Mountain Climbing

Today our friend Nanami took Laurel and I to a shrine out in Shiga-ken. Tachiki or something like that. It was for hatsumoude, the first shrine visit of the year, an important tradition in Japan. This shrine happens to be on top of a mountain...700 steps up, to be exact.

It was about an hour and a half drive out to Shiga. The mountain is right next to a river, and there were a bunch of kayakers out. We climbed the 700 steps to the top and then had some tea before going around to each part of the shrine to pray for the upcoming year.

Being a non-religious person, I still feel somewhat awkward when I go to shrines. Shinto is not really a religion the same way Christianity is. It is based much more on tradition (I am no expert on shinto, so don't hold me to that). But it is such an important part of Japanese culture and I almost feel as if I am being disrespectful when I go through the motions without really understanding or believing what it is I am doing.

Laurel and I were the only foreigners on the top of this mountain and so we were even more conspicuous. I'm used to sly stares and kids pointing, but we got a lot of....

"Papa, mite, gaijin da yo. gaijin ga kiteiru.": Dad, Look!!!! a foreigner...a foreigner is here.

But they were cute little kids, trying to count all 700 steps.
Almost as cute as the old people carrying their dogs in their backpacks up the mountain.

After the shrine visit, Nanami took us to the mall where we got some lunch and shopped for a while. The restaurant was awesome, because it had a bread buffet...all you can eat. You just took your plate up and could get all the cheesy bread, mochi bread, basil bread you could eat. mmmmmmm....bread.

My first doctor visit in Japan

So it's been six months since I moved out here and I guess I should consider myself lucky that it took me that long to have to go to the doctor. My first stroke of luck this year, right?

Wrong.

A few months ago, when I took the JLPT, I let my friend Matt spend the week at my apartment. He had teacher training in Kyoto (he lives in the countryside). Matt had been sick for a while, well, itchy, for a while. He went to the doctor and was told he had eczema. 2 months later and he was so itchy he couldn't sleep through the night. He had scratched deep wounds into his skin. He woke me up scratching when I was in the next room.

So he went to the doctor again on the last day he was in Kyoto with me....

turns out Matt had scabies.

Yep, bugs living in his skin.

And he had been living in my apartment, sleeping on my futons, sitting on my couch for a week....

I cleaned my apartment top to bottom, through away my cushions, cleaned my couch cover, everything....but, it was the hug that got me.

Before we knew he had scabies, Matt was being goofy and gave me a huge hug....and the bugs in his skin.

So I went to the doctor with Matt, who still had residual itching, and Phil, who had a rash on his elbow (which turned out to actually be eczema), and they found bugs...in my skin.

Also, there is nothing more awkward than being a foreign girl, going to the skin doctor with 2 boys, in Japan, for something that is often considered an STD....

Thank god the doctor was in Kyoto City and not Kameoka, because EVERYONE would have heard about it if it were Kameoka....

But I'm on treatment now and it should all be cleared up soon...

But...when does my good luck start???

Food poisoning...stolen wallet...4 foreign hospital visits...scabies? all in 1 month.

City building??

Today after work I attended my first lecture on まちづくり. This would be translated as city building, or more correctly city development. This was the event that I had signed up for a few weeks ago and everyone in my office completely freaked out about. They tried to talk me out of it, thinking I had made a mistake...

It was nice because I got to stay after my normal time with my coworkers and we talked about the inauguration and I got to feel less like an outsider. Plus I really wanted them to see that I am interested in getting more involved.

I am actually really glad I attended this lecture. It was a little difficult because the presenter spoke very fast (probably like I do in English), but I did my best to keep up. It was a presentation on tourism in Kameoka.

Kameoka is a small town to the west of Kyoto. Foreigners don't actually make their way out here all that often, though sometimes for our river ride. Most of our tourists are older Japanese people.

This presentation was all about how to improve the tourism business in Kameoka, focusing on research about current trends. The trends used to be on bus tourism but have shifted to individuals traveling with friends, family, or lovers. However, Kameoka is not well organized for individual travelers, who tend to decide what they want to do once they arrive. The bus schedules and maps are difficult to find, nothing is well labeled, etc, so without a tour guide, people miss out on most of the city. Also, most people travel to Kameoka, and other little towns, to sample famous food.

It sounds boring, but when I was sitting there listening, I kept getting more and more ideas. By the end of the hour and a half speech I had filled nearly 3 sheets of papers with my own ideas for how to encourage foreign tourism to Kameoka and things that I can do to make an impact on the city. How I could help get the necessary information to the foreigners BEFORE they visit so they WILL visit.

The best part was that I sat between my boss's boss (Mori butyou) and another higher up in my office (fukusanji), who were watching me as I was taking notes. They didn't really talk to me about it, but it was nice to know that they knew I was paying attention. My notes were actually mostly in English because I write faster in English .

The view from afar...the inauguration of President Obama from Japan

Experiencing the election in Japan was an interesting event, but even more interesting was the experience of the inauguration.

On Monday, my boss, Ito Kacho, began discussing how he was looking forward to a new chapter in world politics. He quoted the campaign slogans "Change" and "Yes we can" as he discussed that America was soon to inaugurate a new president, and a black on at that.

