Health and Wealth
Several weeks ago I checked the dollar/yen exchange rate and was in for a rude surprise. At that point it was about 97 yen to the dollar, which was considerably less than the 113-115 yen to the dollar rate I had back in '04. I then checked the exchange-rate forecast, and was somewhat sated when I saw that the dollar would grow weaker throughout December before rallying in January, just in time for me to exchange my moolah. Just as expected, the rate has gone down yet again. As of today, I can get 93 yen for a dollar. 93! Curse you, economy!!! But, twisting the knife, the forecast has also drastically changed. The dollar is expected to bottom out at a rate of 90 yen in January before rallying back to a sad 93 yen in February.
I'm just praying I'll be able to find a job quickly.
Another task that I have recently embarked on is finding health insurance. I know that as a proud 25 year old I shouldn't be thinking of such things. I'm invincible, right? However, after enjoying the fruits of insurance for the past 3.5 years, and partially due to my secret fear of being horribly injured in an earthquake, I'm not going to take the risk. So into the deep, dark world of insurance I go.
The first company I found when googling "expat health insurance japan" is the aptly named "http://www.x-pat.net/", a company that is almost immediately disqualified when I bother to look at their "what is excluded" page. Here's a smattering of the things x-pat.net does not cover:
I'm just praying I'll be able to find a job quickly.
Another task that I have recently embarked on is finding health insurance. I know that as a proud 25 year old I shouldn't be thinking of such things. I'm invincible, right? However, after enjoying the fruits of insurance for the past 3.5 years, and partially due to my secret fear of being horribly injured in an earthquake, I'm not going to take the risk. So into the deep, dark world of insurance I go.
The first company I found when googling "expat health insurance japan" is the aptly named "http://www.x-pat.net/", a company that is almost immediately disqualified when I bother to look at their "what is excluded" page. Here's a smattering of the things x-pat.net does not cover:
- Dental care or treatment (par for the course so far)
- Pregnancy, childbirth, abortion and/or complications thereof (listed twice, guess they won't cover you for your 2nd pregnancy either)
- Congenital and hereditary diseases, symptoms, or any related conditions
- Medical check-ups (also listed twice)
- Cancer, diabetes, kidney or gallstones, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, athlete's foot, ingrown toenails, any type of chronic illness, etc. (why these are listed together I will never know)
- War, revolution, terrorism, demos (if something goes wrong during a bpd recording?), riots, etc.
- Traffic accidents, industrial accidents, natural disasters, etc (basically anything that would cause you to need insurance)