Bureaucracy

Ok ok ok, so I am still busy with all sorts of preparations for my Japan trip. So much to do, so little time. The following monday I have to hand in my application forms, but some requirements were rather bizarre in my view! I was nuked.. (nuked sounds naughty in Dutch..) because I needed an x-ray picture of my lung capacity. Can't wait to see that.. last time I checked I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Anyhow, as I entered this obscure doctor's office where the nuking takes place, the nurse asked me to undress. Slightly shocked, as I never hear requests like that from women, I asked sheepishly "How undressed should I get?" She raised an eyebrow and looked at me like I had the IQ of a brick wall and asked me if I was by any chance pregnant. I started feeling fat. How dare she insult me bluntly like that! I then realized that radiation might cause damage to a pregnancy, so I decided that I wasn't being insulted.

So, why a health certificate? It is necessary to reassure the Japanese government that we, freeloaders, won't mooch off the taxmoney, paid by the Japanese citizens. Anyhow, healthchecks suck, because you find out things about your physique that you probably don't wanna know, such as.. weight! and poor eyesight! I, for instance didn't want to know that my right eye sees poorly. I frantically tried to guess the smallest letters that my physician showed me on the light board. I didn't see shit and tried to make sense out of the stains that supposedly should be letters. I actually guessed correctly and my physician announced in euphoria that my vision is excellent if not perfect. He also made me pee in a cup. Which is difficult as hell! Oyea, and I apparently have low blood pressure, what ever the hell that means. It's actually quite common among females with the age of twenty something and the symptoms are: wanting to sleep.. like forever! Hating crowded places, some occasional migrane. See, I'm not lazy! I have low blood pressure and therefore have to sleep for at least ten hours a night!

Part of the application forms was also a motivation essay. Why do I ever want to be part of the exchange program? Why oh why? I seriously could write a book about it, but I'm soo lazy that I'll write something on the day before submission.

As for the nine people who are also going to Nagasaki, I sort of got used to them. We agreed we should hang out (because that's good for team spirit or some other bs..). We're going out to dinner, have a drink or the usual cliche stuff. I should participate, because I really want a travel companion and I don't want to get all lost in translation at Narita Airport. O yes, I do picture myself standing at the arrivals lobby with a bigass bag and looking around like a lost puppy desperate that someone'll take me home. Maybe I'll become friends with some Japanese in the plane. For instance, a nice old couple who would adopt me, feed me, love me and show me around Tokyo. Or I could stand around with a huge piece of paper which would state "ADOPT A STUDENT! WILL DANCE FOR FOOD!"