On Tuesday, I led the morning greeting and also discussed Obama, seeing as it was actually inauguration day, sort of. I mostly talked of how, while I am looking forward to his term in office, I worry that the world has placed impossible expectations on him. In the current state of the world, can he really do everything we hoped for? Is it fair to expect him to be able to do it all? He is just one man. While I believe, after reading his book The Audacity of Hope that he will do his best to maintain his beliefs and policies while handling the current political and economic environment, it is impossible for him to do everything. I worry that people will not be patient enough for him to make a difference before they turn on him.

On Wednesday (the inauguration took place at 3 am Japan time) everyone wanted to know if I had seen it. They had watched the parade on tv in the morning. The Kyoto newspaper had his speech already translated into Japanese. The front page was Obama and his wife at the inauguration. It seemed that everyone was talking about Obama on the radio and TV.

My ALT friends kept talking about how their kids were saying "Change" and "Yes We Can" all the time.

Finally, my friend Paulette found this in Osaka...

From Drop Box

It amazes me that the inauguration of the President of the United States causes such a stir, but in September when the Prime Minister of Japan stepped down (third time in 3 years) and they had to elect a new one (again), no one mentioned it at all. The inauguration of President Obama got more press in Japan than the election of their own Prime Minister.

It has really shown me the real impact that America has on the rest of the world. Everything our country does is watched and discussed. It also illustrates, I think, the continuing relationship between Japan and the US. They are still very much like our little brother though they have distanced themselves in many ways.

World Studies (ie. 8 high schoolers visit from Tennesse)

Today was one of those awesome days when they put on an event at the Cultural Exchange Center. Even though it is on a Saturday, I really love these days. It is when I really feel like I am making an impact on the community here.

This week 8 girls and their chaperons came to visit Kameoka. They were all juniors and seniors from Harpeth Hall in Nashville, Tennessee. I took the bus up to the International Exchange Center, which is where I work every Thursday. The girls were also taking the bus so I got a chance to listen to them as they got on. At first everyone seemed a little shocked to see me there...I don't think they were expecting a foreigner not related to their group to attend. So I got a few stares.

The chaperons sat in front of me and all the girls sat chatting behind me. It was really kind of funny listening to a bunch of high school girls going on and on about ridiculous things. They talked about boys, and the foods they missed, and how they missed their beds (they were staying in traditional style hotels throughout their trips meaning they had futons on the floor), etc. etc. I was reminded of high school and began to feel just how much more of an adult I have become since getting here (though sometimes I still feel like a college student...).

Finally one of the chaperons asked their tour guide (a Japanese woman from Tokyo I believe) about the population of Kameoka. None of them have been here before, so I piped up finally. That was when I introduced myself as the CIR in the area and that I would be attending the event to help smooth over the translation. Most of the Japanese people participating in the event were either English teachers or fairly good at English so I was really just there to make sure everyone understood each other. However, my Japanese coworkers seemed a bit nervous about speaking English so they had me do all the translation from Japanese to English (the tour guide did all the English to Japanese, thankfully).

It opened with a speech by the head of the department, Asada-san. He gave the speech in English, even though he doesn't actually speak any of it. He had given me a speech to translate for him, and then my colleague wrote it out in Japanese pronunciation, though he used the correct English pronunciation rather than the Japanese (ie. panfuret rather than panfureeto for pamphlet). It was actually not too bad, though I think it would have been better if he had let me speak for him. However, He is studying English, so I guess it is a good chance for him.

The girls gave a presentation to the students (mostly elementary aged kids....SOOOO cute) about their school and what they study. Then they taught them a line dance. Now I was expecting an actually country line dance....but it turns out they chose the electric slide. I have never seen anything so adorable. A bunch of Japanese elementary students running around trying to learn how to do the electric slide to the song Achy Breaky Heart.

It was really a nice change from my usual work day, sitting at a desk translating or laying out my newsletter. I rarely get to interact with children, and getting to see these kids was refreshing. One thing I have learned is that kids, no matter where you are, are exactly the same...Energetic, fickle, honest, and loud.

After the electric slide the Japanese teachers helped the kids teach the girls a Japanese game called "Daruma-san ga koronda" (ie. The daruma fell over. Daruma is a little red ball with a face on it...representing a Buddhist monk? who once meditated for so long that his arms and legs fell off. Each red ball has white eyes and when you make a wish you fill in one eye and when it comes true you fill in the other).

It is a game much like red light green light. The person who is the oni (it) turns their back to the players who line up at the other end of the room. When the oni is speaking, saying daruma-san ga koronda, the kids run forward...When the oni stops and turns around they have to stop or they are out (of course most of the kids tried to push this and moved anyway). When they get to the oni they tag him or her. The oni counts to 5 as the kids run away and at 5 the kids stop. Then the oni takes 5 huge steps and anyone behind the oni is out.

The kids were so energetic and adorable, trying to break the rules as much as possible. They were so excited when the girls joined in the game. But when one of the girls was oni, with me prompting them on how to say the phrase, the kids absolutely gave up on listening to the rules and ran whenever they wanted to. It was the funniest thing.

