#theworldkeepsturning yamaguchicity japan

[soaringonwingsoflove]

Yamaguchi City: The World Keeps Turning

Japanese are punctual people. Punctual with a capital P. I am convinced that if the weather could have a nationality, the weather here would also be Japanese. On September 01st, the weather plummeted（in my opinion） from the humid, summer temperatures of 30°C to chillier temperatures of 14°C - 20°C.

 I have never experienced winter. I even complain if I am in an air-conditioned room. So while these temperatures are cool and perfect for many, I have to bite my tongue every time I want to complain, “It’s so cold!”

 So I thought it was just a mental fight. But the “cool” wind over here is incomparable to the chilly Christmas wind we have grown accustomed to back in Barbados. For me, these winds are so frigid that they literally “get under my skin”. I feel like my organs keep shaking to a pulsing beat on the dance floor.

 Thereafter, it became a physical fight. I got sick. My eyes were burning, my body was cold, I had no appetite, my tonsils（yes I still have my tonsils and they are huge）were inflamed and that was painful. I had a headache, runny nose, congestion and the list goes on and on and on. You name it, I had it and it was awful. I was groggy with a capital G. I was spiralling fast.

 Language barrier problems 101: Standing in a drugstore trying to figure out what medicine to buy when everything is written in Japanese and Google Translate is giving you a weird translation. What do you do? Buying medicine isn’t the time to guess “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” that could easily go sideways quickly with serious repercussions. So even though I hate being dependent on people, this was definitely one of those cases where I needed to beg for help. HELP! That evening, I left my bike at school and got a ride home. I felt too ill. I wished the next day was Saturday but it was Friday and I had to be present at a business meeting in Yamaguchi City.

 Get Your ‘Ish’ Together

Usually, if I’m ill and I still have to go to work, I plop myself into my car and I drive at 40 km/hr because I’m groggy with a capital G. But of course things have changed. To commute from city to city, the main form of transportation is the train, which is also punctual with a capital P. I have a love-hate relationship with this system. I love it! When commuting by train, there are websites like www.hyperdia.com, which will have departure times listed. I love it because it is super-efficient and dependable in contrast to the system-or lack thereof- at home, where you wait at the bus stop with great uncertainty. Bajan Injection: “Where d bus, where d bus, where d bus to town?…..”

 But sometimes I am not fond of the train system. On days like this when you don’t have your ‘ish’ together, there is a high probability that you aint gonna get on that train if you don’t get it together. （Another one bites the dust!）

 I had to get the 7:48 a.m. train. Remember, I was groggy with a capital G, so I only woke up at 7:00. I take about 30 minutes to get ready（45 or more to be honest; I’m a work in progress）and the station is 20 minutes away at a causal pace. It would have been faster if I biked but my bike was at school. So you do the Math, time was against me! Either I was going to get my butt into gear or Bajan Injection: “De train did gine lef me!”

 So I huffed and puffed through my mouth（can’t breathe through yuh nose problems） and my physically weak body got me there in time. Aint it fun living in the real world.? Adulting is hard!

 Trade-Offs

I was fatigued after a day of planning and listening to a long lecture. The lecture was good but…I was groggy with a capital G. After we got something to eat, the sleep came on heavy. Out of habit, I put my hands in my pocket for my car keys, thinking of my bed and being at home in 15 minutes MAX. But, back to life, and back to reality. It legit took almost 2 hours to get home. And the fatigue was creeping in from my sleep medicine. When we reached our station, I thought, “Yes, we’re finally home!” No, you’re not home, you’re at the station with NO bike! Time to walk home. What a trade-off!

That Thing That Shall Not Be Named

It was bitter-cold and dark. Dylan had his bike, so he biked by my side while I zombie-walked. We were chatting and side-stepping out of the road from oncoming traffic. We were trying to get home as fast as possible when IT happened. In mid-sentence, I saw something in a ‘S’ shape on MY side of the road. It could have been an old piece of rubber or something. I was right next to it when Dylan stopped and asked, “Wait, is that a snake?.............................”

 ……..All I could remember was the loud, thumping sound of my sneakers on the gritty asphalt and my loud, congested breathing. In mid-stride, I realised I wasn’t hearing the whoosh of Dylan’s bicycle wheels anymore. So 100m down the road, I stopped and realised he was still back there INSPECTING the S-N-A-K-E. Yes, as you see it, that is how I say it. That thing that shall NOT be named. I was scared shitless. Father Jesus forgive me because that was a true WTF moment. Forget being exhausted, I was ready to run all the way home. When Dylan’s inspection was over, he rode towards me with a smile on his face, “It’s dead!” With raised eyebrows and bulging eyes, through gritted teeth I said, “That’s good to know!”

 To all my Bajan and Caribbean brothers and sisters out there, were you going to stop to find out if the S-N-A-K-E was dead? Enough said.

 After the episode, he explained that he usually isn’t so fearless but when one person is spazzed out with fear（ME!）, the other person has to be strong. And that’s why he stood his ground! If you’re reading this Dylan,-it’s good to know you got my back.

 Keep The Progress

The regular stroll home was now haunted. My mind was blowing up with paranoia. “Keep all the windows and doors closed!” I thought. I was so psyched out and paralyzed with fear that for a moment, I was throwing my blooming, adventurous spirit in the bin. Then I had a stern talk with myself. I’ve made too much progress to turtle back into a shell because of a dead S-N-A-K-E. Was it traumatic for me? Yes! But the lesson from that day was clear, no matter what trauma you went through or may be going through, you better get it together because you better believe that the world keeps turning!