Travel - #Fail

Ok, I thought I had things down when it came to moving countries and travelling. But apparently not! ......and why am I not surprised?
Excuse this time: wasn't quite ready or eager to go anywhere. Just wanted to stay at home with family and friends + my head really needed a holiday - not summer school.

So, somewhere along the (convenient) route from Langesund to Oslo via Horten, and London to Tokyo via Helsinki, I managed to somehow loose the following: 1 pair of sunglasses, 180 contact lenses (!), my sanity (?).... (ok, I admit - the sunglasses was purely my own stupid fault and shall never be spoken about again).

In this scenario - not having contact lenses is by far the worst. So, what to do but search for an optometrist in Tokyo. YEY - sounds easy doesn't it? Right..... Took about 1,5 week to locate a place in "my" local, but busy shopping district, Machida. I gave up keeping track of how many people I asked, but in my endless wandering I was handed a flyer (luck?) with pictures of contact lens boxes (at this point: slobbering). Hijacked three 16-year old school boys who ended up walking me to my rescue (7th floor in this building). At this point I had understood that this search could have been made easier had I known that contact lenses in Japanese is pronounced "contacto lenso".

Lesson 1: how to get your eyes checked in Japanese!
1) sitting and waiting while filling out form which I did not understand
2) eyes checked by woman, who after 20 minutes of having me locate opening in an almost-circle concluded with saying "you have syndlom" + pointing at following word "cylindrical".
3) me just accepting my newfound cynlindrical syndrom (ANYTHING to get contact lenses)
4) got shown into dark room with guru, aka. optometrist who first, appologies for "No, Engrish". At this point I was practising slow breathing and patience..........virtue, those who wait, etc..
5) optometrist: "What is youl ploblem?"...Me: (In very slow and clear voice...) "Sir, I have no problem. I just forgot to bring my contact lenses to Japan. " I gave him my printed prescription (aquired through emailing with my optometrist in Oslo).
6) optometrist proceeded to do a typical eye check-up through hugh machinery - I respect the ethics of the trade!
7) optometrist: "You have dly eyes with spots." Again, I felt willing to accept me being blind as long as it would lead to me getting my "contacto lenso" in the end. Me: "Yes, I know. My eyes are dry with a tad too much protein production."
8) At this point, we both realised that language failed. He called for a woman and voila - I got 1 months supply of contacto lenso :D
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (why not spend your time like this when in Tokyo I ask?)

Gozeimasu Tokyo......

...and welcome motion sickness!

Yes, I have repositioned myself to Tokyo, Japan. Here I will study the Japanese and Asian Higher Education institutions, system and internationalisation at J.F.Oberlin University.
Apparently, my former homoepathic treatment removed both allergies and motion sickness, but only for 5 years - so, now it's all back. This meant that on flight from London I could eat nothing, and at the descend to Narita airport I was of course not the one doing things into a see through blue plastic bag handed to me by kind stewardess. Nope, it wasn't me... If nothing else I felt really cleansed when entering this country :) I did feel for my fellow passenger, an elderly Japanese lady returning from her vacation overseas. Luckily, she mostly slept in neck injurious postions like this one...