Finally there was question and answer time. Most of these kids were taking English classes from the teachers that were working the event, so when they asked questions some of them actually spoke in English. Kids that age seem to have no problems but once they reach middle school they tend to get self conscious. The first question was from one of the most energetic kids...

"My namu isu Tadahiro. I am foa yeas orudo. I liku...Disuney."

Kojima-san: "Did you have a question?"
Tadahiro: "No, I just wanted to introduce myself." *Giant grin*

Everyone kind of died at that. He was just so proud of himself.

The next kid did the same, only he got nervous and gave up after "My namu isu..."

Finally they started asking actually questions.
"How tall are you?"
"Do you speak any languages other than English"
"Have you been to any other foreign countries than Japan?"
"What is your favorite Japanese food?"

For kids, they actually asked pretty impressive questions.

Finally, I helped introduce the girls to their host families. This was pretty easy and most of the host families either spoke English or had been host families many times before. The girls seemed nervous, but they were going in pairs so they were able to relax.

One of the host families was actually a young man who spoke very good English....which I have to admit started a few wheels going in my head because he is pretty hot (yes I have been here long enough to start finding SOME Japanese guys attractive...not quite interested in the guys with all the product in their hair or the murses *man purse*...but some of the more masculine looking Japanese guys look pretty good....)

Then of course he introduce the girl sitting next to him as "my angel" so I laughed at myself and went back to work.

But events like that, where I get to help other foreigners experience and enjoy Japanese culture are my favorite. They make me feel as if I am making an impact on the community and am actually working as a CIR and not just a translator.

My first week back after Christmas

Somehow my epic failure (thanks Jon) of a Christmas vacation instilled in me a strong desire to tackle the issues I have been facing here in Japan. I love love love my job and my life here, but certain things are just a little trying...

1.I still sometimes feel as if I am an outsider in my office. I don't always know what is going on and don't always feel a connection with the people I work with.

2. I feel like I need to get out and get to know my new hometown better and STOP feeling as if I shouldn't go to a new restaurant or bar simply because I cause a scene. I live here, I speak the language, it's no big deal.

3. I want to do more events that get me involved with the citizens of Kameoka. That is my job.


Somehow, beginning to make these changes was easy. I just need to keep pushing so it keeps changing.

Monday January 5
Today was the first day back at the office for everyone after New Years. Now every morning we have to recite the Citizens Charter and City Employee Declaration. In this, we say 私たちは明るく元気な職場を作ります。 Or "We will work to create an active and bright office environment."

Today, this actually seemed to happen. Everyone was chatting about their vacations and going through all the pleasantries that come with the new year in Japan. Every few minutes someone new would come in and we all had to stand up and bow and address them. It was just really active and everyone was smiling and talking and laughing. Then, Mori-butyou addressed the entire office with his new year speech. We had half an hour free before the mayor's address so that was when everyone turned on me......

"Margaret, tell us about what happened"
"How did you lose your wallet."
"Oh it must have been terrible."

It was kind of funny going over the same story over and over. But it was a great way to get talking. Also, I remembered the most important thing about getting to know people...I have to ask questions too. Sometimes I get so involved in trying to say the right thing in response or avoiding making a mistake that I forget that it is ok to ask questions, in fact I need to ask questions about my coworkers.

After the mayor's address, my supervisor, Kagawa-san, had to take me to get my new foreign residency card and my new bank card, and help me with the health insurance paperwork. It was like my first day all over again.

The best part about today was that I really got the chance to open up and talk to people...Something I plan to continue.

Thursday January 8
Today I was at the other office. I started designing a new masthead for my newsletter because I felt like I really needed to make it my own. Plus I have discovered that working on the newsletter is something I really enjoy. It is a nice break from my translating.

I also heard that the Girl Scouts of Japan were looking for a speaker and since I did Girl Scouts when I was younger I offered to speak for them. I also met with the teachers from a nearby elementary school, as I will be speaking to 2 classes of 6th graders next month. I really like giving these speeches because it gives me the opportunity to interact with students. They usually have some very interesting observations about America and American culture.

At the end of the day, one of my coworkers handed me a plastic bag....with raw deer meat inside. Apparently a deer had been caught in the woods (this office is in the mountains) and they just cut it up and handed out the meat at the end of the day....Now I just need to look up some deer recipes.

Friday January 9
Earlier in the week I was handed a document to sign off on (which is customary. We sign off on EVERYTHING for EVERYONE. If I want to do a project I have to get it approved). It was an invitation to a lecture on city development. I decided that I wanted to attend, not only because it would be good Japanese practice, but also because everyone else in my dept. was going and I thought it would be a good way for me to enhance our relationship.

Today, however, Fukuchi san took the sheet to Kagawa-san and whispered something...then said "Will you ask?"

He turned to me and was like
"You know you signed up for this right?"

Me: "Yeah"

Kagawa: "You know you won't get overtime right?"

Me: "Yeah, that isn't why I signed up"

Kagawa: "Don't you have calligraphy that night?"

Me: "Usually, but it is a vacation day"

Kagawa: "Umm ok"

So I got a little worried. See, being foreign and not always in tune with the nuances of Japanese culture, I tend to over think things. For example, when I sign off on documents I have to use my name stamp (hanko). Now, the important people get their own box. The rest of us all stamp in one box. Now I always worry about where to put mine...what if I put it above Kagawa-san (who is technically my superior), is that bad? etc. I agonize over the weirdest things.

