Lethal Brain Infections

This is officially the first story of my adventure to Japan that I laughed about.

I went to go get my pre-flight shots today.  Now mind you, I haven't been to the doctors in YEARS.  I honestly think the last time I went to a doctors, was before I started teaching music at Olentangy Liberty High School (about 6 years ago).

Now my original thought about this was I was going to have to get a few shots of strange things before I leave.  After thinking about it a little more, I realized, not going to the doctors in over 6 years probably meant I have a whole heap of shots that I would be due for. I imagined walking into an office to be met by a disappointed doctor, who after scolding me for neglecting to visit for the better half of a decade, would proceed to carry in, what in my mind looked like, a cookie sheet sized tray of shots that she was going to stick into every section of my body.  Lucky for me, this was far from what really happened.

The appointment was at 8:00 am so I should have left the house around 7:30, but alas, I lost my keys.  After borrowing the spare key from my brother, I left about 20 minutes until I had to arrive.  The traffic was TERRIBLE.  3 lanes of traffic all had to merge into one lane for about 1/4 of a mile, then open back up into 3 lanes.  So I was running late.  This was annoying because I felt as if I was running late to something I really didn't want to go do.  In my mind, I was still expecting somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 shots that I would need. And being in a hurry to get a pile of needles stuck in your arms is never fun.

I arrived about 10 minutes late for my appointment.  

I walked into an office room and as expected, there were 3 packs of 5 needles sitting on the desk of a woman who was putting on blue gloves.

We exchanged formalities, and she took out a packet that was full of all the shots that I should get before I go.  I tried to breath slowly as she started asking me if I had ever gotten "this-or-that". This went on for a few minutes.

To my amazement, there was only 1 shot that was recommended, but not required.  I was relieved.  I surly didn't want to get any shots that day if I could avoid it, but I felt curious and asked her about the shot that was recommended. 

This is where the story gets good:

She looked at me and said, "Well, this shot is not a big deal unless you plan on spending a lot of time around farms in Japan"

I instantly became interested.  My house in Japan is directly across from a farm, and I have to walk about 12 minutes one way everyday to my school through farming communities. Also, to get to any store, I need to walk alone miles of farms.  I am even hoping to be able to shop at some of the farms that are directly around my house.  To say the least, I will have more than "some" exposure to farms in Japan.

Not being too worried, I asked "What is the shot for?"

She said it was for "Japanese Encephalitis"

Sounded serious to me.  I pressed further for information.

"What happens to people that catch this disease?" I asked? "How can it be avoided?"

She pulled out a sheet of paper that gave details about this disease:  

 JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS

-transmitted by misquotes usually inhabiting rural Japan. 

-Symptoms include, Head-ache, fever, vomiting, hallucination, diarrhea, muscle loss, and death.

DEATH!?!?! 

At this point I thought "How serious is this really???  I mean, people die from phenomena, but the rate is pretty low considering how many people get it."  I read on....

-1 in 4 people who contract this disease die. 2 of the 3 survivors suffer from irreversible brain damage caused by a lethal brain infection

That's right... "Lethal Brain Infection" was literally written on the paper.  There was a 25% chance I DIE, and and 50% chance that I have IRREVERSIBLE BRAIN DAMAGE.... 75% horrible 25% perfectly ok???

I asked her if I could get it.  

She said I didn't have time... 

Apparently, this is a series of 2 shots that are taken 8 days apart.  Today marks my last 7 days in America.  

She said not to worry, because it is only a recommended shot.  She said I should be more worried if it was a required shot.

So there you have it folks...

I am going to Japan with the possibility of death or permanent brain damage caused by lethal brain infections.

I am already talking to my boss in Japan to set up the earliest possible time to go to a hospital and get this shot.  Until then the doctor told me to just wear bug spray...  

How comforting it is to put my life, or brain for that matter, into the hands of  "OFF!® With DEET", or "OFF! Deep Woods® Insect Repellent "  

If this is just the beginning of my adventure, I believe I am in for a very fun ride. 

