I Still Don't Know What Happened To My Face

Today I woke up and discovered that I couldn't quite open my right eye. "Well, that's pretty normal," I told myself, "It's probably just sleep cementing it closed." So I swiped at my face for a bit, but the problem did not go away. I swiped at it some more just for good measure. As this too was to no avail, I decided to get up and see what could possibly have happened to my face.

Well.

This happened.

Notice how my right eye is not quite right. Yeah. That, plus it itches like hell.

This was concerning enough that I decided to pay a visit to the school nurse. I told her everything I knew: it was like this when I woke up, it was itchy yesterday but not remotely swollen, I'd noticed little red bumps surrounding it when I looked at it closely, and no, it did not hurt. She was just as confounded as I was, and suggested I visit an eye doctor in Akita. 

In case you weren't aware of just how out in the sticks this school really is, this is a good gauge: Akita, the nearest town, is about 45 minutes away by public transport and you have to catch a bus to the train station in Wada first (which apparently does not count as a town, I'm a little fuzzy on the details). I was somewhat reluctant to do this, partially because of the time commitment and partially because I've never done it on my own before, and as anyone who knows me can attest, I have abysmal sense with directions. 

But the fact remained that my eye was swollen half shut, and it was really quite concerning. So I got on the bus, transferred to the train, and somehow made my way to the office I needed to be in, just next to the train station and connected by the same building. I had been told by the school nurse that I could speak English here (I have no problem fumbling around most things in Japanese, but I actually wanted to understand what was wrong with my eye and that involved a lot of vocabulary I had no way of knowing) but apparently the nurse at AIU was mistaken. The entire affair was carried out in Japanese, which at least was fantastic listening practice. I managed to get examined, pay, be referred to the pharmacy on the first floor, and pick everything up with only minimal confusion. Loot of the eye examination as follows:

One minuscule bottle of eye drops, to be administered 4 times a day.

A small bag for putting this in, which it did not come in originally (it was an "assemble for yourself" sort of deal, apparently).

Quite a few receipts and forms.

I also discovered a tea shop next door, somewhat reminiscent of Wonderland Teas in Bellingham for those who know of it. Shelves of large glass jars filled with fragrant loose-leaf tea, assorted tea-time confections, and, because I am still in Japan, a soft-serve ice cream machine behind the counter. 

I got two things of tea, one of earl grey and one a sort of apple-flavored mix, and a box of ginger thins for dipping. The lady helping me gave me extra tea in each of the bags without charging for it, I think she liked my enthusiastic butchering of her native tongue as I attempted to make conversation about the merchandise. 

The tea made me quite happy.

After these purchases, I decided it was probably about time to be heading home. I made it to my train with only a minute to spare, after getting turned around and asking various conductors and ticket people for directions to the platform. So relieved was I to make it on, though, that I forgot to get off in time- I overshot my stop by several stations. I only noticed when the train went through a tunnel I was sure I'd never noticed before. The conductor confirmed my suspicions, and directed me to get off and wait for the next train going the other way back. I followed his advice and found myself sitting alone at an empty train station for half an hour. It was an interesting 30 minutes. The station seemed to be in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and it occurred to me that I was mildly lost, on my own, in a foreign country which runs on a language I can only pretend to try to speak. It was mildly exhilarating. 

I really have no idea where the hell I was. It was pretty though.

I did, at last, manage to get to the right station. With an hour to kill I asked some cab drivers if they knew any convenience stores nearby. They were very helpful, even guessing which bus I planned to take and assuring me I could easily make it there and back in time. Unfortunately the store in question was all out of onigiri, which had been my aim for going there, but at least it killed some time. I came back to the station and read a Moomin book until it was time to go. 

While I did get temporarily lost on the way back, I would still consider this day a success in the independent transportation department. For me, overshooting my stop my a couple stations is actually not too bad, not compared to some of the other navigationally-related mistakes I have made. Perhaps one day I'll actually be able to take a train here without messing something up. It might actually happen. I'll be here for long enough.