Hello everyone!
I have received many (deserved) complaints of late that I have not updated my blog. I am guilty as charged- I think it's been about three months- so here is a quick explanation of what I've been up to, and why I haven't been updating my blog. Basically I've been pretty sick.
(Note: I'm making a conscious decision in what I write here concerning my health. I don't mind sharing the facts of my infirmity as they could have been inflicted upon anyone and aren't especially embarrassing.)
Starting in mid-January I started to notice some signs that maybe something was wrong with my health. I waited about a week, and then finally told my supervisor that I needed to see a doctor. After about three weeks of testing and head-scratching I was diagnosed with "ulcerative colitis." Basically an auto-immune disorder where certain triggers (stress, chemicals, diet, etc.) cause the body to attack the intestines causing ulcers and inflammation. Finally, mid-February the doctors found a medication that seemed to be working and suggested I take at least two weeks off work to heal.
From start to "finish" (this disease will probably flare up again over the course of my life) this entire process of getting rid of the worst symptoms took about five weeks, give or take a week. During that time I missed about two weeks of work. Once I had recovered from the exhaustion that often accompanies a flare-up I felt pretty bad-ass about it. I had just dealt with a fairly scary illness, and worked through quite a lot of it. Unfortunately, despite being privy to the details, my employer was not especially understanding that I had missed so much work.
So, after some thinking, I made the final call that it would be best for me to return to the States after completing my one year in Japan. Illness was a big factor in this, but there were some other considerations as well. I'll do my best to give periodic updates from here on out- I've got four months left here and I want to make the most of them! Finally, if anyone wants more details they can feel free to contact me though any method available at their disposal (carrier pigeon, email, smoke-signal, etc.)
-Andrew
P.S. A big thanks to Maisha who send me the best prehistoric/dark-humored valentine ever! It made me smile when it was otherwise difficult to do so!
