I Learned a New Word

Well, I learn new words all the time but generally I forget them. I look them up, understand them in the classroom context, and then forget. What can you do? But this one I remember.

The good news is, the rainy season is over. The bad news is, it's now really, really, REALLY hot. Like, 90 degrees everyday with humidity around 80%. I wear a hand towel around my neck like I'm going swimming. It protects my neck from getting burnt and gives me quick access to something with which to wipe my sweaty-ass face. Lots of Japanese men do it, so why not me? Hand towels, they're not just for the morbidly obese anymore.

Anyway, the word I learned is 日射病, nisshabyou. Sunstroke. In the mornings I walk 20 minutes to the train station, take the train to school, and then walk another 15 minutes uphill to campus. Tuesday was the first really hot day that I had to go to school. By the time I got to class, I was dripping with sweat. My towel got a good soaking, and I gulped down the water I had, but after a few minutes I realized something was wrong.

My symptoms:

I felt like I was going to pass out.

I couldn't think.

My face was flushed.

Normally I get these symptoms when I don't know the answer to a question (which is often) but this was different. I thought about excusing myself to go to the bathroom or lie down, but anywhere would be hotter than the air-conditioned classroom. The worst part was the teacher kept calling on me, and all I could do was look blankly at her, say "I'm sorry" in Japanese, and wish I was dead.

I made it through class and apologized to the teacher, who was very understanding. I laid down for 30 minutes in the computer room but still felt off all day. This morning I drank extra water on the way to school and throughout the day, and managed to avoid another bout.

I have to say, it's pretty sadistic making people go to school in July. Luckily summer break is almost here (well, another 3 weeks) but man, is this ever rough.

Comments

[rupan777]

かわいそう！