vday

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

pRECiOUs

These are pics from my smallest school, Okonai-shogakko. 25 kids in the entire elem school, another example of taxpayer's money being ever so efficiently allocated. The above pics are the combined class of first AND second graders- 7 members (my teacher friends back home are probably shaking their heads in both disapproval and disbelief.)

The picture below is the combined class of 3/4 graders (again, only 7). We played 'hospital' but shortly thereafter I started feeling a bit under the weather myself. The teachers at Okonai swore I picked up walking pneumonia in Sapporo, and though I insisted that I could give it a 1-2 Sudafed/Nyquil punch and knock it out, apparently they know my immune system better than me and off I went to the hospital. Waiting for the doctor took 30 minutes, seeing the doctor maybe 4 (1 of which was spent watching the doctor page through his English dictionary). I think he tried to say "You aren't that sick, I'm not going to give you a prescription just because you are American and overmedication is a rule of thumb." I walked back to the office trying to hide the grin on my "I-told-you-so-face", and decided not to start a battle over who knows who's immune system better. Lastly, when I got home, the best medicine yet was waiting at my doorstep. A beautiful Valentine from my friend Saori equipped with a homemade dinner & tub of honey lemon tea! Doesn't get much better than that - medicine and friendship-wise.

This marks my first time getting 'sick'. Strange that I have never experienced such cold living conditions in my life, never used so many restrooms with out toilet paper, hand soap or hot water, and never continuously stood in other people's piss using squat pots...my standard of cleaniliness has declined considerably. Yet I seem to be in tip-top shape. Could it be that absolutely nothing can survive the frigid climate of my living room? Or maybe it's because of the unappetizing, but 'nutrious' random bits of fish flesh and animal intestinal tracts I have been subjected to over here? It's a different way of life and I'm still tryin' to figure it out! Until I do, please have an extra Vday chocolate for me (but I'm not responsible for the cancer, heart disease and migraines it causes!)