There's a first time for everything...

Yesterday--Tuesday, June 29, 2010--I experienced my first...

• Time at a KAITENZUSHI restaurant (the ones with the sushi on the conveyor belts)


• Time wearing a dry-fit T-shirt


• Time playing NavAttack


• Time being in an ambulance vehicle


• Time going to the ER


• Time being admitted to a hospital


• Time needing a wheelchair


• Time dislocating my shoulder
  

So let me explain:

On Tuesdays, the B.E.S.T. club holds Sports night. Usually we'll play volleyball, soccer, softball...but this Tuesday we decided to play "NavAttack." Now, NavAttack is kind of like a form of Capture the Flag: there are two teams, and each team has a flag to guard. The object of the game is to get the flag that the opposing team hid back to your team's base (where your flag was hidden). But in NavAttack, you don't just tag people; everyone has a sock with a ball of flour at the end of it--this is your weapon. Once tagged, you must sit in "jail" for 30 seconds, then you are allowed back in the action. Game 1 went well--was sent to jail once, powdered some people. Long story short, Game 2 is where it all went down: I swung too hard while guarding the flag...and I dislocated my right shoulder.

More summary:

• Some of the staff are trained in first aid and we tried to pop it back in--no good.


• Called ambulance, they sent us to a nearby hospital
  
  
  


• Read children's books in the waiting room


• Doctor tried to pop it back in--no good.
  
• Tried using an IV. I wouldn't fall asleep--no good.


• Got sent to another hospital in a neighboring city


• Doctor tried to pop it back in--no good.


• Used anesthetic IV--SUCCESS!


• I woke up about 15 minutes later, and my shoulder's been in its socket ever since--yay!


• Got dropped off at one of the students' apartments and watched the World Cup--Japan vs. Paraguay. Even though Japan lost, I felt better being surrounded by friends.

On the brightside...

• My teammates, the staff, and the students provided me with amazing support. The whole incident described above took about 4 hours, and some of them stayed with me at the hospital.


• I got a Japanese hospital patient card! Never thought I'd get a souvenir like this.

I'm pretty bummed that I'll be out of most sports for a while. I guess I'll practice my left-handed spikes, shots, and swings until it heals.

For those of you wondering, the Japanese hospital staff are friendly and approachable for the most part. They found it amusing that this Japanese girl needed a HAKUJIN (white person) translator--one of the staff members. Also, having a dislocated shoulder kind of feels like hitting your funny bone and not having the pain go away. Now, my right shoulder is just tender and swollen.

If you're really curious, there're more photos up on facebook.

I could say that this puts a damper on my adventures in Japan, but I believe it's good to be reminded of my physical weaknesses, sometimes. Besides, my legs still work, and you don't need two good arms to climb Mt.Fuji.