It was a cool Sunday night in summer. Rain was gently sprinkling on my hotel window while I lay in bed, stricken with illness. It was quarter past seven when I heard a knock at my door. Nicholas, my roommate, leaped up and answered immediately. It was Dr. T, the head professor for our study abroad in Japan program. He had come to take me to the doctor.
I had felt quite ill in the days leading up to this point. I was sneezing left and right, and my throat was drier than a desert. However, my symptoms were initially relatively tame, so I attributed them to allergies. Sunday was different, though. I had a fever, I couldn't stop coughing, and I felt extremely weak. I was getting worse, and I had to do something.
"The last check-in is at 7:30," Dr. T told Nicholas. I was running out of time. I had to hurry. I jumped out of bed, threw some baggy clothes on, tossed my passport, wallet, and pocket wifi into a backpack, and dashed out the door. I met Dr. T in the elevator, and we made our way to the lobby. When we got there, we picked up the pace, first a speed walk and then a light jog once we had a taxi in sight. When we got to the cab, we piled into the back seat, and Dr. T handed the driver a piece of paper with the doctor's address scribbled on it. The driver immediately entered the address into the vehicle's GPS, and we were off, just like that. There was a casual exchange of words between my professor and the driver, none of which I understood as it was in Japanese. However, if I had to guess, I think Dr. T told him to step on it since I'm pretty sure we ran a handful of red lights.
We arrived at the address, and I climbed out of the backseat. The moist, cold night air was refreshing on my dry throat after sitting in a stuffy cab for the better part of 15 minutes. Dr. T looked around for a brief moment before motioning me across the street. As we approached the building on the corner, he pointed out the doctor's office on the fourth floor. "What an odd spot," I thought as we walked into the tiny elevator, large enough for us, but probably not more. It only got better when I noticed what currently occupied the ninth floor. It was some "Disco Bar."
As we walked into the office, we were greeted by two lovely front desk assistants who took my temperature and handed my professor a sheet to fill out my information. I was incredibly thankful for Dr. T then, as the entire thing was in Japanese. After the paperwork, we went back, and they swabbed my nostrils for Flu and COVID, which, thankfully, both came back negative. After that, the doctor came in. He quickly looked at my throat and chatted with Dr. T about my symptoms. After some thought and discussion, he gave me my medicine, and we left.
The drive back to the hotel was rather dull. Our taxi driver was bland compared to the first, but at least we made it home safely. When we got back, Dr. T explained all the medications to me, got me some water, and told me to take it easy. At the time of writing this post, I am feeling far better.
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I had felt quite ill in the days leading up to this point. I was sneezing left and right, and my throat was drier than a desert. However, my symptoms were initially relatively tame, so I attributed them to allergies. Sunday was different, though. I had a fever, I couldn't stop coughing, and I felt extremely weak. I was getting worse, and I had to do something.
"The last check-in is at 7:30," Dr. T told Nicholas. I was running out of time. I had to hurry. I jumped out of bed, threw some baggy clothes on, tossed my passport, wallet, and pocket wifi into a backpack, and dashed out the door. I met Dr. T in the elevator, and we made our way to the lobby. When we got there, we picked up the pace, first a speed walk and then a light jog once we had a taxi in sight. When we got to the cab, we piled into the back seat, and Dr. T handed the driver a piece of paper with the doctor's address scribbled on it. The driver immediately entered the address into the vehicle's GPS, and we were off, just like that. There was a casual exchange of words between my professor and the driver, none of which I understood as it was in Japanese. However, if I had to guess, I think Dr. T told him to step on it since I'm pretty sure we ran a handful of red lights.
We arrived at the address, and I climbed out of the backseat. The moist, cold night air was refreshing on my dry throat after sitting in a stuffy cab for the better part of 15 minutes. Dr. T looked around for a brief moment before motioning me across the street. As we approached the building on the corner, he pointed out the doctor's office on the fourth floor. "What an odd spot," I thought as we walked into the tiny elevator, large enough for us, but probably not more. It only got better when I noticed what currently occupied the ninth floor. It was some "Disco Bar."
As we walked into the office, we were greeted by two lovely front desk assistants who took my temperature and handed my professor a sheet to fill out my information. I was incredibly thankful for Dr. T then, as the entire thing was in Japanese. After the paperwork, we went back, and they swabbed my nostrils for Flu and COVID, which, thankfully, both came back negative. After that, the doctor came in. He quickly looked at my throat and chatted with Dr. T about my symptoms. After some thought and discussion, he gave me my medicine, and we left.
The drive back to the hotel was rather dull. Our taxi driver was bland compared to the first, but at least we made it home safely. When we got back, Dr. T explained all the medications to me, got me some water, and told me to take it easy. At the time of writing this post, I am feeling far better.
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