Hospital tales
Mood:  smelly
Friday, Feb. 11

My first taste of freedom

Sasaki-sensei has graciously granted me the UNIQUE privilege of walking to my apartment for a short period of time. After an all time low with very little sleep last night (i may have over did my first physical therapy exercises yesterday) ) i am elated with the idea to just take a 10 minute walk to my home sweet home. Doug shows up to be the required escort. He wheels my laptop along for me on his trusty bike. There's just enough time to throw my towels and underwear in the washer. Kayleigh, Doug's grown-up 10-year-old daughter, helps me get undressed for a much appreciated first shower. Ahhhh (there are only two days a week at the hospital when women can use the showers - at least that's what i understand so far). Being on the fourth floor with 4 old ladies as room companions - you can imagine that the room is too hot for me and i am sweating most of the time - pee yew!


Tuesday, Feb. 8th
For some reason i thought surgery was at 4pm this day. I was wondering how to remain calm all day long in this hospital bed. I did a half hour meditation, repeating my mantram constantly, listening to my favorite Bach CD, reading some fantasy novel when the doctor (Sasaki-sensei) came in and told me that i would be prepped at 11:30 and surgery at 1pm. Yikes, again, not much time to worry much. Fujioka-sensei, my boss and angel from yesterday was going to be with me before and after but now i worried that she wouldn't get here till after it was over. My cell phone has been invaluable. A quick call and she was here in plenty of time. Of course all i remember is being wheeled into the operating room, a cute guy showing me a mask and saying "oxygen" and then a "sayonara" drifted in and zap - the void! I remember bits and pieces of waking up. I remember asking Fujioka over and over for something and being very confused when she kept handing me my chopsticks over and over again. Finally she asked me to explain what i wanted. I pantomimed putting lipstick on. I had been asking for CHAPSTICK! Hah.

One of my nurses said i cried and was very scared. Connie says i let fly with a few choice swear words. I remember begging for water or ice, which, of course, they couldn't give me. Friends drifted in and out of my consciousness, weird.


On Monday morning, 9 am, my boss, translator, and personal angel (Fujioka-sensei)
("sensei" is used to refer to teachers, doctors, and respected professionals)
picked me up and drove me back to the hospital. We looked at some pretty gruesome looking CT x-rays and i realized surgery was a MUST. A big bone chip was lodged in my shoulder socket and i would never again be able to lift my left arm again - not to mention the on-going pain - if it wasn't repaired.

Many tests, papers to fill out, more x-rays and a trip to my apartment and i dropped, exhausted, into my first ever hospital bed at 4 pm. Not much time to think about backing out although i had a few instances of a strong urge to bolt thru the doors. Connie, another one of my many angels, brought the supplies from home that i had forgotten and totally babied me.

All fall down
Mood:  accident prone
My Sunday morning run hit a major snafu when - 2.5 hours into the run - as i am humming the "Rocky" theme and feeling strong and on top of the world (only a half-hour to home and a pancake breakfast) a most feared thing happened: my toe caught on the cracked pavement and i toppled forward taking the whole force of the fall on my left palm. Crack and crunch went my shoulder. Not a scratch on me, but i knew that i probably crushed my cartilage or worse. Since i was running along the ocean with no road in sight i had no choice but to keep running. Not too much pain at first but cold, damp and wind soon brought me near hypothermia. I tripped again and hit lightly on my right side and face. By then even tho i was getting mighty cold i walked the next ten minutes to a train station. Luckily for me i carried cash for just such an emergency. A taxi got me home quickly where i grabbed some food (starving) and caught another taxi to Watanabe Hospital. The top of my humeral (i thought Sensei said humorous bone - not so funny, eh?) was broken. Wasn't sure i understood all the details. After getting a prescription for pain killers (actually anti-inflammatory only - never have gotten a single pain killer that i can tell) i went home. Wrapped in a splint and a tight brace to keep my shoulder immobilized the pain was manageable. Only problem was that i still had a sweaty cotton jog bra on and a sweaty running shirt. Even standing in front of the heater I just couldn't get warm. No one home on Sunday afternoon to help me, i managed to peal off that expensivo REI polypro top that i just bought at Xmas. Oh, so painful. i cut off the damn bra. That was so much better.