In this case, I thought maybe it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go. They didn't seem to want me to go.... But if they didn't want me to go, why would they give me the option? So I asked....

He said it was ok, they just didn't want me to skip calligraphy to go. But it was just odd how they didn't believe that I understood my own schedule. They thought I felt obligated to go (which is partly true....everyone else was going, so I feel like I should as well), but I really want to go, because it will help me learn about the projects other people are working on and what else I can do.

So this week back was a great step toward reaching my goals. I guess all my issues in Europe gave me the confidence to really put myself out there. If I can handle the hospitals in Germany and France, then I can definitely handle anything they throw my way here.

My comically tragic end of 2008

I set off at the end of December 2008 for an exciting trip across Europe. It was going to be incredible, a whirlwind through Paris, the Christmas festivals in Strasbourg, Zurich, Munich, and finally New Years in Berlin.

It was supposed to be my own version of backpacking where I would get to see the parts of Europe I have not seen. A break from my daily grind in Japan. A time when I could be a tourist and when I wasn't expected to know the language. A time when I could be a foreigner but not be noticed until I opened my mouth.

So, on December 20th, I set off for my European adventure. I was going to experience the beauty and romance of France, the amazing festivals at Christmastime in Europe, and the history and beer of Germany.

Fate, however, seemed to have different plans for me.

This is my story, and if he were alive, I defy even Shakespeare to come up with such a tragic comedy.

Paris (December 20-22)
I arrived in Paris without much trouble. It was a 2 hour train ride followed by a flight to Amsterdam and then another flight to Paris. All in all it took about 20 hours. I actually met up with a fellow JET on his way to Europe and a couple of other foreigners going there too. It turned into a pretty interesting conversation in which I learned that most of the people who move to Japan are huge geeks. I was discussing how I sometimes have difficulty with my Japanese accent and the guy across from me said something along the lines of...

"Oh I totally know what you mean, but my Japanese accent is way better than my Klingon accent though..."

At first I thought he was kidding. But, he wasn't.

Then on the tram the Klingon guy looked at this other girl and was like
"Oh that's a great necklace...Is that elvish I see?"
"Oh yeah. It's from the Lord of the Rings"
--The guy then pulls out his own necklace, which is the exact same ring.
In unison "One ring to rule them all..."

Seriously. I nearly died.
So 12 hours and 5 movies later I arrived in Amsterdam, grabbed Starbucks with my non-crazy JET friend. Eventually jumped on a plane to Paris and met my friend Allison at Charles de Gaulle. I didn't have a lot of energy and was a bit jet lagged so we went to our hostel (after getting lost on the way) and grabbed some cheese and bread and wine.

Though I have to say, Paris has this image of being really romantic and beautiful, but it was really kinda dirty and gross. The subways were full of trash and graffiti, and they smelled bad. Turns out Japan has spoiled me. Once we got into downtown Paris though, it began to look like the nice city I expected.

The next morning we got up early and went sightseeing in Paris.
First we went to Versailles, which was beautiful, except that the Parisians had decided to put a really horrible modern art display up in Versailles. So when we walked into each room there were these hideous pieces of "art." In the old bedroom of Marie Antoinette there was a plastic lobster hanging from the ceiling. At the end of the hall of mirrors there was a giant metallic blue balloon. It was ridiculous.

We headed back into Paris and grabbed panini's and walked along the Seine to Notre Dame. As expected, it was absolutely beautiful. I remember hating being dragged to the cathedrals in England when I was a kid, but now that I am older I can look at them and appreciate how much effort went into the creation of these buildings. I believe Notre Dame took about 200 years to complete.

Then we walked to The Louvre. We didn't really go in because it's so huge and we only had 1 full day in Paris so we used the free bathrooms (because in Europe they make you pay to pee....)and walked around the courtyard. Apparently The Louvre was Napoleon's "castle." Why anyone would need that much space to live in, I dunno. But it was really impressive. I don't mind that we didn't go inside mostly because I have heard that it is somewhat overrated. Also it looked so big I don't think we would have ever gotten through it.

After The Louvre we visited the tallest building in Paris where we could get a view of the whole city. It was really beautiful. It was just getting dark but we could see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc du Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame, etc. from above.

After we left the giant building we went to the Eiffel Tower which was lit up with blue lights and yellow stars to look like the EU flag. It was impressive, but certainly not my favorite part of Paris. After grabbing some hot chocolate we walked over to the Champs Elysee and Arc du Triomphe. Seriously, how people in Paris can drive around there without getting into a million accidents, I have no idea. That is a scary street.

The next day we walked around Paris for a bit before heading to the station to go to Strasbourg.

Up til now, it has probably sounded like a great vacation. Well, the first 2 and a half days were great.

