Interesting Happenings

A lot has happened since our last blog. This one should be good. Where to start? Let's see... A new 7Eleven opened up down the block and it drew a big crowd. Before the actual opening day locals were out front snapping pictures of the new establishment. This isn't some super-duper 7Eleven equipped with tanning beds and quiche, just an average 7Eleven. So, I found the neighborhood photographers a little odd.

Something that's even more odd is the cleaning lady at my often patronized Gold's Gym. In the middle of the day when men are walking around naked in the locker room, the cleaning lady is just feet away sweeping the floor. None of the men leaving the shower area seem to care if a fifty-something year old lady is in the locker room with them. Two questions: Is the floor that dirty that it needs to be cleaned during business hours? Would it be equally okay for a male cleaning person to be doing the same in the ladies locker room during business hours? I'm thinking that the answer to both questions would be "No." (FYI-I don't shower at the gym, I shower at home...that's just too weird).

Here's one more for you. In most restrooms in the U.S. there's a modesty panel that's between the urinals and the doorway of a men's restroom. The purpose being to keep any innocent eyes from catching an unintentional view of some old man's Full Monty. Oddly, this safeguard doesn't exist in Japan. In most men's restrooms, anybody walking by can catch a good view of men urinating should they look in that direction at the same time that someone is opening the restroom door. It's interesting how men's and women's body privacy seem to be viewed differently here. Personally, it doesn't make me too uncomfortable. But I can see how it would be uncomfortable for some guys.

Please allow me to share my recent hospital experience with you. It's WAY different than our health care system in the U.S. First off, Mom if you're reading this, your son is fine, take a deep breath. Back to the story.... this past Monday night I was experiencing some strange symptoms that I thought could be telling me that I was having a heart attack (FYI-I'm currently 33 years old and in the best shape of my life with zero of the risk factors for heart problems). Regardless of my current health condition, I was naturally a bit worried when I was experiencing unusual chest pressure and numbness in my left arm all the way down to my fingertips. So, I went to the nearest hospital to have some blood drawn and tested, get a urine analysis, get some x-rays, obtain a CT scan, an EKG and consult with two separate doctors (one a hematologist and the other a neurologist) who both examined me thoroughly. They also scheduled me for an MRI two days later in a neighboring town which I did go to and have completed as well. Without drawing this out any further, the end diagnosis was a pinched nerve in my neck (this injury dates back to my football days in high school) which was causing the strange sensation in my chest and arm that freaked me out. Prognosis: I'll be fine if I just rest for a few weeks and stop working out at Gold's Gym as if I'm training for the Mr.Olympia competition. I must admit, I do go a little overboard (intensity and duration) when I visit the gym and see my weight machines and dumbbells that I've been thinking about all week (tear). Now, I know what you're thinking...How much did it cost? Do you and Veronica have enough money left after your hospital visit to feed yourselves until your next pay check? Get this...my total bill (FOR EVERYTHING) was about 130 dollars. Shoot, I can spend 130 bucks on a week's worth of groceries. The best part was, when I told my work colleagues how much it had all set me back, they were very apologetic saying that, "It's too expensive! They raised individual health care costs recently to unreasonable levels. If you had had all of that done a few years ago, you would have only spent about 80 dollars." Do I dare say it. Why can't the U.S. offer similar affordable health care to its citizens? The answer has a lot to do with the people who are making money (due to the high cost of health care in America) and their willingness to bribe lawmakers (I mean, contribute to their campaign fund) in order to keep the system the way it is so that they can maintain their unreasonably high income for activities that SHOULD BE punishable by law. Am I putting it too harshly? I don't think so. America has other countries beat in a lot of different categories related to quality of life. This most definitely is not one of them. If you are an American, you need to live by two main rules. Number one, don't get sick...ever! Number two, don't get old.

This gets me to my last topic today. America's emphasis on individualism versus Japan's emphasis on the community or group. It's not until you leave the individualism infused environment of the U.S. that you see how detrimental that view is to the overall health of the community. Over the years, I've heard many students say to other students, "Wow...sucks to be you." Who says that? Seriously, how is that going to help fix the problem? This type of attitude also helps to foster the feelings of hate and loneliness in a society. Last week, a fifteen year old girl at my junior high school died. The outpouring of support that the students and teachers gave to this girl's family was enough to make even the toughest of tough guys cry. For example, I've never seen a teacher in America volunteer their entire weekend to help console and assist a grieving family like I saw here last week. It was an uplifting moment during a very sad time. These are the moments that are remembered most throughout one's life that help give a person peace of mind and comfort. I wish the U.S. had more of that. It's not as though we can't be more communal and supportive, we just choose not to. Why is that? Can Americans unlearn poor habits and adapt healthier ones? If we're not too pig-headed and proud I think we have a chance of doing so. Veronica and I have made it our mission to raise our future children in an open-minded setting that's very multinational and worldly. We hope that this will foster a sense of the "greater good" in our childrens' heads and that they will grow up being fully aware of their impact on their community. Maybe there's other new parents or future parents in America that share this view with us. Let's hope.

Peace and Love,

Jon & Veronica

FYI--The pictures this post are of Valentine's Day dinner, the students waxing the school floor (hey, many hands make light work right?), and Veronica's St. Patrick's Day hallway board at school.