A trip to the Emergency Room
Mood:  accident prone
Five days in Bali drinking nothing but bottled water and i get bacterial food poisoning on my second day back in Japan! I flew back Wed. morning and went up to Yamaguchi so i would be ready and raring to go to school on Thursday morning. Much to my surprise i awoke at 4am on Thursday morning to violent vomiting and diarrhea. I thought that it would be over by the time school began at 8:30am. Wrong. I was doubled over and reeling in my first class. I couldn't stand up for more than 5 minutes at a time. The school nurse took me to the hospital when i registered a high temperature. A few anti-biotics and some "stopper-uppers" and i'm almost as good as new. Thank goodness for modern medicine. It is so apparent to me now how so many kids and old folks die of dysentery. In a matter of a few hours i was dehydrated, high ketone levels and running a temp that could have been fatal in one more fragile than i.

The doctor says that it was probably something i ate in Japan, but it does make me want to help third world countries get safe water systems in. It is so important to good health.

A side note:
Emergency room charge 2,110 yen (less than $21) Medication: 1,010 yen (less than $10)

Bali Hi
Mood:  spacey
Now Playing: 32 to 80 in 7 hours
Fri. Jan. 28th
Osaka to Denpasar, Bali

Flight time 7 hours.
It's freezing in Nishinomiya and a balmy maybe 80 degrees in Bali.
Once i strip off the layers of winter clothes as i disembark it's pretty comfy and not so humid. Didik has rented a car to pick me up at the airport and drive me to my hotel in Kuta Beach (about a 20 minute drive). We are so excited to see each other. It's like a dream that we are finally here, and he can show me his gorgeous island, and i can finally meet his Mom and visit his home.

Didik's Japanese girlfriend and her girlfriend will fly in tomorrow. They will also stay at the Vilarisi Hotel. What a great trip this is going to be.

Kuta Beach is for us economical touristas. There are lots of Australian and Japanese surfers and middle class visitors here. No Hiltons in this part of the island. My hotel is very nice. I have a king size bed, air conditioning, and a small fridg. There is a nice swimming pool and continental breakfast is served for free every morning with mainly Japanese fare. Hotel rate is a reasonable $20/night. Exchange is approximately 10,000 rupees/$1 US. I exchange 30,000 yen (roughly $300) and end up a millionaire with 2,632,500 rupees. Boy, that's a mind shift.

Sat. Jan. 29th
Bali Tour

Didik has set me up with a personal guide for the day. Nyoma is a Hindu and is very knowledgeable about the religious beliefs, culture, plant life, history...of this island. He is very patient answering my unending string of questions. Our driver's name is Katut and he waits patiently in the car while we tour around. We spend the whole day sightseeing. Here are some of the highlights:
? Barong dance performance with full gamelan orchestra. (Photos coming soon). This dance/play represents an eternal fight between Barong (a mythological animal) who represents a good spirit and Rangda (a monster) who represents an evil one. Amazingly some of the costumes are much like ones i saw in Zimbabwe - same kind of plant material and design. Also a man dressed as a woman in a knitted costume with colorful horizontal stripes and exaggerated breasts looked also African - too weird.
? Suluk - Silversmith village - wish i needed more jewelry. The announcement that everything is 50% off today gives me a hint that there is lots of room for bargaining.
? Batuan village - Balinese Artist studio tempts me with some extraordinary artwork of paintings that range from tropical rainforest scenes to traditional Balinese dancers to intricate depictions of Hindu Gods and even some wild Picasso-like modern Balinese paintings. High quality works of art would look nice in my home if I thought I was going to settle down any time soon - fat chance!
? Volcano view is shrouded in a torrential downpour but i get a little cultural lesson from the friendly restaurant staff while i'm waiting to glimpse a view.
? Spice Farm view and taste sensation. Vanilla vines, pineapple, jackfruit, mangostine, rambutan, snake skin fruit and of course, Balinese coffee and chocolate.
? Hindu Mother Temple consisting of three levels. Tourists can circumnavigate the temple sight but are not allowed inside the holy sanctums. It feels like i could be in Cambodia or Vietnam. Ya gotta see the photos or, better yet, visit yourself one day.

