My Experience with Swine Flu

Swine Flu~
On the 17th of September, Thursday, I was confirmed with Swine Flu, or H1N1 flu. Back in May, I would have believed it to be improbable feat, to be able to ever catch this virus, but thinking back on it now, to the week just before I caught swine flu, it seemed to be almost unavoidable to NOT have caught it. The swine flu had already reached my school by the time summer break was over, we all knew. One of my classmates had the flu, and had been out for almost 2 weeks recovering. That was just one student, but, on that week, when we went to school on Monday, 6 students were absent. Our teachers were starting to take extra precautions to ensure that it didn’t spread, and keeping track of the absent students who had the flu. With all the worry going on, class didn’t turn out as effective… By Tuesday, 10 students in my class alone were gone; the highest number in the school. So during our first class, our teacher, seeing as so many students were missing, decided it would be pointless to try to teach the lesson. By the end of 1st period, the school had decided to cancel school for our class for the rest of the week, until Saturday. Everyone left in the class celebrated, of course. The next day, though, I was already feeling not so well. By night time, I had a slight fever. On Thursday, my mother was left with no choice but to take me to the hospital, where after a series of tests (including having to stick a q-tip up my nose, which was quite painful, and impossible…), the doctor confirmed the swine flu, as we expected. From then on, I was confined to my room for the rest of the week, away from the rest of the society while I recovered from my symptoms. And that’s how I spent my Silver Week [holidays] in Japan.

Summer Vacation: HOKKAIDO

My summer vacation in Japan lasted from July to September. Two months may seem like a while, but in reality, (in Japan, to say), time goes by quickly. During those two months, I had been even busier than I was, living my everyday school life. Along with my school club practice every day, (hard tennis), there were many AFS events and camps to attend. Starting from July, there was first the AFS study day, AFS trip to Hiroshima, and then the AFS related International Senior High School Student Forum camp located at Kwansei University. During August, some of my activities included: my school camp to Hakuba, an AFS summer camp, my [host] grandmother’s funeral, my school trip to Hokkaido, and of course, tennis. Not to mention, during this time, ‘summer festivals’ are a tradition commonly found in Japan and take place in most cities. Yukatas, summer Kimonos, are traditionally worn to these festivals.

The picture above is a picture of me in Miyajima park.
The picture directly below is from a popular summer festival in Osaka.

The following is a report regarding Hokkaido I had written for my school.
Originally, I had a report of my trip to Hiroshima also; unfortunately, it is not with my belongings at this moment.

Over summer vacation, I had the chance to go to Hokkaido for the first time. The school trip was wonderful, and Hokkaido was very beautiful. Going to Hokkaido was a great experience; there is much more to learn about Japan and the Japanese culture. Everyday there were new places to travel to and visit. However, only a limited amount of time was available to be spent at each significant place; therefore, being able to make the most of our time given was something we all quickly adapted to. Of course, the majority of our time was spent on the bus while on the move. Even then, there were ways to keep ourselves busy, so time was well spent throughout the entire week, I believe. Furthermore, the weather in Hokkaido was comfortable and cool, much different than in Osaka or California during the summer. The atmosphere in Hokkaido was very enjoyable and light, and the cool weather was a nice addition to everything along the way. Being in Hokkaido almost gave a feeling as if being in an entirely different country. There were so many various memories and new experiences to be made and had. With so many new things to try, especially the food, the days were filled with exciting opportunities and unexpected events here and there. For example, in Hokkaido there were many animals to see, such as the cows, horses, fish, and many animals from the zoo. However, the best part was being able to enjoy this trip with my classmates and friends. There is no doubt that without them, this trip would not have been as great as it was. It was certainly an once-in-a-lifetime experience which I am thankful to have had. I am grateful to my school for this opportunity of a school trip to Hokkaido.

This is a view of the night in Osaka.