National Health Insurance and Physical

This morning I woke up early. I still haven't adjusted entirely to time difference here so I still wake up at about 3 every morning and then it takes me anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to fall back asleep. Once back asleep I can usually sleep until 7 or 8. I woke up and made some breakfast. I was videochatting with Hope on Skype as I was eating breakfast and I heard a sound. The best way to describe this sound is if you took an ice cream truck and put a Japanese accent on it. I assumed that was what it was and ignored it. About 5 minutes later I heard it again. I finally started looking around and eventually realized it was my cell phone. Moto had texted me that he would be at the Michigan House (where I live) at 9 to meet us and go register for health insurance. It was 9:10. I hurried to throw on some clothes and ran downstairs.

Once downstairs Mike Hall (2 time defensive player of the year in his conference from BYU) walked with Moto to the train station which is about a 15 minute walk up the hill from where we live. We took the train and went to register for our health insurance. I got the paper and had no idea what the characters said. Moto translated it and told me what to write down. We got done and then had to wait for about 40 minutes until they were done. We sat in these benches that had to be half the height of benches in America. Mike impressed Moto showing off his skills of being able to count to 100. (He took a Japanese class in high school because his high school coach was the teacher, but still better than I can do as of right now.) Finally I got my health insurance card and we were on our way back to the apartment.

I now have national health insurance. For all of you wondering about how health care reform will end up I'm going to try it out and get back to you.

Shortly after our trainer, Shige, came and picked Mike and I up to go to the hospital for our physicals. He picked us up in our Shiga Lakestars Car. It is bright orange with blue painted decals all over. I will take a picture of it because it is pretty sweet. There are two seats in the back and they have lots of room. For such a small looking car the seats in the back are very roomy.

So we went to our physicals and it was an incredibly detailed physical. I had a bone bruise on my ankle about a month and a half ago. I had to be in a boot for about 3 weeks and then had a very sore sprained ankle basically after I was out of the boot. I haven't been able to play for awhile. The trainer wanted to get an MRI on my ankle and calf because my calf has some atrophy from being in the boot so long.

So I go in for the MRI and I ask the doctor who speaks no english how long it will be. He says 50 minutes. I try to explain to him that I do not want my head to go into the tunnel by hand signals and everything. The tunnel of the MRI here looks a whole lot smaller than the ones at home. After about 20 minutes he comes in and pulls me out of the tunnel (I was in to about my shoulders, thankfully). I try to figure out what is going on but he obviously messed something up. It ended up taking about an hour and 15 minutes. Afterwards I got into the rest of the physical.

There was in order - a bloodtest, ultrasound of my heart and my calf and ankle, ekg of my heart, chest x-ray of my heart, inspection of my knee by an orthopedic surgeon, took my blood pressure 3 times, met with a heart specialist about my results (she said that I'm normal and also that I eat very well), and then I had an eye exam where I had to take my contacts out(I have no idea why - I have my contacts for a reason...I am blind without them).

After all that we started driving home. On the way home I saw a giant ferris wheel on the side of the road. I realized it was the same one I went by on my bike ride yesterday before I got into the small Japanese town and got lost. The ride there took about 30 minutes. I traveled up the lake and then down and around the opposite side of the lake. The rough estimation of my ride distance is at about 25-30 miles. No wonder my butt is sore today - that seat doesn't work well for me.

Perspective

This monring I couldn't sleep real well so I woke up made some eggs and decided to go for a bike ride. It was about 5:30. I still have some jet lag and just overwhelmed still with living in an apartment I hit my head everytime I turn around. My bike is awesome....it is a 21 speed bike with a basket on the front - what more could a guy ask for? I went for quite a while just enjoying riding around the lake I live right next to. As I was riding around the lake for about 20 minutes I turned around to look at where my place was because I am directionally challenged and didn't want to get lost. When I looked back the view I saw was amazing. My apartment has one block between it and the lake. Looking back on the lake though are these buildings overshadowed by huge mountains behind them. It is really quite impressive.

So today I learned a lot about perspective. First I learned about the perspective of being in my apartment in Japan and being discouraged at the close view and the way it smells awful in my apartment. When I rode my bike just 15 minutes and looked back it was an impressive sight. The apartment and hotel next to it were right behind the lake and then the mountains painted the landscape behind them.

Then I looked across the lake and it was foggy that morning so I couldn't see the buildings all the way across but they seemed to look pretty sweet. I decided I was going to do a bike sprint workout up this side of the lake until I found a way to get across. I was doing bike sprints for about 45 minutes. I had crossed the bridge and started down the other side of the lake. What I learned about perspective is that "fog" that caused me not to be able to see the buildings on the other side was not "fog." I think the scientific term for it is a long friggin way away. I had been riding for about an hour down the other side of the lake and already passed where my apartment was and the hotel that has a bright blue-green roof. I was traveling further down and figured there had to be a bridge eventually to get across and it would be quicker than going back. I travelled for quite a while and then finally found a bridge.

