Snow and X-rays

The Sydney I left was humid and unpredictably rainy. Here in Hakodate, humidity is not a problem, but rain, snow and sleet can blow in unannounced. Snow can be beautiful; like delicate, frosty lace. But when the wind is strong and you are riding home, snow can be the devil. It piles up on the frames of your glasses and quickly melts down your face, distorting any oncoming traffic and/or pedestrians into vague blobs.  When you still have a large scar from the last time you rode a bike, this lack of visibility is worrying. 

         

The above photo is courtesy of Savannah-san, a 留学生 from Townsville who was brave enough to use her camera during the mini-blizzard. 

Another example of when snow was particular annoying was during our first 大学 medical examination. After peeing in a tube, having our height, weight, heartbeat, blood pressure and sight checked, we were required to have a chest X-ray. After removing certain garments, we had to walk out of the university building and into a truck where our X-ray was performed. The truck's back door was constantly open so a line could form for the process. Strong winds, lack of clothing and snow don't make for fun times. 

As us girls lined up around the room, each taking our shoes off in turn to step on the scale, the constant chatter in the small classroom made it feel more like high school than university. It brought back traumatic memories of the beep test in PE. A far cry from the anonymity of UTS and its 30,000 students. 

The very fact that there was such a thorough medical examination in the first place was a little shocking for me. Universities in Sydney do not take responsibility for nor care (as much as Japan) about students' health. It may also be considered a slight invasion of privacy, if it was conducted in a similarly public setting as the one I just experienced. 

It's been an interesting week. But snow and X-rays aside, Hakodate is growing on me.