Dan

p.s. -- This blog is actually really fun to write in.  I hope everyone is enjoying it.  I will try and keep my posts lighthearted.  I know I will miss people, but the more people laugh with me, the more I feel I will adapt quickly to change.

Until next time...

Bitter Sweet

Over the past few days, I have had a number of emotions.  The only way I can describe them, is "bitter-sweet".

I got my address and I got to search around where I live in Japan and see my school.  I got to talk to my boss and really sign a contract saying that I got this job.  I have all my things ready and I am just getting my things together and there is constant good news about my family.
- Sweet

I also have to say good-bye to my students this week.  I am leaving them all with people that I feel 100% capable to do a great job with them, but I will really miss them.  I have some students that I literally taught how to say "yes" and "no" in Japanese.  I taught them from the point when they didn't know the alphabet, to reading and doing their own homework.  I am even able to take some shopping this week, so they can ask the cashier to buy something and use real money to buy something they wanted.  They are able to ask where it is, find it, and buy it all without me saying anything.  When I say good-bye to them and they say "Good- bye" back.  I thought of the day I taught them how to say "good-bye".  It's like these kids are mine.  Watching them get braces, and break bones, and pass tests, and fail tests, and forget their homework, and laugh together when we read are all the memories that I cannot ever forget.   I said good-bye to people today that I probably will never see again.  And not like "I'll see you someday" but "I don't know if we will ever meet again"
- Bitter

I guess I am in this mood right now that is making me feel like I need to enjoy every minute I have in America right now.  I hope to spend time with my family and friends before I leave.

Blogging is still new to me.  I don't know if these posts are good or not, but being able to admit my feelings feels pretty good.  Just being able to organize my thoughts is a good thing for me.  I keep hearing about how things are going to be hard in Japan, and how much I will need to work.  I am excited for this.  I think that every time I have to deal with something that is hard or stressful, I will be excited to see how I can solve the problem, and talk about how I did it online.  Yesterday in Ohio, the temperature was around 90 degrees, and it was really humid.  You could honestly feel the heat on your skin if you walked into the sun.  My friend from Japan, told me that Gumna is worse than that AND I need to walk to work in a shirt and tie everyday.  I am excited to be able to talk about how I deal with the heat and the cold and the culture.
 - Sweet

I hope everyone that reads this blog knows that I really care about them, and I am lucky to have met them at some point in my life.

I will post again soon.

Dan

Working the bugs out...

Hello again,

I made a few changes to the settings of my blog.  I set it up so anyone can leave a comment on the blog now.  I will try and keep it like this for as long as I can, but if I start getting Spam from the internet I will change it.  I would like to set it as only members of this blog can leave a comment, but right now I am still searching for a way to let you become a member.  

Try and comment on this one, and I will hope that it works this time.

Dan

Hello all!

This is my first time trying to "Blog".

I hope this is successful.

Please leave a comment in the box below (if there is one) to show that you were able to get this, and so I can make sure there are no problems.

I made this Blog, because I know not everyone really cares that I am leaving for Japan, and I don't want to flood Facebook with pictures or videos that I want to post and share, if those people don't want to look at them.


Today's post will be titled, "12 Days Until Launch"

So, I'm moving to Japan.  Right now the feeling has not really hit me.  I just feel like I am finishing up some work before I leave a Job.  When the restaurant I used to cook for (T.G.I. Friday's) closed, we all knew about it a few weeks in advance.  We all started looking for more work and tried to get things closed up before we never came back.  That is the feeling I have now.

Before I leave, I have no idea what to expect.  I am trying to get everything I might need packed into 2 oversize luggage bags.  It's humbling packing up your entire life into 2 bags.  I sometime don't even know what to bring.

I am still asking around about what things I might need for my house in Japan, but I won't really know until I get there.

Well.  I wanted to keep today's first post a little short, so before I start rambling, I will end it here.  Please let me know if this post worked or not, and I will try and post again soon.  I will probably not post a lot until after I leave. (May 30th).  But please keep looking.

Dan