Spring arrived today and it was one of the most beautiful days I have seen in a long time. I made my way out of the dorm and out to the street and realized I was already sweating, not because it was hot by any means but because it was taking so much energy to get from point A to point B. The bus stop is a five minute walk from my dorm but it took me twenty minutes because I had to stop and rest every few minutes and because a majority of the walk is uphill. Upon arriving to the bus stop I could feel the sweat run down my back and soon realized my shirt was soaked.
Getting on the bus wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be because the step up was lower to the ground than the buses back home. The transit system in Japan in simply amazing. Their trains and buses are never late and very efficient. However, I do have two complaints. The first is that they don't have a transfer system. In most places when you pay your fare you receive a transfer that usually is good for two hours or so allowing you to catch as many buses in the time alloted. Most of the bus fares are 220 yen, which is about $2.50 American. So you can see how using the transit system could get expensive. The fare on trains is anywhere from 140 yen to 780 yen depending on how far you're going. My second complaint is the way you board and exit the bus. You board from the back and pay when you exit, which is from the front. It makes no sense because if you're all the way in the back when you're coming to your stop and the bus is crowded, you have to make your way through a tight crowd who often doesn't understand your urgency to break through them. It drives me mad. You might be wondering, why don't you just go to the front of the bus right when you board to avoid fighting the crowd later? Well, that's a pretty bright idea but a lot of times when you board a bus it is packed so moving to the front is not easy. Plus, most of the people in front are exiting soon so you would just be in the way.
So today I knew that I would be able to sit in front no matter what because the seats in front are designated for pregnant, crippled and old people. Once I exited the bus I had to walk a little ways to school. Because of the stupid sidewalks, I almost ate shit three times and was honked at twice because I was taking too long in the crosswalks. Covered in sweat with my ass hanging out of my jeans because my backpack was pulling them down while pulling my shirt up, I screamed, "fucking quit honking at me can't you see I am crippled!" No one batted an eye.
I don't know if I mentioned this yet but the Japanese students at my school have been on spring break for the last two months. Our first week of school was their exam week so they haven't been on campus. I was warned that once they came back the school would be very different. When I asked how I was told that it would be really crowded and finding a seat in the student lounge or cafeteria would be next to impossible. I was also told that Japanese students, especially the females, are very passionate about talking to the international students so I should be prepared for them to approach me and be sort of aggressive about being my friend and asking me tons of questions. I haven't really thought about it much till I was approaching school today and was amazed to see hundreds of Japanese students. Today was their orientation and within two minutes I had two different girls run up to me and ask me if I was OK because my foot looked like it hurt. I told them I was OK and then they gave me a high five and told me we were going to be friends and they would find me next week when they return to school. I was really like, umm OK see ya then.
I know it may take some time to get used to using crutches but after using them for twenty minutes I knew that they weren't going to work for me. For those of you that don't know, I had to have surgery on my hand back in 2004. I fell through a porcelain sink and it severed my nerve and artery on my right hand right mack in the middle of my palm of all places. I had over twenty something stitches and had to have surgery to repair the nerve and artery. My hand has never been the same. The nerve that was severed in the palm is the nerve that connects up through my hand and into my middle and ring fingers. Although they were able to reconnect it I still loss a small piece of it which means that I have never gained full feeling back in those two fingers. It's awkward to do a lot with that hand like write, eat, hold a glass and type but I have managed. I can't really put a lot of pressure on the palm either because when I do it sends sort of shock like feelings up my hand and into my fingers.
So you could see how putting my weight on my hand to hold crutches might be a problem. It just doesn't work. I went to the office and told them I needed a wheelchair that I could roll myself because my hand was unable to support my weight. They made a phone call and told me when I arrived at home that one would be waiting for me. Then she asked me how I was going to get to school. I told her the bus. She then proceeds to tell me that if I planned on taking the bus I have to have someone who will accompany me on the bus both ways. I tell her this is impossible and she tells me that I can't ride the bus unless I do so due to insurance and liability reasons. WTF? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. So now I have to wheelchair myself too school which I am sure will be really fun.
I ditched my last class and took the bus home. After exiting the bus I realized how much fun this was going to be because if you go uphill on the way there then that could only mean one thing!!! Downhill on the way home! Woohoo! A school bus had to swerve so they wouldn't hit me coming around the corner. It's been a pleasant day. I have blisters on my palms and a wheelchair awaits me for tomorrow. I really hope the healing time is two weeks and not a month because at this point I feel like throwing myself to the ground and crying. I informed my roommates today that someone else would have to take the lead in evacuating the flat in case of another earthquake because I was unable to lead us to safety. Seeing that they all either slept through them or woke up and then went back to sleep, we are screwed. Especially me, what am I going to do, hobble down five flights of stairs?
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