before i go...

a few things before i set off for the jungle trek of a lifetime in papua new guinea. i know that when i return i’ll have bukoos to write about my adventure and i’d hate for these jewels of culture to get lost in the shuffle.

a twist
last weekend i went to sado island for the final performance of this year’s musical. i wiled away time on the ferry with a Japanese friend, takeshi, who will soon get married.

we were discussing his fiancé who is one of 3 three sisters. he told me of a common practice in this situation, when the woman’s father formally requests that the man assume his wife’s last name, therefore ensuring the lineage will continue. it turns out, his fiancé has only sisters, his fiance’s mother had only sisters so her father forfeited his name to take on her’s, and his fiance’s grandfather had also assumed his wife’s name. unfortunately takeshi is the only son in his family so he can’t oblige. now it is left to the other sisters to find a husband who can carry on their family name. i find this tradition interesting in a culture typically dominated by male interests.

role reversal
march 14 is white day, when men present women with chocolates and candy. it’s the answer to valentine’s day when only the women give gifts to men. my principal bought me a really nice box of flaky cocoa pastries dipped in chocolate. what a horrible employee i am, as i gave him nothing last month. oops.

medical marvels
part one
i’ve had several brushes with medical technology lately that warrant a recount. last week i was a coughing, sneezing, sniffling mess which blended right in with the symphony of sickness heard in the teachers’ room. many of the sniveling sounds are muffled by the ever-present surgical masks that aren’t just a fixture in sensational media. 2 of the other English teachers had come down with influenza A and they convinced me i should get checked. i bravely headed to a local doctor armed with a dictionary and phrase book. i was able to adequately explain my symptoms as the doc checked me over. he rapidly spoke in Japanese and i gathered i was in for a test of some sort. he uttered a single English word -- relax -- as he pulled what appeared to be an 8 inch coffee stirrer from a package. he inserted it into my right nostril, twisting and pushing as i felt the implement begin to thread thru my head. under my eye as it began to water uncontrollably, beside my ear canal as it began to itch, seemingly skirting my brain, inspiring the oddest internal, unidentifiable sensation. i let out a peep in a voice i had never heard my self make before. he finally arrived at the back of my throat and poked and scraped a bit before withdrawing the tool. i heard the slurping noise deep in my head as it retraced its path. i felt violated. the worst part was when he looked at the stick and in Japanese apologized and said ‘one more time.’ luckily it wasn’t influenza. i couldn’t understand exactly what the problem was, but it was treatable with no less than 5 medicines.
part two
i hadn’t had enough of the pleasant doctor experience so i decided to go back on monday night after a midnight kitchen mishap. i stood there in my apartment, with clenched fist, scared to look at my already throbbing hand. when i did, i saw what appeared to be my bone and other yellow-y things through a gash at the base of my thumb. i knew immediately that this spelled emergency room. think fast…jacket on, wallet into purse, form a mitten out of paper towels, heater off, out the door…wait a minute, where the hell does one go with a midnight emergency anyway? i knock on the neighbor’s door and explain in Japanese with a quivering voice [i’m feeling like i could faint or vomit at any minute…i’m not sure which] that i have a big cut, want to go to hospital, please tell me where is open. he says ‘oh’, hurries inside and returns with a band aid. i shook my head as he asked to see. i looked at his face as he looked at my thumb and got more worried. he told me the name of the hospital and said he would call for me. i said i would catch a cab outside and took off. [in my mind i’m thinking…jogging cannot be good for the bleeding as my heart is pumping faster, should i walk and take twice as long to find a cab? i settled on a brisk pace.] a couple blocks over i found a taxi and explained the situation. in the dark of the cab i hadn’t realized my hand was dripping blood all over my jeans and the backseat. i began apologizing between deliberate deep breaths. the driver found some tissues for me. it seemed like an eternity before we arrived. he accompanied me inside which was incredibly nice but he spoke no English so i wasn’t sure it would be much help. a rent-a-cop runs the check in counter at night; apparently Japanese people don’t have too many emergencies, as the place was deserted. he handed me the phone and a nurse on the other end began questioning me. i explained that i’m foreign, my Japanese is bad, and gave as many details as i could before the cab driver relieved me, explaining the problem. my teeth were chattering and i was shaking uncontrollably as the security guard shoved 3 forms at me and asked that i fill them out. my handwriting was nearly illegible so he began to help me as he caught sight of my bloody nub. he quickly ushered me on into the e.r. waiting room. eventually they led me to one of three beds in a sparsely equipped room. there were no supplies, beeping machines, hurried doctors, trays of implements or other patients. finally the doctor approached and told me to open my hand. as i strained to uncurl my fingers i saw chunks and strings of red gunk in a pool of blood in my palm. there was a beautiful gash at the base of my thumb. i almost lost it. no one would tell me what they were doing as they began to poke and prod while 2 nurses held my limbs which were trembling like crazy. i looked over to see the dr. spraying liquid out of a huge syringe, readying to jab me. uuugghhh. i struggled to ask questions and get info in Japanese. finally the doctor spoke in perfect English, ‘it’s a local anesthetic’. what? the whole time he could’ve been allaying my angst by simply talking to me, instead he watched me squirm, that buster. the nurses tried to obstruct my view as he stitched up the wound. bizarre to feel the pressure and tug of the sewing without really sensing the pain. later the nurse met me in the waiting room with some meds. nothing for the horrid pain of course, only antibiotics. i feverishly flipped thru my dictionary and made notes as she spoke. at one point i am miming showering but not getting my hand wet when the only other people in the e.r., a couple, begins to laugh and stare. i was in pain and frustrated and not in the mood and i chastised them, saying ‘this is not funny. i am trying very hard.’ as i prepared to leave i asked the rental cop to call a taxi, he pointed me to a pay phone and told me to use the phone book, which is a skill i have yet to acquire. i noticed the couple from earlier lingering, seemingly waiting to make sure i was ok. i decided to ask them to help me look for the number. the man offered to give me a lift home. in the car, his wife explained they were so interested because they too are foreigners. they are Chinese, moved here 2 years ago for his work. they asked how many years i’d lived here, when i told them, they praised my Japanese. i was so excited that i was able to hold conversation and understand what they were saying. after a follow up trip to the orthopedic, a crash course in treating wounds while in the wilderness and a lesson on how to deal with possible infection which includes Rambo-ette style removal of stitches and reopening of the wound, i was cleared to go to papua new guinea. i have my final pre-departure appt tomorrow morning. what excellent timing for a hand wound ne?
part three
it turns out my orthopedic was once a famous surgeon in japan, but now he has aged and is no longer in such demand. uchiyama sensei told me he had operated on her mother’s leg once. she recounted what is apparently a common occurrence here. prior to the surgery she presented him with an envelope containing 50,000 yen, about $500. this type of gift is always given prior to important surgery and, although it is commonplace, no one discusses it or admits to it really. the money is a sign of good faith and is meant to ensure success in the upcoming procedure. all doctors supplement their income this way. i wonder how the treatment varies with a $20 gift and a $500 present?

