Graceful

If you were to look up graceful in the dictionary I can guarantee you that my picture would NOT be next to it!! Some of you probably remember my first trip down the stairs at Alstom almost two years ago... .well this morning on the way to the Metro I felt the need to encore that presentation. Ok so I didn't actually feel the need to but being jumbled up in a crowd of people when someone caught the back of my foot I lost all control I had over my stepping and down I went. Not only did this happen in prime time traffic to get on the train but I had a cute little skirt on that I am pretty sure flew up and allowed the people walking down the stairs behind me a little peek. Good times had by all. A nice young lady managed to catch my arm before my head went all the way to the ground and helped me up - asking in French if I was ok - THANK YOU French lessons!! I actually understood - which maybe the only good thing that came out of the 2 minute ordeal. I managed to get myself up, brush off my scraped and bruised knees and hobble to the train platform - only to miss the train I really wanted to get on to assess the damage. It was when I stepped onto the next train that I felt the lovely tension in my right ankle but I managed to balance through all the stops and today I took the escalator up to the street. You know that feeling you get when you just don't feel right - I had it the entire walk in. I don't know if I have ever been so happy to get to my desk EVER!! Not only because there was a seat but because I had a nice flat pair of black shoes tucked in the bottom drawer - as a just in case for a moment like this. As painful as it was to take off the sleek black suede peeptoes and replace them with black ballerina flats it was neccessary. I made it about an hour before the throbbing made me want to cry. I was determined to make it through the day and just get on with it but as soon as I looked down and saw the ping pong ball emerging I knew I was going to see a little more assistance than I wanted. LUCKILY I have some great friends at work who helped me make my way across the street to the nurse who took one look and said - Radio for you. So not only did I have my first honest to goodness embarassing moment in France when I fell, I was also going to visit my first French hospital. As I bowed my head and put my hands ove rmy face as I was handed a cane and pushed out in a wheel chair - I just hoped no one was looking down and recognized my head of blond hair. At this point I think my chaperones were in it more for the pure amusement of seeing me in the wheel chair than to translate. I am pretty sure there are some photos floating around that I will have to recover. A cab picked us up and brought us to a hospital right down the street from the office and I have to be honest there is an obvious difference in the standards and the way the systems work between here and there (there as in the US - Springfield, MA to be exact). I have never been moved through an emergency room so quickly ever. This could be contributed to my fantastic translators or just the fact that this is how the medical system works here. Aside from that when I was handed the bill at the end the price was hardly a fraction of what my visit would have been in the states - I know this from experience as well!! Aside from that I am in one piece - with my right ankle a bit larger in size than my left and a pretty little aircast for a few days to keep it from twisting again. Simply a sprain( a less than good feeling one) and no broken bones - Talk about a great birthday present!!!!