Monday, 22 October 2018

Acts of Kindness

Someone said to me recently, that being in Japan is like being illiterate and it is a good point. I’ve already mentioned the three alphabets, and I’ve already mentioned that maybe I should have done more homework before I came. But basically, I can’t read or write in this country. It’s all Greek to me. As I mentioned in my last blog, my lack of language skills, combined with a little loneliness, is when my grumpy side rears its head. But it is more than just a language barrier, there’s something else. Things are different. This is best exemplified by toothpaste.  I think I have bought Colgate  in about 15 different countries so, when I ran out here, I was confident that I would find my toothpaste of choice in the appropriate aisle of the supermarket. But there was no Colgate, no Aquafresh, no Sensodyne, in fact nothing I recognised. So, I had to guess. I examined the options, and chose one at random. But was I buying children’s toothpaste, or something for dentures, or denture adhesive, would I stick my lips together the next time I cleaned my teeth?
So, these are the challenges, and my challenge of course is to stay positive when I am faced with them.
What’s this got to do with acts of kindness?  Be patient. I am getting there. 
As many of you will know, my ankle is um well the technical term for it is f***ed. I often need some Ibuprofen gel to ease the pain. The problem for me was that my tube of gel like the toothpaste had run out. So I needed to buy more. Armed only with Google Translate, body language and a warm smile, (grimace), I entered the drugstore. I showed them the word Ibuprofen on the phone and then proceeded to cross my arms and do the international sign language for oral and rubbing to show I wanted cream not tablets. Amazingly, I didn’t get arrested and managed to get my message across. This particular place didn’t have what I needed, but the young assistant who was helping me said in English, “I will guide you.” He then proceeded to lead the way to another drugstore. Now, this wasn’t next door, or even in the same shopping mall. We went over the railway line, up two floors and into another mall. There, he found the pharmacist and explained to her what I needed. I said 100 Agrigatos, but nothing could really express my gratitude. Mind you, a tiny tube of cream cost me about 8 pounds, so every silver lining has a cloud J
I wrote last time about my Shabu Shabu, a few people have asked me what that is; this dish is raw meat that you cook yourself in a boiling pot of stock. It means dangling meat in boiling water with chopsticks. I remember having Shabu Shabu with my sister way back in 1994.  I wasn’t that good with chopsticks then, and  her poor student who had taken us for the meal smiled politely throughout the feast while I splashed his smart suit and tie by dropping my meat into the pot. 
Anyway, I wanted to try it again but it is a something you need to understand, you need a guide to show you what to do. Thankfully, last night, I had a lovely waiter, who spoke just about enough English and had more than enough patience to help me. Again, I said 100 Agrigatos but nothing could really express my gratitude.
There’s a lesson in this for me. I mustn't let the language intimidate me. I mustn't give up, because there’s probably someone willing to help me and if not, well, what’s the worst that can happen? 

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