Strasbourg (December 22-24)

On the train to Strasbourg, I began to feel a little sick. I didn't think too much of it, but I felt really awful by the time we arrived. I was running a bit of a fever and just wanted to go the hostel. Allison wanted to go to the Christmas market so I spent a bit of time there with her til I couldn't take it anymore. So we grabbed some dinner. However, I couldn't really stomach anything so we ended up having to shove half a pizza in my purse (because they don't do doggy bags in Europe). We went back to the hostel and I went straight to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling really sick. I'll spare everyone the details but it wasn't pretty and I spent most of the night on the floor of the hostel bathroom...also not pretty.

When I got up to take a shower I got really dizzy. My vision kinda went all tunnel-like and black and I had to lie down on the floor of the shower. Seriously. Gross. Living in Japan apparently has made it difficult for me to handle certain Western foods....or it was food poisoning....

I wasn't going to let it ruin our vacation so after I felt a little better we got up and went to breakfast. Though I still got really dizzy and couldn't eat anything, we went out to see the city. Strasbourg has a really incredible cathedral created out of sandstone. It was much more intricate than Notre Dame and really impressive. Though, I was most excited about the free bathrooms just around the corner...

We decided to take the river cruise around the city since I wasn't feeling well and it was cold out. For me it was a bit difficult being stuck in a boat for over an hour while sick, but it ended up being pretty interesting. We learned a lot about the history of Strasbourg (located in the Alsace region) and the European Union (which has all it's main Parliaments, etc. in Strasbourg).

We also wandered around the Christmas markets that are famous in Strasbourg. There were different stalls selling food and hot wine, Christmas ornaments, and all kinds of trinkets. I couldn't really enjoy it because I felt so sick but it would have been really fun.

Strasbourg is actually just on the edge of the border between France and Germany, separated by the Rhine. So Allison and I thought we should walk from France to Germany and take pictures as we stood on either side of the border. We walked across the bridge and took some pictures standing over the line, half in France and half in Germany. We wandered around the little town of Kehl, Germany but nothing was going on so we decided to head back after stopping at Woolworth's to get some shampoo.

We ran to the bus stop to catch a bus back into Strasbourg, but the bus driver drove off just as we went running up (jerk). So we waited around for the next bus. 20 minutes and 2 scheduled, but not yet arrived, buses later we were still waiting...a lot of other people were waiting too. The bus finally arrived and we were all rushing to get on. I was feeling like I was going to get sick again so I just wanted to get on the bus. It was really bad.

We got back into Strasbourg and stopped by a grocery store to get some dinner to cook back at the hostel. As we paid, I reached into my purse....

and my wallet wasn't there.

Yup, 2 days before Christmas, on a packed bus between France and Germany, while I tried not to get sick all over everyone, my wallet was stolen.

So there I was, at a grocery store in France with absolutely no cash, no identification, no credit cards...nothing.

My insides froze. I had no idea what to do. Hoping I had left it at the store in Germany we got back on the bus to ask if they had found my wallet.

They hadn't (-_-)

So then the woman at the store told us to go to the police department down the street. We walked down the empty streets and finally found the police department. But the door wouldn't open, so we knocked and after a buzzer, the door opened. The cop who answered the door didn't speak English. He also didn't speak French. He definitely didn't speak Japanese. So he called a different cop. This guy understood some English, but didn't really speak it.


So we sat in his office, me still feeling sick, and told him the story. I think what happened was that as we waited in line to board the bus, these 2 punk kids cut between me and Allison. Then, when I noticed and moved behind them, they turned and followed us onto the center entrance to the bus. I noticed them suddenly turn and get off the bus before we took off, but only thought it was weird, and didn't think that they might have stolen my wallet. We kept having to repeat bits of the story to the cop. After about an hour we finally had a police report, in German. I had to sign it, but considering I was in Germany and not Thailand I figured it would be ok to sign something I couldn't read.

I actually was extremely calm throughout the ordeal. I was more upset at myself for being so stupid to put all my money in my wallet, along with important cards I wasn't using and carry it around Europe. I know better...Plus I really really liked that wallet. But they didn't get my passport which was right next to my wallet. Had I lost my passport, I might not have been able to get back into Japan. The thieves took my foreign residency card as well.

Also, what made it so easy was knowing that I could contact my parents and they would help me. It was such a relief to know that if I called them they would wire me money so I could make it home to Japan. I lost a lot of money but I learned some very valuable lessons.

1. Don't get to complacent. Just because Japan is fairly safe, I can't just assume everywhere is. Even though it seems lame, you should always separate your money and not carry anything you don't need while traveling.

2. I am extremely lucky. I lost almost $1000 worth of currency but was still able to enjoy the rest of my trip because I have a family with the means and inclination to help when I get into trouble.

3. With great parents and Western Union, you can get money sent from America to Europe overnight, even on Christmas Eve.

It was one of the first times that I have experienced the meanness of people. I can only hope, though this probably isn't what happened, that the people who stole my wallet used the money they found to buy Christmas presents or food for their families. I feel less bad about losing the money that way.

I emailed my supervisor and he took care of shutting down my Japanese ATM card and I got the rest of my accounts closed as well. But starting tomorrow I have to get all those things again, including my health insurance card and my foreign resident card.

Then there was another night on the bathroom floor.... as if my night wasn't bad enough.

So on December 24th I set off for Zurich, Switzerland, still sick, and with a much lighter purse.

