ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Getting sick in America can mean lots and lots of debt. Monday I ended up going to the hospital. It appears as though my lovely wife gave me whatever it is that she has. If it had been America I would have come out with a shot and a nice big bill. Here in Japan I came out with 5 different medications for three days. And the bill you ask? Less than 20 US dollars.

The I find both the price and the medicine to be very different from what I am used to. In America the bill is bigger but I always get medication for, at the very least, one week. My family doctor back in America knows that if I am at his office I am at the point where I need a shot and not pills. The shot works great for me. My the next day I feel great. Today is Thursday, I have finished my medication and I still feel pretty bad.

The jury is still out on this one. While I do prefer the price of a hospital visit in Japan I think I rather have my American medication. Still I feel it is unfair to compare a family doctor that has gotten to know me over the past years to a hospital in Japan. It is like comparing oranges to apples.

Do you think the Japanese health system is good? Do you believe Japanese medicine is weaker than american?  

I bought a cute notebook and pencil the other day. A student showed me the rainbow pencil and I looked all over the mall for one. It's so neat! I have a plethora of small Japanese notebooks, I love the designs with ghosts on them the most! I probably have 6 ghost notebooks in my apartment right now.

I'm trying to take control of my note-taking too. I used to keep several notebooks in college, only to end up using one big one. It was easier, but it was never organized well. I tried!

Today I bought a small binder that holds loose paper. You can move the papers around to any part of the binder and it acts like a notebook. Japan is really advanced when it comes to stationary stuff. I adore it.

I hope I can stay organized at preparing my lessons. It always starts out well, then turns out to be a crazy mess.

So what's the first thing I need to do???? DECORATE! I'm very very good at that.

Good thing I also love to buy stickers.   

This past Tuesday we had our yearly Easter Picnic! Last year I was living in Kanonji, so I had joined the group that went to Ichinomiya park in Toyohama. That was a fun time, and it was amazing weather as well. This year, since I now live in Niihama, I joined the group that went to Hiuchi park, in Saijo. It was a pretty nice day, though the clouds were a bit bothersome (they covered the sun at times, making it a bit cold). We had a lot of people join, especially from Niihama school. It definitely seemed more like a huge party rather than a picnic. Of course we had the standard activities for Easter. namely the egg hunt and egg dyeing, as well as just general running around and having fun with our students. And of course, all the food that people brought for the potluck. There were a lot of sandwiches and sweets made, among other things. I personally made a special kind of chicken parmesan, one that did not involve any tomatoes. It was only my second time making it, and it turned out pretty well. A lot of people seemed to enjoy it, both students and parents. And once the event was officially over, many people stuck around to enjoy the day at the park, myself included. It was really a good event, and I wish we could have more like it. Too bad it isn't warm all year 'round.