Blood Donation

I think I joined a blood donation once in Malaysia, but somehow I can't really remember the details.. Probably it just didn't leave any impression on me. Today, I donated my blood for the first time in Japan.

Well, after a long time filling forms (imagine medical terms in Japanese) and checking if Malaysia has any dangerous contagious diseases(such as malaria) and 2 ant bites(on the left for a blood test, and on the right for the donation, 400ml), I came back with these :

On the upper left corner is a red and gold card. I'm sure you recognize the red cross. The Japanese words translate to "Blood Donation Card" and "Japan Red Cross Society". When you get this card, your data will be input into the card and the next time you wish to donate blood, all you have to do is show the card to them. Cool right? And to prevent people with HIV from simply using your card to donate blood, you are also asked to lock it with a 4-number pin. hehe..

On the right is a mechanical pencil with a Hello Kitty Nurse on it. ^^; The Japanese words translate to "Blood donation is a gift of love" and "Gunma Prefecture Red Cross Blood Centre". On the middle left is a Calorie Mate Block, which is commonly sold in Japan. This is the first time I ate this thing. It's supposed to be an easy source of energy and nutrition at any time.

I'm very sure I will never forget this Blood Donation experience in Japan. The people handling the donation were nice and you get some souvenirs and most of all, you get the feeling that your blood will be put to good use. I'll be looking forward to this again next year!

Oh ya, the Japanese words on the plastic file translates to "Let's start the 20 years old(Adult) Blood Donation". Here's a piece of news about it: Daily Sports Online And for those who are interested, the model's name is Eikura Nana （榮倉奈々）.