Week 15

Our last day in Vienna was an early start. A cab took me, Madeleine, and Clare to the Spanish Riding School to watch the morning practice of the Lipizzan horses and their riders. We arrived before the group did so we waited for them and had to work through a large crowd to get to the ticket counter. Once we were past the ticket man, I put my arms around Michael and Nathan and they helped me hop up a staircase. The morning practices started and I stayed there for the whole time until around 12:00 because they were just fascinating to watch. The building was fairly close by to a café and we were on our own for lunch so a group of us decided to go there. After lunch, which consisted of a nice hearty soup, we worked our way to a meeting point because we were all going to the Natural History Museum. I started crutching there ahead of time because I knew it was going to take a while and Michael and Cerci came with me. I hadn’t even gotten far before I saw the group across the street pass us. Cerci started playing motivational music, I’ll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan, and Michael would give me piggyback rides when I needed a break from crutching. We finally entered the general area where the museum was and were headed towards it when I saw Nathan racing towards us. I got on his back and he jogged towards the building, up the stairs, and through the doors. The museum had a wheelchair on hand which made things a hundred times easier for me and everyone else. Our tour guide was really nice and super knowledgeable. He took over navigating the wheelchair to get me to another floor of the museum and during that time we talked about his work and what had happened to my leg. The tour was over too quickly and it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and get to the airport. I had originally planned to leave to Prague with a small group of friends after our time in Vienna was up but because I broke my leg, I was going back home to Bonn with Dr. Wasser, Kristin, and a small group of people from the program. Kristin was taking the subway back to the airport with the other group and Dr. Wasser came along in the taxi that took me to the airport. I fell asleep during that ride and before I knew it we were at the airport. The taxi driver was so nice and helped Dr. Wasser find the wheelchair Kristin had reserved for me and unload the bags. Kristin stayed with me to check the bags and go through security which was a new experience since I was in the wheelchair. Afterwards, we waited for boarding to start but since I was in the wheelchair I got the VIP treatment. A worker came along in one of those golf cart-like vehicles and took me and Kristin to a door. We waited for a little bit before we went down onto the tarmac and got into a van. The van then took us to a strange contraption that essentially worked as a lift but it was very roomy in there. Kristin and I were inside this thing for a small amount of time and then it raised us up and we were able to get into the plane from the door opposite of the door the other passengers were going to come through. They sat me down towards the front and a nice stewardess collected my crutches and stored them for me. The flight was pretty short and I had to wait for everyone to leave the plane before I could. I made my way down the stairs and there was another wheelchair waiting for me at the bottom. The Cologne airport worker driving the wheelchair was also very friendly and helped me get my bag from baggage claim and then took me outside to wait for the bus we were all going back on. By the time we got back to Bonn, it was around 23:00. Kristin drove me to my host parents’ house and Dr. Wasser came along. My host parents met us at the door and gave me these giant hugs which made me feel so much better. They spoke to Kristin and Dr. Wasser and then helped me get up the stairs to my room. The next day, Saturday, I mainly stayed in bed and did some homework and talked with my host parents. 

Vienna was an incredible experience and even though I will always link it to breaking my leg, I have nothing but fond memories of it. It is a beautiful city and I broke my leg in one of the prettiest locations which was really cool. Vienna is also the city the showed me just how amazing the people on this program are. The fact that they came together to help me out still blows my mind and I will forever be grateful for all their help. I got to experience the healthcare system of Austria as well and now I’ll be seeing some of the German healthcare system in the weeks ahead which is going to give me a unique perspective and I am really eager to see and experience it all.