Visiting a Doctor and Happy New Year!

So, I manged to get sick a few days ago (temp 37.5-38C, coughing, runny nose, chills).  Here, people tend to go to doctors quite often when they feel not normal.  I usually don't like to go to doctors.  Today I finally decided that it is time to check this thing to make sure I don't have some lung/etc problems.

I went to the nearby clinic (クリニック kurinikku in Japanese :P) but it was closed for the holidays.  The person inside suggested I go to the nearby hospital.  I went in, asked about the clinic - the receptionist asked me some things that I didn't understand, then told me to sit down and run off somewhere.  A nurse came, asked what's wrong so I told her the symptoms.  The receptionist brought me a form to fill out - I only wrote down my name and she filled out the rest from the address I gave her and my health insurance card infos.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, the doctor called me in.  Asked me what's wrong so I prepared a little note with the symptoms in Japanese so I was able to communicate somehow.  At the end the doctor started to speak English telling me what he will prescribe - hehe!  But I just got some pills for my cough and everything else looks good.  He wanted to prescribe some fever relief drugs but I said I have some ibuprofen from Canada and he said that will do so he didn't.  

So overall, the experience was quite nice.  The doctor and staff were really friendly and the doctor didn't try to give me every drug he can (like some doctors that give antibiotics to cure everything!).  Now I just need to get over this sickness!

Tonight is New Year's Eve.  I planned to go to see how people celebrate (basically to a large shrine in the city) but unfortunately I will stay home.  Well, let me take this opportunity to wish everybody a Happy New Year 2011 - may it be much better than it's predecessor! 

I got this nice card in the mail from the nice lady who administers our building:

ウサギ、がんばって！！！