelly sandwiches (pb/cheese are too expensive here), tofu with ajinomoto and shoyu, butter cookies, somen sauce, takoyaki, rice and furikake, miso soup
KIDS
getting boogers out of kids' noses, toddlers blowing kisses, bubbles, rolling around on the floor, running and screaming at the playground, toddler handprints, toddler hands, toddlers calling my name
CLEANING
getting lint out of my big toenail, refolding toilet paper once I've ripped it off the roll, having tissue when my nose is runny, scrubbing faucets with an old toothbrush to get all that gunk out, cleaning out the hair catch in the shower (OCD),
GROOMING
trial sized lotions, anti-bacterial solution, lotioning my feet and putting socks on them before bed, vaseline on my lips in the morning, knitted scarves, gloves, beanies, fabric softener, covering my head with a thick blanket and breathing to warm myself up before bed (the heater is too expensive), hot hot hot showers (gotta splurge somewhere)
VICES
CHOCOLATE!

LANGUAGE BARRIER OR CULTURAL BRIDGE?

What sound does a cow make? me: mooooo him: mo
What sound does a monkey make? me: ooohx2 aaahx2 him: key key key
What sound does a lion make? me: rooooooooarrr him: gaaaaoooo
What sound does a rooster make? me: cockle doodle doo him: kokey koko
What sound does a cat make? me: meow him: niaaaaa
What sound does a dog make? me: woof woof him: wan wan

*one day i will figure out how to add recordings. sorry, im still learning my mac.*