hop-a-long

Walking (hobbling?!) around on crutches is an interesting experience... for a rookie so to say. Like this morning as I take the train one stop to go to the pool to coach: outside all the underground stations in the mornings there are people handing out the free newspapers that seem to explain the rapid depletion of the Amazonian rainforests (that and the 20 articles I copied for 140 students on Thursday... hmmm...). They stand there because commuters are incapable of doing anything for themselves that early in the morning - i.e. reaching to take a paper from a box is far too taxing - or maybe these producers of intellectually, incisive news coverage are scared you'll take the other mob's effort which is nowhere near up to standard but is in very nice colours and has an even smaller easier to hold/read on train format. Anyway, so these people stand at the top of the steps (almost in your way) and hold out these papers at you... and they continue to hold it out to me... as I walk towards them... on crutches... what am I going to do - hold it in my mouth?! They don't even smile when they see/realise the situation - maybe they just don't get it?
So I can't hold things as I'm walking with crutches, which makes trying to serve myself lunch at the school dining hall a daily task of finding a friendly colleague or student to help out. Shopping for food also presents the same difficulties... at least I know this is for a limited time only (like all great offers). In fact I can take more and more weight on my leg every day so I might be off the crutches in a week or two, but the knee/leg brace is on for a while yet.

Thanks for the comments... at least I know you've read it! Realised though that maybe I need to fill in a few details for old friends that aren't quite sure where I am - I'm in Stockholm, Sweden. (There is probably one in Texas too, so I put Sweden just to avoid the confusion... that's not Switzerland either. Did you know that in Austria you can buy T-shirts with the slogan "Austria - we have no kangaroos!"?? speaking of confusing countries with each other). I work at Beverley Hills High (you should all remember Brandon and the gang from 90210) and try to teach the little neo-liberals that just because the former Prime Minister of Sweden was a member of the Social Democrats it does not mean he is the devil incarnate. Quite strange in some ways to be in the country often regarded as having had the best social welfare system in the world and to have landed at a school located in a suburb as far from that as possible, but it does lead to some interesting times! And is not without it perks at certain times... although this week's "perks" were 12 hour days... there really aren't fairies in the world are there? - 'cos if there were they would have done my work for me while I was at home/hospital nursing my knee, instead they just leave it there for me to catch up with now. But have now caught up with most of it and can relax a bit. The only good thing about combining the late nights at work and being a temporary invalid is the service provided by the afore mentioned Swedish welfare system: I can take a taxi to and from work, and the state insurance agency will pay for it all! So no waiting for trains in the dark. It is a great system! The doctor fills out the form saying that due to my decrease mobility I cannot go to work (it would take me 30 min to walk from the station to school at the pace I go at the moment (instead of 10) - and that is only at one end). However the doc then fills in the part of the form that says that I could work if I had transport to/from my workplace - wonderful! School is happy (no substitute needed), saves the system money overall and, most importantly, helps keep me sane (less crazy anyway) by not making me sit at home.

Time for me to hop-a-long,
rich.