I had a great weekend!
Escaped Life with Okaasan by going down to Saitama for 2 nights to see the women I used to share apartments with when I first came to Japan.
Lots of chat about our lives and stuff - lot of food....lots of drink. Lots of laughs.
I met these women when they were in their late 20s...now we are all into 40s and our lives are full of men and babies, Okaasans, job stresses, family illness. It was great to reconnect and remember together.
Yujiro emailed me Sunday night to say Okaasan had JUST come home: at nearly 10 pm!
She was out downtown as usual late afternoon.
He monitored her on the GPS and saw she was in a department store. At 8.30 pm he telephoned her and asked if she'd like to come home for dinner, she said she had had an incontinence accident and was buying more underwear.
After that? Well probably she walked WEST from the department store for a few blocks, then back to the store...and then instead of going down into the store basement and getting on the subway home...she walked all the way UP town to the main station and got on the subway there....finally arriving home at nearly 10 pm.
She hasn't stayed out so late for ages. At least it wasn't really cold. But it can't be good for her.
No way to stop her. Unless we call her around 6.30 pm and remind her about heading home for a 7 pm dinner. Maybe that is a good idea.
One of my Saitama friends is a public health official, she talked to me a lot about getting city help for Okaasan. I know. I know. But FIRST has to come a doctor's assessment. And Yujiro is stalled on THAT idea for now.
anyway. Gotta go to work.
Just a quick posting.
My step-mum is going to be sent home from hospital NEXT WEEK!
Of course she'll have round-the-clock care with a live-in carer - because there are many things she can't do for herself and it will be a hard process for her to be out of hospital - but FINALLY she can be in her own space. And I guess that finally too she can do the real grieving for her husband, because once she is in their home surrounded by all their memories and things - I think his death will be a big reality for her.
And I just booked an airticket for England. January 1 to 9...surprisingly JAL had the best deal....because I have to fly down to Tokyo first, so the Japanese airlines can do the domestic leg cheapest.
Back to work.
Okaasan is on a roll.
She's animated and coherent and lively. The trip to the Hula Dance Event made a big difference to her - of course, not sitting in front of the TV vegetating is great for the brain.
She even initiated a conversation with me - following up a morning greeting in the kithen with chat about the Japanese tourists who died in a fire in a Koren shooting gallery. It's so different to a week ago!
Maybe she'll even do some clearing up in her room - I can see from the kitchen that the old newspaper pile is reaching a critical mass point.
Meanwhile I think my body is fighting off some virus...probably THAT influenza.
I've felt tired and tearful all week. Had a sore throat Monday. Aching bones yesterday. Cold. I came home last night and had a bath at 5 pm...then dozed OFF during dinner...and finally crashed into bed at 8 pm nd slept until 4 am.
Today we have to get the car through its MOT and I have to find some way to use my airmiles for going to England during the winter break. I've also got business accounts to bring up to date and an 11-week course of classes to plan for next year. No time to be sick now!
It's a real Catch 22 - go in the winter holidays and can't use air miles - or go out of the holiday season and lose money from not teaching. Anoher teacher has said she'd cover my January 7 class and it might just give me the time to get a non-peak time ticket.
But the great news is that Jane is maybe going home in December - and she has had one whole week of eating by mouth - mashed up food, but real food.
Dad would be so happy - food was so central to his world and he was desperate for Jane to rejoin him in that. And finally, 6 months after the car crash she is 100% on mouth eating again.
Okaasan had a big day out today - about 500 hula dancers from all over Hokkaido got together to boogie in the Prince Hotel. From 1 pm until 8.30 pm! That's quite some boogie.
Yujiro delivered her to the Prince by subway because I had to use the car for work, and Okaasan had a great time.
She looked pretty knackered when he brought her home tonight though. And she wasn't sure if she'd eaten dinner or not...but they must have had some kind of food at an event going from afternoon to evening...and it all cost Y10,000!
Last night she told Yujiro that she didn't want to go to the hairsalon I introduced her to back in the spring...: it's no good, but don't tell Amanda....
Well of course a hairsalon is a personal thing and many women change salon for genuine reasons. If I gave Okaasan the benefit of the doubt I'd imagine it was actually because the salon is no good...but it IS Okaasan and I can also understand that she's probably taken a dislike to the place for some Only Logical to Okaasan reason....way back she was upset because she said someone had written down on a memo that she has dementia....at the time I thought it might be the hair salon....and maybe this is something of that coming back again....or maybe she had a toilet emergency in the salon seat and is embarrassed to go back...or....whatever.
Anyway - there are plenty of salons in town to work her way round for the next few years!
AND?
In class this morning....in front of 6 students...I tried to sit down on a chair with roller feet...got tangled in my long skirt...and fell sprawling on the classroom floor....and then cos of the gammy knee...couldn't get up and had to be HELPED up by the students.
It was awwwwful.
Until now my most embarrassing classroom experience ever was getting back to the teachers' room after a class and finding my blouse button had popped open mid-clevage...but today - oh NOOOOO!!! Today was awful.
