I Bleed For Free Stuff

I'm sitting in the BoE with a hole in my arm, glugging cartons of free juice and coffee admiring the bag of free rubbish bags, glad wrap, and bath salts and doing not much else. I decided to carry on my tour of the Japanese medical system and do a review of the Blood Service. Here's how it went down.

As Maggie and I walked back to the BoE after lunch at Konpira Udon, we noticed the Red Cross buses outside of city hall and Maggie started talking about how hard it was for foreigners to be accepted to give blood for no apparent reason other then they're foreigners and before we knew it I was there in the bus with a needle in my arm. We didn't plan on actually doing it as we thought we'd definitely be turned down, but I passed phase one (Can I write my own name and address? Yes, I can), phase two (Can you read your own handwriting? Yes, in actual fact I can), phase three (How is your blood? Fine, thank you and yours?) and bam! You're in the bus on your back with four others and a giant needle in your arm. Who would have known it was so easy. Maggie didn't make it past phase two after she added in a new clause with involved admitting to taking antibiotics, and not being able to read her own handwriting, so it was up to me to do my service in supplying the countrymen with blood. It just so happens I'm type O, as I found out for the first time. Nice to know next time I'm gushing blood.

We lay on comfy beds, as Nishihara-san stood beside me translating the after care sheet and highlighting the most relevant points for me after I admitted during the questioning process I wasn't sure if I was a gay male. The blood giving part was long as expected by it was over pretty painlessly and fast and before I knew it, I had a goodie bag in my hand and gallons of juice and coffee to replenish my now lowered fluid levels.

The options of blood donation were only 200ml and 400ml which I suppose makes sense for such a small people. I gave 400ml which shocked the women at the kindergarten when I told them as women are only supposed to give 200ml compared to NZ women who can give 600ml apparently. I could've given them two bags and looked like a freakin hero. It just wasn't to be.

All in all the blood donor service gets an A from me for ease of use and free stuff. Actually Kawahara-san went in before me for the third or so time and walked out with keyrings and all kinds of better free stuff so I'll have to go back in May when they come around again.