I've been sick for the past couple weeks. What was originally a cold has become what feels like a sinus infection. But because I didn't have my insurance card until late last night, I'd been unable to go to the doctor. This morning I made several phone calls trying to find someone to take me to the doctor. The guy who is the AETs' liaison with the city was "very busy" and his assistant doesn't have the proper authority (whatever that means) to take me. So he told me to ask my vice principal or head English teacher to take me. But neither of them speaks English. (Yes, my head English teacher doesn't speak English.) So I called the minister and the missionaries at the church to see if one of them could take me. And M.T., the woman I met all those years ago when I came to Japan for Let's Start Talking, was very kind to do so. But it's hard being dependent on others for their transportation, language skills, etc., especially when we've been told not to impose on church members for our needs. So even though M.T. had told me to call her if I needed anything and was very happy to be able to help me, I still felt like I was imposing.
The doctor I saw had spent two or three years in the U.S. back in the '80s and spoke English with me. However, he wouldn't look at me when he talked to me. And his nurse physically moved my body in the way that she wanted it to go rather than asking M.T. to translate any directions she might have for me. (I felt like the Japanese kindergarten students I teach whose sensei physically push/pull them around the room to where they want them to move.) But M.T. thinks that maybe he was nervous with her presence in the room, since when she tried to clarify something he'd said in English by asking the same thing in Japanese, he said, in English, "That's what I told her." (Perhaps this was a "face" issue for him, to be in the presence of another Japanese person who speaks English very well when he was self-conscious of his own abilities.) Whether his bedside manner is always so abrupt or not, I don't care. My visit to the doctor and the medicine he gave me (for which I didn't have to go to a pharmacy to pick up) cost me less than $15. Say what you want about socialized medicine. But it worked for me today!
3 comments:
Glad to hear you are are finally going to get some resolution to your unwellness. Tell M.T. thanks for being your Japanese mom and taking care of you.
So sorry you've been sick, but so glad to know you're alive. ;) You've been so quiet on the blog I wasn't sure if it was a good sign or a bad one. Mariana is currently in Thailand. She's sorry you were unable to attend, but knew it was a long shot since you haven't been in your current position long. Things are crazy busy this time of year for me. All the teachers are eagerly attending classes to obtain their necessary hour requirements. I taught three days this week and will teach four classes next week, then head to a state conference in San Antonio to present 6 times! Oy... Take care and keep us updated!!
Hello Rebecca,
was nice to hear from you finally. Sorry to hear you have been sick. There is nothing wrong with asking ( I wont take the word impose!!) for help like that. Its not easy to live in a foreign country and not to be familiar with the language and the habbits in the country. There are people in every country to like to reach a hand... thats called friendship :) And I think that saying from your church is a bit hard, not to say wrong...just my opinion.
And a sentence to your mom: Jsut a short hello, we talked many years ago on the phone together..
Now make the best of your time there, its something you can make memories nobody can ever take from you.
Greetings from Germany to Japan
Angela
Post a Comment