Zurich, Switzerland (December 24-26)

So, Allison and I had done some research before our trip and had found that they speak French and German in Switzerland, so we figured with Allison's French and the fact that most people speak SOME English, we would be ok.

We arrived in Zurich at what appeared to be an abandoned train station. We walked in and began to look for the ticket machines so we could make our way to our hostel. The ticket machines were all in German and didn't have an English button so we figured we could just buy a ticket within Zone 1 and be ok. So we put in a few Euros and...clank clank...they were returned. So we tried again...clank clank...they were returned. We tried again (we obviously weren't getting it)...clank clank...they were returned.

Apparently Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc, not the Euro.

So we try to find someone but can't find anyone. So we jump on a train to ask and the woman tells us we found the right train but couldn't buy a ticket on it. She also told us a currency exchange was open down the street.

So we went off to find the currency exchange. When we found the exchange place we tried to get in but the door was locked. It was Christmas Eve and they had closed 5 minutes earlier and they refused to open the door (Merry Christmas, huh?) Luckily Allison had her ATM card and she took some money out so we could make it to the hostel.

This was where I really found out about how nice people can be (a nice change)...
We needed to get directions to our hostel and we found this really great station attendant who spoke German, French and English and he got us the right tickets and told us how to get there.

When we got off the tram the driver must have known we were tourists because of our suitcases and he stepped out and pointed us in the right direction.

Then when we passed an intersection the taxi driver across the street pointed us in the right direction.

The next day was Christmas. We spent the morning walking around and taking in the scenery of the Alps and the cathedrals. We made our way to the Grossmunster Cathedral and it turned out they were holding a Christmas concert. Now, German is a really ugly language, but when it is used in Christmas songs in a cathedral in Zurich, it can actually be pretty beautiful. Plus, I was FINALLY starting to feel better.

It was a weird Christmas, being the first I spent without my family. It didn't really feel like Christmas, though being in Zurich was beautiful.

The next day we caught the train to Munich (oh yay, back to Germany, the land of thieves).

Munich, Germany (December 26-29)

Just as I was getting better, Allison started getting really sick. On our first night we didn't get out much cuz it was late and Allison was feeling really poorly. By about 11pm she felt like she needed a doctor. She had been getting over a sinus infection but now it was getting worse. In the morning she really needed to go to the doctor. So instead of going on the free walking tour, I took her to the doctor.

She got her meds and decided to go back to sleep but I wanted to go and see the sights of Munich so I went on the free walking tour alone. These tours are really interesting because you take about 3 hours and walk around the monuments and buildings and learn all about the history. It was really interesting to be in Munich and learn about its history. I mean, I walked the streets where Hitler carried out the Beer Putsch and orchestrated Krystal Nacht. I saw buildings that were spared during the bombing in WWII just so the Allies could find Munich. We also got to go to a Munich pub serving traditional Bavarian stew.

The next morning Allison was feeling better so we took the tour to the Dachau Memorial. It was the kind of event you look forward to but feel weird about looking forward to. I was excited to experience the history but of course very aware of the weight and importance of this location in history. I was really impressed with how well it was preserved and organized. It was an extremely moving and emotional day, the kind of day where things you have studied suddenly become real.

After Dachau we went to dinner at a traditional Munich beer house. We had no idea what we were doing. We walked into a giant room full of huge tables. We sat ourselves next to a couple of middle age German men who actually helped us order because we didn't know how to get the attention of the waiters or order beer. I got myself a stein of the dark beer (^-^) Now that I was feeling better I was up for a liter all to myself. We couldn't read the menu so I randomly chose a menu item, as I was feeling a tad adventurous. Plus who could resist ordering something called

Weiner Art ???

It turned out to be just regular wiener schnizel and potato salad. But it was amazing and amusing.

At dinner Allison started to feel a bit dizzy but said it might be a side effect of the meds she was taking.

The next day we took a bit more of a tour of Munich. I showed Allison what she missed on the walking tour. Allison realized the meds she was taking she had taken a few years ago and had similar side effects so her doctor had told her to quit taking them. She decided to wait til later to take them again.

And then we went off to Berlin.

Berlin, Germany (December 29-January 1)

We took a 6 hour train ride to Berlin. It was about 9 pm when we got there so we just went to the hostel. We checked in and went upstairs to get some sleep so we could get an early start the next day. Just when things had started looking up for our vacation, Allison took her pill again....

Almost immediately she started shaking and hyperventilating. I had no idea what to do so I got her downstairs and had the hostel workers call a cab. I ran upstairs to get Allison's shoes and coat along with her purse and the meds she was taking.

The cab showed up and got us to the hospital but no one was inside. Allison couldn't breathe so I had to run around yelling to get some help. So there I was in a German hospital with a friend who couldn't breathe and I had no idea how to get her help.

This is when I first really felt EXTREMELY grateful that I was raised in an English speaking country, because at most hospitals at least someone speaks SOME English. I was able to get the receptionist to help.

I had no idea what was going on and basically just tried to keep Allison calm while they took some blood for tests. We ended up being there from about 10pm to 2am but they didn't really do anything for her, but I think it was because of the language barrier. I'm not sure they really understood what was wrong with her, which was the scariest part.