Sun. Jan. 30th
Gayatri

The highlight of this day is the evening spent at an exclusive villa called Gayatri in the middle of nowhere overlooking terraced rice paddies. Brilliant red banana tree blossoms and coconut trees surround us. We have our own private, secluded pool and full kitchen with three deluxe bedroom suites each with it's own full bathroom. Fragrant frangipani blossoms are delicately placed on each pillow, sill, and sink. Sanae's girlfriend has quit her job in Japan and is spending a month in Bali. She bought some kind of lottery ticket and has won a free night's stay at this romantic hideaway. We buy the food, Sanae whips up a dynamite dinner, and we all enjoy a relaxing evening of swimming, dining and just lounging like the rich and famous. Ah.

Mon. Jan. 31st
Kecak and Fire Dance

After a fun day of sight seeing, snorkeling, riding in a glass bottom boat, and visiting Turtle Island we race ahead of the rain on our motorbikes to get to this magnificent sight just before sunset. We are too late for viewing the temple that sits atop a rock right in the ocean. Women in short skirts and pants are issued a sarong to wrap around their waist. I only have time for a few photos of the temple monkeys on the way to the performance sight. It is a flat amphitheater overlooking the ocean. Kecak is the most unique Balinese dance that is NOT accompanied by a gamelan orchestra. Instead it has a choir of 70 men. It's origins come from an old ritual "Trance" dance. The rhythmic "cheka, cheka" sounds of the chorus are mesmerizing. The men, supposedly in trance, are said to communicate with the deities and ancestors. Using the dancers as a medium the deities and ancestors in turn convey their wishes. In the 1930's the old Indian epic, the Ramayana was included in this dance. The colorful dancers include familiar Indian figures like Prince Ayodya Rama, his wife, Sita, his younger brother, Laksamana, and the demon king, Rahwana as well as a colorful, dramatic and funny white monkey deity called Hanoman. As the dance drama unfolds the dancers weave through the male chorus seated in a circle on the ground. The sun begins to set and, as darkness sets in, the climax of the dance is reached. The monkey god is tied and bound and left lying on the ground. Piles of detritus are scattered all around him and lit. As the flames grow the monkey frees himself and rages kicking the piles of flaming material everywhere. Way cool. And we're off racing again to dodge the raindrops that are beginning to fall. Great timing. We make it to a seaside restaurant and savor white snapper, gargantuan prawns, squid, clams and more under a protective canopy while raging winds and rain create an exhilarating atmosphere. The rains never last long and we have a fun motorbike ride back to the hotel charging through flooded streets trying to keep the mud and water off our feet to no avail. What fun.



Balinese Trivia

? Bali has four different languages distinguishing the four sects that are the same as the Hindu caste system in India (Brahmin intellectual, religious/ craftsman/butchers, farmers,....) everyone can speak the common Indonesian language as well. Most people can speak English fairly well. The tourist guys can speak a little Japanese, German, Spanish, French and who knows what else.

? Bali is 90% Hindu
? Average daily temperature year round is about 30 C?
? Bintang is the popular beer of Bali - price 8,766 Rp + 1,000 Rp deposit ( about $1) - and that's a big bottle


Basic Indonesian Vocabulary
Please - Tolong
Thank you - Terima Kasih
How much is it? - Berapa ini?
Hello - Halo
Good morning - Selamat pagi

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake
Mood:  sad
Jan. 17, 1995, 5:46am:

Today is the 10th anniversary of this most disastrous day.

