Japanese colds are no joke.

They aren't like wimpy American colds where you just take some ny-quil and cough for two days and then you are better. Japanese colds are sneaky, putrid and surprisingly debilitating.

Last Thursday I thought I had just a sore throat, maybe a little bit of a headache. I bought some cough drops and said I can make it to the weekend and then I'll be fine. I told myself, it is just a cold, don't be a wiener! You don't want to or need to see a doctor anyway... So I croaked through Thursday's and Friday's classes. On Saturday, I rested ALL day. I thought I was getting better. What was coming out of my nose was clear. I felt well enough to go to a matsuri on Sunday. But then...

Monday came. I woke up with what felt like a brick in my sinuses. I don't even want to describe what came out of my nose... I would blow my nose and 5 seconds would pass and my nose would be filled with goo again. There was seemingly no end to it. I went through two boxes of kleenex.

Well, the cold bested me and I went to the doctor's on Monday. I was by far the youngest patient there... Everyone else was at least 30 years older. I waited quite a while even though I had an appointment. Then, I went in, spoke with him briefly - in very slow, calculated Japanese. He swabbed my throat with some red goo and then felt my throat and belly, listened to me breathe, the basic fare. Then, he gave me some meds and sent me on my way.

Today was the last day I took the meds. 3 pills and some powder that I mix with water that tastes really, really bad. I took it 3 times a day since Monday... and indeed I do feel better. It took all 5 days for me to get to this point. For a while, I was coughing up some interesting balls of goo when I woke up in the morning. I have developed a methodology to nose-blowing that is unparalleled. If I could draw pictures and scan them, I would... but I'm thinking that would be excessive.

I hate it when people go on and on about being sick. I am better now. The moral of the story is, if you are in Japan and you start feeling sick, just go to the doctor. Don't be stupid and tell yourself it will go away by itself. Japanese colds are hardcore.

Also, some have claimed that I've approached this Japan thing with rose-colored glasses. Not so! See, bad things happen to me along with the good things!!!

The view from my office

The view from my office
Originally uploaded by atomicsour.

I like the snow in this picture... it has only snowed once and it melted right away. Which is an improvement from what Rochester is experiencing from what I've been told.

There is an old guy that lives there who yells at the mothers who park in the parking lot. Even though the lot is in the contract... He tried charging them 100 yen, too.

Me at Local Historical Museum making a sushi roller

Me at Local Historical Museum making a sushi roller
Originally uploaded by atomicsour.

Here is a photo of me at a local museum for a small fishing village that Kazuhito and Etsuyo took me to. This old guy showed us how to make sushi rollers and I got to take mine with me... I had Etsuyo take this picture while I was making my roller. Some elementary school students wandered by while we were here and one of them yelled I THINK SHE IS A FOREIGNER in Japanese and we all laughed about it.

Computer Broke - All is well in Japan

Well - I'm here. I've been here for a while, since January 22nd - my computer broke right before I left for Japan, and it's not fixed yet, so it is still in America.

So, let me recap:

• I arrived at Narita Airport on January 22nd and spent some time with my Host family and friends in Higashi Funabashi. I also stopped by the IES Center in Makuhari to say hi to Shin-san and some of my other friends at IES from when I was there with my homestay program.
• on the 25th of January I went down to Maibara via the Shinkansen Hikari. I LOVED the shinkansen. I'm a big shinkansen fan now - even though it was expensive, it was really cool. I got to see Mt Fuji through the window - with snow on it this time! After I reached Maibara, I went to Yokaichi station via Omi Line. Omi line was pretty small - I don't think it is owned by JR. But at one point it took us through this bamboo forest and then through a tunnel - when we came out the other side, we were on a plain surrounded by mountains. It was beautiful...
• I stayed and trained with Angie for a week, then I started teaching my own classes February 1st. My schedule is very nice - I only have one class before 11, and that is only one day a week. On mondays, I only have two classes. The hardest classes for me to teach are the classes with children aged 2-3, because how well the class goes depends on how they feel that day - like if they need a nap or something. Also the class with 14 adults that I teach at the local center for commerce and industry (Shoukokaigishou) is kind of hard. Teaching 7-10 year olds seems to be the best/easiest for me.
  
• I also moved into my apartment on February 1st, which I like very much. More details on that later.
• So my life here is good and simple. I take my bike to work, it takes me about 7 minutes to get there. I teach and plan lessons. Most of my free time is spent hanging out with Velika or Angie. I also sleep a lot, maybe more than I should. I can get to the grocery store on my bike in about 20 minutes. The weather here is mild, unless it is windy or raining. So far, it has only snowed once, and it
  

So I'm thinking, once my computer arrives, I'll be able to update with more frequency - with pictures. I'll go in installments or something until I'm all caught up. Sorry for the delay, everyone!