The next morning Allison was feeling better so we went on the walking tour of Berlin. They took us to the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Berlin Wall, the memorial to the Jewish victims of the Final Solution, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Dome, etc. It was really awesome to get to see Berlin. I took a Cold War class during my last semester of college and was always really interested in Berlin's role. During the tour we met a couple of new people, Jen and Tom from Australia and Stevie who was on her way back to the states from Siberia, where she had been teaching English. It was really impressive to meet some people with a lot of traveling experience.

Berlin was absolutely freezing. I had two pairs of socks on but couldn't feel my toes. So we decided to take refuge in a pub. However, we weren't near any pubs at the end of the tour and all we found was this bar called Palm Beach with sand all over the floor. It was kind of amazing.

The next morning Allison and I decided to do some final sight seeing. I wanted to see Checkpoint Charlie again because it had a great exhibit about the Cold War. It was cold out so we dropped into a coffee shop but they wouldn't take my 100 euro bill (I guess I'm used to Japan where using a 10,000 yen bill), and I was running low on cash anyway with my stolen wallet. Why a place won't take real money I have no idea.

We were supposed to meet up with Jen, Tom, and Stevie but everyone got busy and only Tom showed up. We tried to go to the Reichstag but it was about to close and the line was really long so we went ahead and went to the East Side Gallery. This is a long part of the wall that has been preserved and decorated. It was really kind of eerie to be standing by a wall that once separated two sides of a city for decades. It was also really eerie because you could still see the leftover differences between the two sides of the city.

It was only about 7:30 when we were done and we didn't want to go to the Brandenburg Gate until a bit later. Apparently I have gotten really old and the idea of staying out all night on New Years Eve in the cold did not sound like much fun. I was exhausted from being sick and traveling for 2 weeks. Tom, who was only 19 decided to go on the pub crawl (Stephen, I know that if you read this you will be super disappointed in me) but the trip had really wiped us out so Allison and I decided to just go see the fireworks and head back to our hostel. We grabbed some Indian food and made our way to the Gate. On the train over we met these 3 Americans on a college class trip and sort of just joined their group. It was nice to have more than just 2 people and through them we met some German guys. Though apparently I have been living in Japan for too long because every girl thought they were gorgeous except me....


The fireworks were absolutely amazing. It was a huge display that went on for almost 15 minutes. On top of that, all the drunk people around us were shooting off fireworks themselves, which of course was not the most fun. Drunk people shooting off bottle rockets and firecrackers in a huge crowd....

When the main show ended we all decided to head back to the station...It was surreal. It was a huge crowd of people pushing and shoving as firecrackers and fireworks went off all around us. It was like being in a war movie. Berlin, in the dark, huge crowds of people, tons of trash, explosions all around us.

When we got to the station people were throwing firecrackers down the stairs so we had to find a way in without getting our arms blown off. Someone even set a firecracker off on the crowded train platform. The train was like Tokyo rush hour. We were packed in, trying not to accidentally grab someone someplace inappropriate, on our way home in a strange city.

We made it home and the next day we were making our way back to Paris.

January 1st Berlin to Paris

We spent the morning in line at the Reichstag, but still couldn't get in. So we just went straight to the airport.

We got to the airport and checked in without too much trouble. I had to check my bag because small European airlines are apparently really strict about bag size...but other than that, no problem.

Then, things took a turn for the worse. As we were sitting waiting for our plane to board Allison began to get sick again. All of a sudden she said she was getting dizzy again. She had stopped taking her meds, but was having the symptoms again...

I hoped it would pass, but it just kept getting worse. I was afraid we weren't going to make it on the plane. She was shaking and having trouble breathing. She was nauseous as well. I just kept trying to keep her calm, because we had to get on that plane. If we didn't get on the plane we wouldn't make it to Paris, and if we didn't get to Paris I wouldn't be able to get home to Japan the next day. Plus Allison speaks French and has French health insurance, so I wanted to get her back.

She somehow made it through the flight. But when we got off the plane she got even worse. I grabbed our bags, but she couldn't really handle getting on the metro to get to our hostel, so we decided to wait a while. But she still wasn't getting better. She laid down but still couldn't stop shaking and was still really dizzy. Suddenly she said she needed to get to a hospital....

But she speaks French, not me.....

So how the hell do you get to a hospital from Orly Airport in Paris???

I tried to find someone, but couldn't, so I just went to Information. Luckily I can ask "Do you speak English" in French and was able to tell the woman my friend needed a doctor. So they called an ambulance for her. As she tried to tell them what was wrong with her I had to explain to the cop what happened.

They took her to the little "hospital" like thing attached to the airport.

It got really scary at this point (as if it wasn't already scary being in a hospital in a foreign country for the 3rd time and not knowing what was happening to my friend).

She started writhing on the hospital bed as if she was in intense pain but she couldn't explain what was going on. All she could say was that it felt like she was losing consciousness and had to move to stay aware. The doctors were practically ignoring her, telling her she was just having a panic attack. I kept running to get her a nurse, and it was kinda difficult because I don't speak French....lots of "pardon" and the accidental "sumimasen" and just gesturing. Until finally an English speaking doctor showed up.