I have been reading about it in a magazine that was given to me.
Here's some stats: 7.2 on the Richter scale
Total lives lost: over 6,000
Injured: over 35,000
Destroyed homes: 171,000
Total value of damage 10 trillion yen.
13 kindergarten, 36 elementary school and 21 junior high kids lost their lives.
Phone and electrical service was restored by Jan. 31st.
Water came back on March 28th (can you imagine?)
Gas didn't come back on until April 11th (most cooking and heating is done with gas)
By the way, the apartment that i live in came down!

This was a rough time for this area. January weather is cold. I have experienced temperatures close to freezing lots of evenings in January with a wind chill and the dampness of the ocean air it is down right bone chilling. I can't imagine being camped out in a gym with nowhere else to go. The pictures are incredible and remind me of the Bay Area and LA quakes. Mother Nature makes me feel very humble.

Photos
More Photos

I'm ok. R U ok?
Mood:  lyrical
Our first week back at school, and we have a shortened schedule all week (40 minute classes). I finally got around to asking why. Here's the reason i was given:

At the beginning of each term (after a break away from school) the teachers schedule an after-school meeting with every student to check in with her/him one-on-one to see how his/her vacation went. Are there any problems, concerns? It's a chance for each student to talk with her/his homeroom teacher quietly alone. Can you imagine us doing this in the U.S.? The things the kids would tell us!

Coming of Age Day
Mood:  bright
Here's another amazing national holiday in Japan. This one honors the 20 year olds. Every man and woman who will turn 20 this year has the opportunity to dress up, for the women, in gorgeous kimono and, for the men, in cool black suits. Actually, i saw one guy all decked up in kimono as well. All day long i watched them present themselves at the shrines, and i'm guessing that they pray for their future careers and lives. As we walked around town i think that there is another dynamic at work. It looked to me like the guys and gals were checking out the eligible bachelors and bachelor-ettes in their finest attire. It's hard to imagine the US having a special holiday to celebrate our youth "Coming of Age." Maybe it would be a good idea instead of celebrating dead presidents! (No offense to our beloved presidents, but sometimes it seems that we could do a bit of formally recognizing our kids and telling them that they are important too!)

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu
Mood:  cheeky
Now Playing: Happy New Year
I've discovered a new group! We met in Kyoto at Yasaka Shrine. These eager Japanese English language students showed us some of the Japanese New Year's traditions today. It is very popular to visit a shrine in the first days of the New Year. Many people offer money and pray for a prosperous New Year. They showed us how to rinse our hands and mouths at the spring fed fountain before praying at the shrine. How to bow and throw some coins and pray. We did a walking tour through the Gion District and spied a few Maiko, young girls in training to be Geisha. We ended the afternoon in a wonderful upstairs room tasting osechi-ryori, traditional New Year's fare. A small sampling consisted of burdock root for good health, lotus root (it's hollow) for a bright future, sweet sardines for a good harvest, black soybeans (they represent hardships) but they are eaten for good health, yellow tail (buri) for a successful continuation of family lines. Great day shared with lovely Japanese folks as well as guests from all over the world.

By the way:
I just found this clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle that i brought back to Japan with me:

"Dead Editor: First flashes of the earthquake's cataclysmic devastation in that quadrant of the world (Indonesia) may begin to put into perspsective the puny conceptions of 'security' for which this nation puts its Constitution at risk.
May we rejoin the world in 2005 in united humility, generosity, poise and with tempered leadership."

Well said.

Peace Please
Mood:  on fire
I just bought a calender about the Dalai Lama so i will be quoting him once a month.

"Peace starts within each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities, and so on. Respponsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job."

from the "Policy of Kindness," the Dalai Lama

Happy New Year
Mood:  special
Happy New Year and may peace reign in your heart.
I've just returned from a nice visit to the states. I arrived on Xmas Eve in San Francisco and rented a car to drive for about 2 hours north to visit my parents, relatives and friends. It was a great visit but i'm very glad to be back in my cozy apartment.
more later.