First times

**It’s never too late to start something new**

*In Greek mythology, when Achilles was born, his mother Thetis bathed him in the waters of the river Styx, which flows through the underworld, to make him immortal. At that time, Thetis’s hand held onto Achilles’ heel, so that he won’t submerged, but only his heel did not become immortal. This is where the “Achilles heel” comes from.*

MY FIRST FUTSAL GAME

I was excited that my co-teachers in the junior high school invited me to play futsal, I told my Japanese family the news and they were also glad.

“Have you ever played soccer or futsal?” my father-in-law asked.

“A long time ago, once, during gym class back when I was a university student, we played soccer.” I said. (the university I studied has a big field, which is rare, considering the mountainous terrain in the region where I’m from)

I was a little anxious about the shoes I had to wear since I only have basketball shoes and since I’m wearing glasses, I thought it would be disastrous if the ball would hit my face. Fortunately, my wife is a straightforward person and told me to not be impulsive for I was planning to buy a new pair of shoes and contact lenses just for that day.

Nonetheless, I still went to play wearing Nike basketball shoes and a pair of glasses. I had a strong feeling that I needed to go since it was the first invitation I had since working at that school.

I know as little about playing soccer. I know that you cannot use your hands and the objective is to kick the ball into the goal while a goalkeeper is defending it. That’s all I know about soccer, and I think the only difference between futsal and soccer is that futsal is played indoor and soccer is played outdoors.

During the game and after an hour of playing, I felt a strong impact on my calf like someone had kicked me. I stumbled down in agony while holding my sheen.

Ugh! That’s a red card I thought.

Sadly, we didn’t have a referee at that time.

I asked the other teachers, “dare ga kicku shitandesuka?” (who kicked me?)

“Jibun de kicku shitandayo”, (you kicked yourself) they replied.

In my head I was thinking, “How could I kick myself and if so, why is the pain so bad?”

My initial suspicion was that I pulled a muscle. So, I tried to shake it off and see if it would be any better.

It wasn’t.

After 15 minutes of rest, I still played since the players were too few.

I couldn’t run anymore, my foot was swollen, I was skipping for the next 30 minutes.

Surprisingly, I didn’t know how but I managed to score a goal during the game and another goal during the penalty kick.

It was my first time playing futsal and I genuinely had a great time.

MY FIRST SURGERY

The day after the game was a Sunday. Therefore, I couldn’t go to the hospital for a check-up.

On Monday, I took a day-off from work and paid a visit to a clinic near our place.

The doctor touched just above my heel and said that there’s a big chance that my Achilles tendon is torn. It could be completely torn or partially torn so he advised me to go to a bigger hospital near the station to run some tests.

My wife and I then went as per advice. As soon as we came and talked to the doctor in that hospital, he then prescribed me to take some tests. After the tests were done, I was scheduled for surgery ASAP as my Achilles’ tendon was completely torn and it would be better to fix it immediately.

I visited the hospital on Monday, and the scheduled surgery was Friday. So, I had to be admitted to the hospital by Thursday for my pre-surgery check-up.

Wednesday was the third graders’ graduation day and I didn’t want to miss it.

And I’m glad that I didn’t.

I signed their year books, they gave me letters, we took some commemorative pictures and we bid farewell.

It was an emotional day and it was my first time to attend a graduation ceremony in Japan.

MY FIRST HOSPITAL STAY AND MY FIRST “SHUGI-BUKURO”

***A shūgi-bukuro (祝儀袋, lit.*** ***’celebratory gift bag’) is a special envelope in which*** [***money***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money) ***is given as a gift of celebration in Japan, especially at*** [***weddings***](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_in_Japan) ***or other auspicious occasions, such as a birth or celebrating a new home. The giver inserts the money into a shūgi-bukuro on which they have written their name, and the amount of money inside. (wiki)***

**The hospital I was admitted to was a public hospital. Even though there was a language barrier, in all fairness, the service I got was excellent. The nurses, the staff and the doctors were all courteous and they even tried to communicate in English which I really appreciated.**

**My hospital experience was great but after all, it was done. The hospital bill was also great. In fact, it was too great! (sarcasm)**

**Good thing I had my national insurance. I only had to pay 30% of my hospital bill. Without my national insurance I would’ve paid around 250,000 yen. On top of that I had to pay another 80,000 yen for my leg brace which will also be reimbursed by the government.**

**After 5 days since the surgery, I came back to work. I got surprised that during the morning meeting the principal mentioned my name. Obviously, I didn’t know what he was saying, but as soon as everyone clapped, I assumed it was about my successful surgery. The principal then handed me an envelope which I also have no idea. My first thought was that it was just a simple letter or congratulatory note. So, I only said “arigatou gozaimasu” to the principal.**

**After the meeting was over, I hurriedly messaged my wife saying “I got a letter from the principal and I don’t have any idea what it is”.**

**I sent the picture and she got shocked. “Did you say thank you to all of the teachers?” she said. I said no, of course. I didn’t have any idea what that was.**

**The envelope contained a 5,000-yen paper bill. It was from all of the teachers. Also, it is a way to say “congratulations on the successful surgery and may it be the last”.**

**(I thanked them during the “Owarikai”)**

**So far, my life here in Japan has never been boring. There is always an event. It may be good or bad but either way, I am grateful.**

**My life back in the Philippines was also great and exciting. But, when I came to Japan I experienced a lot of things that I would never experience if I was still in the Philippines.**