This is where I found another problem. The bridge was a toll. I didn't have any money with me. Just my camera, my ipod, and my Japanese cell phone that I still can't quite figure out. I rode up to the bridge and decided that I will just try to make it through. Luckily I just drove around the toll on the left that didn't have a gate down and went over the bridge anyway. The bridge ended up being a huge incline and tough to get around. I was 1 of 3 bikers and the only one still riding when I got to the top. At the top I tried to find my landmark hotel and had no luck whatsoever. The "fog" was in the way again. (Note to self - when you are not good with directions, exploring in a foreign country is a bad idea...it was about here that I realized that)

So I decide now that I am on the correct side of the lake I will return back up that side. It worked well....for about 2 minutes. I tried to stay close to the water because it was my only landmark on which direction I was heading. I ended up in some small, small town. I tried everything. I tried to turn left to stay close to the water. Then I tried to turn right to get to a main road. Then I went straight and ended up going down an alley that I had to keep my knees closer to my back to miss hitting the houses on each side. This is when I realized. I have been riding for nearly 2 hours now and am officially lost in Japan.

Well, now I should suck up my pride and ask for directions. O yeah that's right I'm in Japan and only know hello and thank you in Japanese. Ok well maybe I can just say where I live and ask which direction for them to point. Nevermind, I don't know the name of where I live other than the Michigan House and I don't think that means anything to anyone. Ok, well I have my phone and could call Coach. That'll go well. Hey coach, I'm lost. Where are you at. Well I'm between the rice field and the bamboo house on the street that has a character like a child scribbled on the sign. So I decide my only option is to go all the way back on the road I came on. Luckily I was really taking in the scenes and was able to navigate my way back (I did have to get my camera out a couple of times to look at pictures and make sure I was going the right way). So finally I made it back. I drank 2 liters of some sports drink when I got back. I ended up riding for almost 4 hours and not sure of the mileage yet, but I was moving for sure. I think I am going to stay in the rest of the day. Tomorrow I go get my health insurance. I should've gotten that first before exploring Japan.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all of you that have sent messages via facebook or email of encouragement for being here or the engagement to my princess Hope!!!! I really really appreciate it and your friendship!!

Japan?!?!

So I haven't blogged since graduation basically. A lot has happened. I will update with where I'm at now and then as I go I will pick up with what happened throughout my busy, exciting summer.

Yesterday after an emotional trip to the airport with my fiance (yes I am engaged to Hope...more on that in a later blog, but she is amazing and perfect for me and we're getting married August 14, 2010) I flew from South Bend to Detroit. Detroit to Tokyo. Tokyo to Osaka.

There my Assistant GM/player personnel/translator/anything else, Moto picked me up. Yes folks his name is Moto, get your laughs out now, but he is a wonderful person and incredibly helpful. He serves people very, very well. So Moto got my bags took them to a place to send them to my apartment and we hopped on the train. The train was very nice. The seats were similar to that of a charter bus with each person having their own. Not exactly the South Shore Train that JP would take home every weekend from Notre Dame. Then we got off the train in Kyoto (the old capital about 15 minutes from where I am at) and rode into Otsu City.

So I am in Japan. I live in an apartment in Otsu City in the Shiga prefecture. I am in a small town it seems. We walked from the train station to my apartment and at 11 on a Friday night we ran into a total of 1 person. I didn't know there were places smaller than Washington or Montgomery, but I would compare the level of activity on my first night here to that of Cornettsville. Anyone who is reading this and seen Cornettsville knows what I am talking about and didn't blink on their way by.

Today there is a lot more action and I actually live a block away from the third largest lake in the world(so I am told). It is a nice lake, but not like touristy lakes at home. It is no Lake James. There were a lot of people fishing at it yesterday. I have a bicycle with a basket on it and every time I ride it two images pop into my head - the bike from the Wizard of Oz and my mom's bike that is at grandpa's farm in Iowa. Dang, I hope he didn't sell that with the house, the duct taped tires always get such good traction.

As I write there are vans driving around the town yelling and screaming the names of people. There is an election tomorrow and the candidates drive around all day with loudspeakers saying the candidates names. I only know that is what it is because someone told me. I have not picked up Japanese...yet. I did by an immersion program. I fell for the marketing ploy hook, line and sinker. It said it was a cheaper version of Rosetta Stone because they don't advertise so much. We'll see what happens.

It is 2:45 in the afternoon and I am absolutely exhausted, but since I have done some overseas travel I know the trick is to stay up all day your first full day there. I don't think I'm going to make it, but I'm trying. My bags were supposed to get to the room at 2 and they aren't here yet. I am excited to get my stuff and get settled in. It will be nice to make it feel like home because it is going to be home for the next 9 months.

Well, lots more to write, but for now I am going to try to figure out my DVD player and TV (the screen is smaller than my laptop screen...no one said overseas basketball is luxurious). It is a little difficult as the Japanese characters are tougher to read than a woman. Ok, maybe not that tough, but heading that direction.