Getting to Austria

The view from the backyard

First of all I need to apologize for not posting in so long. I have two posts started and outlined about Dresden and Heidelberg, but before I could finish them my wrist started hurting, and well, typing was very painful and so they haven't been finished, yet. I promise I will have them up in the next couple of days.

So next, unless you are also my Facebook friend you are probably wondering what happened to my wrist. I will tell you. I don't know. Just before we headed off to Dresden, I woke up with my wrist a little sore. I didn't think much of it thinking I had slept on it wrong or something. It was tender when I would turn it too much in one direction or the other, but that was all. So again I didn't think much of it. The Sunday after we went Heidelberg, almost a week from the first pain, I woke up with a lot of pain in my right wrist. I had hardly any movement and it was swollen. I went to the hospital and all they did was look at it. I mean literally, just look at it, put a numbing/ pain relieving cream on it, and then wrap it up. They did give me some pain killers, but nothing stronger than what I had at home already. The doctor told me if it still hurts to come back. Like I was going to go back there!

I was fairly sure something was wrong with it and I thought it was broken or fractured, because the pain and lack of movement was similar to what I remember from when I broke my other wrist. I was really scared because the timing could not have been worse! I only had a couple of weeks left in Germany and I knew I was going to need to pull all of my luggage around and on and off trains to get to Austria. I had no idea how I was going to be able to do that alone with only one usable hand.

The next day I went to a different hospital, because it still hurt. This hospital was much better. The doctor actually examined my wrist, imagine that! He took an x-ray as well, but I think that was more to placate me than it was because he thought it was broken. My wrist wasn't broken- thank goodness- but he still didn't know what was wrong. He thinks it is the beginning of a Ganglion Cyst. If that is true at some point I will need to have a, hopefully simple, in office surgery. But then again it might have just been sprained. I kept it wrapped and still wrap it at night or when I will be using it a lot. I couldn't use my right hand really at all for the next 2 or 3 days, which isn't any fun because: A. I am right handed, very dominantly so, B. I needed to start packing, and C. I needed to clean my room, so that it looked like I was never there. (My mother taught me well).

I started packing as soon as I could. It took me several days and repacking my suitcases three or four times every day to get it all to fit and in a logical way so I would only need to use one bag for the next several days. Then I had to clean. And did I clean. I think I might have over done it a bit, at least as far as my wrist is concerned, but all selves were dusted, the window I could reach was cleaned- inside and out- the floor was vacuumed and mopped, and the glass doors and mirror polished till they shone.  Basically the same cleaning job I do when ever I move out, but it was a lot of work.

After packing and cleaning it was time to say goodbye. Saying goodbye is hard. I made a lot of friends that I will miss, and unfortunately I wasn't able to say goodbye to all of them the way that I would have liked. We did have a little get together with the closest on Sunday, which was very nice.

look at all of that stuff!

Monday morning Myriam and Linda drove Chris and I to Frankfurt. We found a little place to eat lunch and then we had to say goodbye. They were so sweet to drive us to Frankfurt and then they gave us little presents too! I got a super cute little bag to hold lotions and other things of the sort, that fits in my purse, and it was already filled with goodies!

After they left Chris and I didn't go out to see the city like we had planed. Our hotel was a little weird, asking us to leave the key whenever we left. It was a real key, so I understand for their security they would want to make sure we didn't loose it or make a copy, but we didn't feel super comfortable leaving everything we own in our room. Especially when we came back from lunch and asked for the key they just handed it over, despite that the person working the desk at the time had never seen us before. They didn't even ask for a name, nothing. So when we did go out, to get something to eat and make sure we knew where we were going the next day, it wasn't for very long.

Yesterday I went with Chris to the airport. His flight left at 830, so it was an early morning, aka 430. We took the train to the Airport and finally found where to check in. Then we had to say goodbye. Three days in a row of goodbyes with no hellos. That my friends is rough! I am really going to miss having Chris around. He is a good man and a good friend.

And then I was on my own.

It really didn't hit me that I was alone until I was back in the hotel, showered, dressed, make up on, and all ready to go, just waiting for it to be time to leave. It was a weird feeling. I was sad because I had to say goodbye to so many wonderful people, homesick a bit, missing friends and family. But at the same time I was excited to go to a the next place and start something new. Not to mention how nervous and anxious I was. I was nervous about going to the next place and starting something new, nervous about how well I was going to to with all of my luggage by myself, and the unknown of what was going to happen next. So all of this is going on and my heart was just all a flutter not knowing how to feel the whole day.

yep it actually looks like that

I was able to make it to the train and I could handle my luggage quite well on my own :) yea me! But the train ride was awfully long. It was the longest trip I have taken on the same train so far, but only by about 30 minutes, it felt however like hours longer. I think that is mostly because I didn't have anyone to help break up the time. No one to play cards with or talk to. I had plenty to do otherwise, but still...

After what seemed like forever we were finally in Austria! At one point I looked out the window and there they were... Mountains. Real mountains, with snow capped peaks and cliff faces and everything. Oh how I have missed seeing them on the horizon! I didn't realize how much they mean to me until I lived without them! I am looking forward to exercising my hiking muscles while I am here!

One of the other teaching assistants, who is staying for a second year, met me at the train station and took me back to his place where I will be staying for the next few days until my apartment is ready for me. We went to a local place for dinner and then went for a walk to see some of the very tail end of the meteor shower. I think I am really going to like it here. :)