Day three:
I woke to excruciating pain this morning. Apparently my small fall from last night really hurt my ankle and caused swelling. So this morning was a balancing act of not stepping on my right foot and not waking my two roommates, Marina and Alexa.
I woke up at 5:30 a.m. thinking my foot was cramping, but I woke up again at 6:30 a.m. and tried to move my foot. Bad decision. I looked at the foot and realized three things: 1) something is not right with this foot, 2) it’s broken, 3) maybe I’m over reacting and I just twisted my ankle. My next thoughts were along the lines of: “Really?! Why now? Am I’m going to be able to continue this trip? Are they going to send me home? I don’t want to go home! Please let this be a simple sprain!”
Now I have never, up until this moment, broken any bones or sprained anything. So this experience happening in a different country is a bit nerve wracking. I didn’t want to wake my roommates so I shuffle across my room with a combination of hopping and crawling. At 8 a.m. when their alarms when off, I told them the about my foot.
It was decided to contact Helen to see what could be done, since it was apparent walking wasn’t an option. Through a series of phone calls between Jan and Helen it was decided I needed to go to the hospital. I was really beginning to doubt my luck on this trip.
I was given ice and elevated my foot down in the lobby as I waited with Jan and Helen for Lorena to arrive. The rest of the group went off to explore Berlin and I won’t lie that I found it frustrating that I had hurt my ankle. The thing is, I trip and fall all the time and I have been lucky to say I never had damaged myself to this extent.
When Lorena arrived to help us with the translation, the three of us (Lorena, Helen and I) went to Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It was then the waiting game. I was eventually called in for my foot to be poked and prodded, which was not fun. The doctor decided I needed x-rays since it was possible to have fractured some bones. Helen, Lorena and I waited some more before I was called for x-rays.
While we waiting again after the photos of my swollen foot were taken, Helen and I started talking with this man from Scotland. He was curious in how I injured my foot. He than proceeded to share with us a time when he broke both his legs after chasing a thief and accidently falling into a pit where he fell some 20 meters (20 meters = 65 feet). The guy was luckily to be alive. Then later a woman came in hobbling just as I had. A tram had hit her and ironically her right foot was the only damage. The woman then went to teach a class before calling a cab to go the hospital. All I can say is the waiting rooms in Berlin are interesting.
Shortly after the woman who was hit by the tramcar had arrived I was called to get the verdict on my foot. My little trip from the night before had ruptured a ligament in my right foot. I was given a compress and an air-cast. I was also given medication to prevent any blot clots and crutches. All of this happened between 8 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.
On top of the DW building, Berlin, Germany
Helen, Lorena and I then grabbed a cab to get to the media trip for the day: Deutsche Welle with Fabian von der Mark. He told us Deutsche Welle was for the people and for the world to know how Germany was changing. Fabian von der Mark also gave us a tour of the studio and newsrooms. It definitely a calm atmosphere and we even got to see the beginnings of one of the news “presentations.” As a special treat he took us to the roof where we got an absolutely wonderful skyline view.
My foot prevents me from using public transportation and instead I had to take a cab with Helen back to the apartment. The rest of my day went to relaxing and keeping my foot elevated and iced. I also got pizza and ice cream to go with Aimee.
So my day started and ended in ways I couldn’t even imagined, but I made some good memories. This definitely wasn’t how I pictured my days in Germany. This trip has taught me so much about the differences in media between Germany and the U.S. and how to just go with it while traveling. I may hobble a bit now, but I still going to enjoy my time in Berlin and in Munich.
Here’s to tomorrow!
Carson
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