Job Discussion Forums

SEndrigo · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 437

This of course does not relate to teaching directly, but I'd be curious to know how many of you living in Japan have gotten the flu this winter?

I've been here now for seven months and have gotten sick three times....whereas back home I would get sick once a year or once every two years.

Has anyone else had a similar experience, and if so, what can you do to avoid getting sick so often? I have a very good diet, I exercise, I dont smoke and my drinking is very moderate. And I take my vitamins.

As you can imagine, getting sick on an average of every two months is really annoying and is seriously affecting an otherwise great experience I've had here so far.

It would be great to hear from some you

best wishes

Celeste · Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 12:16 pm Post subject:

Getting sick every couple of months is very common your first year in a new country. You have no immunity to any of the local viruses. Also, if you are teaching kids for the first time, expect to get sick a lot your first year.

homersimpson · Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 569 Location: Kagoshima

Yeah, I think a lot has to do with where you work. If you work in elementary schools, for example, you are more likely to get sick. I've been here for 5+ years, but I've had an opposite experience. I think I've gotten sick 3 times, none of those periods has lasted more than a couple of days. Of course, I'm a bit of a "mutt" (Bohemian, Irish, German), so genetics may play a role. Smile

SEndrigo · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 437

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

As a teacher, I would highly recommend getting a flu jab every year... I have every year for the past 4 or 5 and as a result, avoid getting it.

Colds and other virii I tend to catch with a vengence, but not the flu.

Go to your local clinic, starting (usually) about the 2nd week of October and request that you wish to have a flu (in Japan they say "influenza") shot. They will either do it for you on the spot, or at some clinics they must order it in. In any event, it will cost you about 3,000 yen and it's well worth the effort and cost.

I always ask for the extra-large, extra-rusty needle -- preferrably with serrated edges. The pain is exquisite! Wink

Cheers!

JD

SEndrigo · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 437

Hi Jim,

So is it too late then, to get the flu shot now?

Nismo · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 520

What it could be is the stress of living in a new country, coupled with a new diet; the result of which can lead to a deterioration of your immune system. Japan is cleaner than most other countries, and the health regulations are as strict as California (California being the strictest of the US).

As a non-doctor, I would recommend eating right, make sure you're getting your vitamin C, go to bed reasonably early often, keep your schedule somewhat routine, and learn to shrug a lot of the stress off. You especially want to limit how often you go out and how much you drink. I'd say the number one factor of bad health is drinking often. Or, at least, all of my peers who would go out all night every weekend would always be the ones who would get sick every other month. It might have just been a coincidence.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Hmmm.. I'm not sure if it's too late or not.. I'm not a doctor... Maybe if you can ask one.... ? Yours is a very good question! Smile

homersimpson · Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 569 Location: Kagoshima

ntropy · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 671 Location: ghurba

Wash your hands. Wash them again. Never touch your face. Avoid putting your hands on trains railings and door handles unless gloved. Wash your hands. Get a flu shot. Squeeze some limes in the water you drink. Wash your hands.

SEndrigo · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 437

I hear what you are saying homersimpson but don't you think it is strange, that a man in absolutely perfect health his whole life, and one who gets sick maybe once a year, should be afflicted with three different illnesses in Japan in seven months?

I know of other foreigners too, who have had similar experiences here...and apparently, only here.

I'll go against the grain here Nismo and say that hygiene here is not as spectacular as one may be led to believe.

There's a Chinese restaurant in my station's building, where the chefs regularly smoke and cook, and do not wash their hands after visiting the toilet. Who knows how many others like that exist.....

But at the end of the day, I'm lucky to be alive eh....in other countries people regularly die of the influenza or food poisoning