Hi everyone,
As I mentioned in my last blog post, my plans for my final week in Japan were thwarted by an unexpected medical crisis. I had arranged to have 3 interviews in collaboration with a trauma care organization in Japan; I was looking forward to speaking with and learning from people in different roles in the mental health field. Unfortunately, we had scheduled the interviews for the day after my trip to the ER, so they had to be cancelled 🙁
Everyone was very understanding about my situation. However, when I tried to reschedule the interviews, they said that this was not possible due to their busy schedules and the need to arrange for a translator. Frankly, it was difficult to figure out what to do about this. I felt disappointed that I couldn’t carry on with my research the way that I had planned to in this country. Even during the one interview that I had managed to do, I was battling a fever and finding it hard to focus.
But ultimately, I think that this was a learning experience for me. Things did not go according to my plans, but that’s a part of life! I learned to be more flexible with my schedule and to let go of unrealistic expectations. I practiced communicating disappointing news in a professional manner. Most importantly, I learned to adjust my mindset about a challenging situation.
I had luckily recorded my interview with the Japanese psychologist. So, even if I could not completely focus during our conversation in real time, I could more attentively listen to what he said through the recording. I also realized that there were valuable things I could learn from the experiences that I had so far in the city. I had even visited a big hospital (albeit unintentionally) and experienced firsthand what the medical intake and care process was like! So, I decided to try and maintain a more positive mindset throughout the rest of my stay in Japan.
For the next few days, I mostly did nothing but rest. I drank lots of fluids, took my medications, and tried my best to recover quickly on my own. Fortunately, I could have most foods delivered right to my doorstep ☺️
I finally felt good enough to go outside with 1 day left in Tokyo. I decided to take the subway to Shibuya station and explore the heart of the capital before leaving. I went up to the observation deck in Shibuya Sky. From there up above, I could see so much of this beautiful city! Later, I also crossed the Shibuya Scramble intersection. It’s hard to believe that an intersection would be considered a city landmark, but once I walked through it, this made sense. Every time the crossing light turns green, thousands of people seem to walk across in all directions. It’s an amazing place for people watching. Finally, I saw the statue of Hachiko (the loyal dog who waited for his owner to come back from work for many years) before taking the train back to my Airbnb.
And so, now, I am heading to South Korea! Even though my stay in Japan did not go according to my expectations, I am very happy about the time that I spent here. Tokyo is such an amazing place – I think the city just has this wonderful energy that is difficult to capture with words.
I would say “sayonara”, but apparently that version of goodbye has a forever connotation to it. So instead, I choose to say the Japanese version of see you later 😁
Thank you for reading 🤍