"Health is the most important thing in life, you can't buy it with money"

This saying was really put to the test this week. Without a doubt the last weekend was one of the most dramatic since we arrived. It started off normally enough, I decided to have another get together at my place, seeing as the last one was so much fun. People started arriving, music started playing, food started making it's way around and drinks were flowing- quite a cheerful, friendly atmosphere in general. One of my good friends was noticeably absent, he was out with Dr Takahama seeing a play at Nishio castle, planning to join up with us later. Around 20:30 we got a phonecall from Takahama saying that the play had finished, and he was going to get some food, while my friend went his own way to mine by bicycle. We agreed times, and food... The journey from Nishio Castle to my apartment should take about 10 minutes. After half an hour there was still no sign of my good friend or Dr Takahama. Then, quite suddenly around 21:00 I got a phonecall from Takahama, the first thing I heard was sirens.

Takahama told me my friend had been hit by a car and thrown off his bike, he also said he was with him in the ambulance, and needed the contact numbers of the family he was staying with, as my friend was not in a fit state to communicate much of anything. Quite shocked at what I was hearing, I told him I would do it as soon as possible. I immediately started going through my contacts and got him as many numbers as he could possibly need. I phoned him back and gave him the details, he thanked me then hung up. And that was the last we heard for several hours. I had the uneviable job of informing all of the partygoers at my place that my friend would not be coming... That was quite a difficult thing to do, but I was most worried about my friend.

Let's say the fallout from this incident has been huge, Let's just say I appreciate now, more than ever, the free-at-point-of-use healthcare service we are blessed to have in the UK, let's just say that I would never want to be left with the predicament of gambling my health on an insurance policy. And so this relatively small incident has caused me to think very carefully on some famous old sayings, Maybe you can't buy health with money, but out here, it certainly does help.

On top of that both my fellow gappers have health complaints, one is suffering from a terrible ache in his mouth, but it doesn't seem to be toothache, while the other is suffering repeated problems with his contact lenses, which have been semi blinding him in his left eye. On top of that has suffered broken glasses. So with all this disaster going on around me everywhere, I wonder when it'll strike me? Touch wood everyone will come through all right, and hopefully I won't end up being the next casualty. And I will always by health insurance whenever I travel for the rest of my life. That's a promise, the alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

Well although this all sound very depressing, thing are actually progressing quite well, I'm still really enjoying the challenges which each new day is throwing up, and at some point this year I might actually get to Nagoya. Hope everyone reading this is healthy and well.