Something an expat must be careful of is blaming on a country those problems that could happen anywhere.  Problems are infinitely more frustrating when they come up in a foreign culture and language, but it's important to keep separate the problems from the place in which they happen to occur.

That doesn't mean it's easy.

After twelve days in the hospital, I returned home Monday.  For almost two weeks, I looked forward to sleeping in the only bed in a room, the absence of constant crying and moaning, to eating flavorful things at irregular times, and long hot showers in my own bathroom.  Monday night,  leaving, I gulped the fresh air, smiled at the clouds, bought too much of my favorite foods, and cranked up the shower, giddily awaiting the steam.  No hot water.

Today, Thursday morning, the landlord finally sent a man to fix it.  The blah blah something broke, but that is the domain of another company.  Today is a national holiday though, so no one can come until tomorrow, or Saturday, December 25th, which is not a holiday.

Since the surgery now twelve days ago, I've had only one shower, quickly and wincingly taken in the hospital's communal bathroom.  Also it's winter now, and Japan is very cold.  Doctors forbade me from baths, which rules out public bathhouses.  Most of my friends have left the country for the holidays, and I'm not yet allowed to drive my car or ride a bike.  This morning I worked my two stove burners furiously, and the resulting two inches of warm water in my bathtub felt like heaven.  Two-inch deep heaven.

It seems I'll be getting hot water for Christmas this year, with any luck.  There really aren't any presents I'd like more at the moment, and it does make me reflect about priorities, but mostly it makes me very cranky and annoyed.  I just have to remember not to blame it on Japan.  It would help if I could picture instead the face of my landlord, and since I've never seen him, I'll just have to imagine a face for him.  He won't be handsome.

Comments

[J.]

After the earthquake hit Niigata did I learn a new word from Japanese TV. I think it is spelled in romaji like "raifurainu" and is derived from lifeline. With this word they referred to gas, electricity and water supply. The topic at hand was of course when the lifeline would be restored again. As it was a necessity for the civilians to be able to return to their homes. I don't know if this word is used as such in the UK or USA. One does not realize the importancy of such a lifeline until it is broken.

It looks like that your lifeline was broken. And, according to Murphy, that always happens on a national holiday. I hope they will restore it soon.