feedback
everybody loves a little affirmation. i was sitting at home recently when i got an email on my keitai [cell phone]. to my surprise it was from a bloke i’d never met before [doug, hope you don’t mind this retelling…] the message went ‘i first heard you referenced on dr. edgar’s journal a year or two ago, then again last week.’ he was alluding to a short interview i had recorded with s.c. educational radio about being in Thailand during the tsunami. i’ll paraphrase…he’d been reading the blog and growing a bit ‘envious’. he thanked me for sharing my stories and letting him vicariously enjoy japan. i damn near cried. my family and friends are required to wade through the superfluous details and rambling narratives to see what i’m up to, but the fact that a stranger would find any of my musings that interesting and would bother to read them on their own volition was a huge compliment. thanks doug for making my day. and thanks steve for writing and even offering to send a care package. [don’t joke, i may take you up on it. i’ve been craving country ham and pop tarts. not for the same meal of course.] i’m glad the things i truly enjoy doing…exploring, meeting people, learning, writing…can also bring entertainment and insight to others. and now on to you slackers…i get a bit bummed at times when i spend hours writing and constructing the pages of my blog, but have no idea if anyone has laid eyes on my words. if you’ve got a minute, post a comment or drop me a line. there’s a link to my email on the left side of the page. and if you have two minutes, check out some super interesting contemporary sculpture on doug’s homepage
by clicking here.
t-minus 2 days until lift-off for PNG