We were saved....

Or so I thought....

He talked to us and got her history, but then he handed her a little pill and told her it would calm her down.

She asked what it was and he just said it would calm her down. She just wanted to know what it was, having a lot of allergies and also having studied medicine, and he wouldn't tell her. Instead, he started yelling at her....

"I'm the doctor. If you don't want to listen that's fine. I have other emergencies and I don't need to waste my time here. I have other things I have to do. I speak English, I am a doctor, so just take the pill."

And then he walked away.....

WTF.

Allison was freaking out and crying and wouldn't take the pill and all the nurses were in her face trying to force her to take it. Finally the doctor came back and convinced Allison to take the pill. He said she would get sent to the main hospital in an ambulance if she calmed down.

She did calm down, but at one point she just started saying my name over and over and over and over but never answered when I talked to her. Her eyes weren't focusing and she couldn't talk. I ran to get the doctor but they didn't believe anything was wrong because she could answer their questions. She gained some clarity and was telling me that she had been saying my name because she couldn't remember who I was at one point.

While waiting for the ambulance I just kept her talking. But as she was talking she would lose track of what she was saying.

Finally the ambulance showed up...and as she was getting up to go to the stretcher, they asked her how she was going to pay.

She asked if they would take a card.... no
She asked if they could bill her....no
They would only take cash...up front.

Now I only had 200 euros left from what my parents had wired me so I couldn't pay for her. They made her go up to find an ATM so she could pay. Then they finally took her to the hospital.

The paramedics were total jerks and were up in the front listening to the radio and eating chips and chatting up in the front, barely listening to Allison.

We went up this winding back road to get to the hospital and all I could think was that if someone were actually dying, they would be dead before they got there.

We got to the hospital and they got Allison out of the back of the ambulance and I grabbed the bags as one of the paramedics signed her in. But they just left her sitting in the doorway in the cold. I tried to get them to move her but they wouldn't understand me. Finally a doctor came out, and THANK GOD he spoke English almost fluently.

They got her in and started doing tests. I couldn't follow so I had to go into the waiting room.

We arrived at midnight and by 7 am I still hadn't heard anything. Though I had eaten my dinner out of a vending machine, fallen asleep for about half an hour only to snore once really loudly and wake myself up (in a crowded waiting room, next to the sleeping homeless guy).

Finally a new doctor came out (as there had been a shift change), and said "Marguerite? Marguerite"

I figured that was me so I went up and said "Allison?"

He went off in French and I was like.... ummmm do you speak English.....

he didn't. No one there did anymore.

This guy, however, was SO super nice and made sure I understood what was going on. He wanted me to call Allison's father.....

OMG. What on earth was I going to say? It was here that it finally started to get to me. I held back tears and went to get the phone number from Allison.

The phone wouldn't work. They couldn't call internationally.

So I helped Allison call her supervisor and some friends. It was 7 am and I had a 1 pm flight out of Charles de Gaulle.... but I couldn't leave her until I knew she had someone else coming. I mean, she was about to get sent in for a CAT scan....

But I couldn't miss my flight either. I had no credit card so if I missed it I wouldn't be able to get home. I had no idea what to do and I was freaking out. I have never wanted my mother more. I just didn't want to be the adult in this situation. I couldn't let Allison see me get upset, but the doctor guy kept seeing it. He was so sweet and kept trying to reassure me that everything was ok.

After the CAT scan Allison found out her friend was coming and she said she was going to be ok so I could go to the airport. She gave me the metro map but I had no idea how to get to the metro station from where we were and I don't speak French. Thankfully she asked the nice doctor guy to give me directions. He drew me a really detailed map and then walked me over til all I had to do was walk straight. He gave me a big hug and then did the French kiss on the cheek thing, it was so sweet. He was just so helpful and really help restore my faith in the niceness of people.

So I got to the airport without a problem. When I got on the plane I was so exhausted I didn't wanna deal with the people sitting next to me, even though they were a nice Japanese couple, so I let them assume I was French (seeing as I was on Air France the flight was full of French and Japanese people).

However, when it was time for us to get our meals the Japanese flight attendant spoke French to me, so I had to say, in Japanese, "Sorry I don't speak French, but I do speak English and Japanese so...."

And the woman next to me literally screamed. She was so shocked. It was hilarious. If I hadn't been so stressed I would have laughed.

But I made it home and slept for about 2 days straight.

So that was my European "vacation"
1. Food poisoning
2. Getting my wallet stolen 2 days before Christmas while I had food poisoning.
3. My friend goes to the hospital in Munich
4. She goes to the emergency room in Berlin
5. She goes to the emergency room in Paris

The trip was not a complete waste. We did have a lot of fun when we weren't nearly dying. And I learned a lot.

1. People can be really awful.
2. People can be really sweet. They'll help you to your hostel and help you at a hospital even if you don't speak the same language.
3. I learned what my ALT friends who don't speak any Japanese go through on a daily basis.
4. I learned how to get to the hospital in Germany and France


So, 2008 which did not begin under the best of circumstances, ended with a bout of food poisoning and hospital visits. 2009 began in a Paris hospital.

But, it can only get better from here :)
Happy New Year everyone!!!!