Should've known better...

I got into a car accident today. It had just rained for about 20 minutes, just enough to make the roads super slick (seashells are mixed into the roads here). I was going to pick up a friend before the Mid-Year Conference (she's broke so I volunteered to drive). She lives across the street, but because she lives to my right if I'm standing facing the street between us, it means I have to turn against traffic to get to her place, then turn against traffic again to get back to the road we have to take to get to the conference. I decided I'd take the back road (behind our apartment, that lets out further to the right than her place is). But, I never made it to the main street. I was driving on that back road, and had just gone through a particularly bumpy area, and was going down hill. I was probably going at least 30kmh, which isn't that fast, but combined with the fact that the roads were so slick and I had downhill momentum behind my force, there was no way to get around colliding with the white boxy car coming in the opposite direction. we both swerved to pass each other, you see, the back roads aren't big enough for two cars side by side, but when I hit my brakes, my car just started sliding. Even though I'm pretty sure I pumped them to try to not slide, and I think I tried to correct my steering too, I hit her car in the driver's side back door. I continued to slide as I tried to park my car on the side of the road. As soon as I opened my door, she was there, asking if I was ok, in Japanese. What a disaster. I felt so bad because I dont' speak much Japanese and she didn't speak any English! She must have been really worried since she was asking me questions I couldn't answer... Mainly about insurance (which I have, but didn't know the word for). I called both Jon and Jacqui and the both came. I wonder if the woman felt bombarded by all the gaijin! I called Chris (one of the JET Prefectural Advisors) to let him know I'd be late. He told me to call my coordinator so they could translate for all the reports that now had to be made, and not to worry about missing the conference. I felt so embarrassed. Now my coordinator had to come and help me (eventually both my coordinator and supervisor came). I hate having to accept help from people. I hate feeling vulnerable. I guess this place is forcing me to grow! haha. I guess I can't control everything, all the time...
Anyways, after all the reports were made and every organization that needed to be notified was, I went to the gas station with my coordinator to get my fender checked out. It was rubbing when I drove it. I hit the other car pretty hard. She couldn't open her back door. My bumper not only was dented, but the cover was torn, exposing the rough metal bar underneath. My blinker light wouldn't stay in place and the fender was not just dented, but had an impact mark that actually folded it up and in in one spot, in the shape of a "z". At least the gas station attendant pushed out the fender's inner guard and taped my light in so I can drive it. Japanese car insurance pays for the other person's car, but not your own. Stinks. However, the insurance company will decide percentages for whose fault it was. I feel like I was going too fast for the road conditions, but it stinks because I wasn't doing anything stupid that normally causes car accidents.
After dealing with it all, I had a horrible headache and my neck hurt. Jon said that I was holding it funny while talking to the police, too. I decided to not go to the conference and go home instead. I felt exhausted. I guess the adrenaline rush died down and left me beaten up. I was still pretty shaken up by the whole thing. I felt foolish and ashamed for putting myself in a position where I could feel so foreign. My friends and supervisor and coordinator were great, I just have to deal with my own demons now. I gave Jon a stern warning about car accidents here, and what did I do? I went and go into one myself! My supervisor told me he'd been in three accidents when the roads were wet. His father in law just had one last month in the same conditions. I guess if I take nothing else from this experience, it is to slow down if there is any water on the road!
After I rested for a while, I realized my right leg hurt in several places, the knee and the hip. Now I think it is from mashing my brakes so hard!