New city, new blog

Because we all know you don't get any more Irish than me...

http://wendy-o-ng.blogspot.com/

Maria's first surgery

Just spoke with Maria today. She was in quite a bit of pain, but I'm sure that is normal. She had her first surgery today and has a followup visit tomorrow.

Last Day

Maria is amazing. Despite the shitty conditions she lives in, despite the shitty life she has had (started working at 8 years old picking coffee; had her first kid at 14 years old; 4 children; 1 dead foetus and the resulting abortion, hysterectomy and partner leaving her; and a lifetime of being invisible), she is still able to appreciate the beauty of a full moon, flowers, the ripples the raindrops make when they hit the ground…AMAZING.

Went about my day as usual, except for some goodbyes (I’ll be saying goodbye to people before I leave tomorrow in the morning). I want to come back very much, mainly to see Maria, Fredy and the guys at Transitions I’ve become friends with. The usual constraints exist: time and money :(

I am not sure whether I should continue blogging after I leave Antigua. I have enjoyed expressing my thoughts very much and have gotten wonderful support and feedback from some of you. Guatemalong won’t be a very good name though…maybe I should start a new blog called BostonG. Hardy har har.

Largest Pinata I have ever seen for Nosaria's 20th bday

Fredy, Maria and me

Shared a teary farewell with Maria this morning. Caught my connecting flight by 2 minutes, my bag didn't make it though. The tight connection time really highlighted my handicap. Whereas before I could run up and down escalators and move quickly across walkways and terminals, I now shuffle up and down stairs. 

Article about my accident in Climbing Magazine

I was downloading files off my phone when I came across the article written in Climbing Magazine about my accident. The reporter tried to contact me while I was in the hospital (I guess they aren’t particularly considerate about bloody timing) and I returned her call, leaving a message saying that I had nothing to say and was focusing all my energy on my recovery. They went ahead and wrote/published the article, which was poor form, I think, given that they didn’t get my first-hand report. They also made it sound like my only injury was a temporarily gimpy left leg. Bravo Climbing Magazine for your journalistic excellence.

Re-reading this article triggered mixed emotions. The first one was mild outrage that they went ahead and wrote the article and tried to contact me while I still had tubes down my neck. Ticked off that they downplayed my injuries. There was sadness of course, but less than I expected. And a desire to fully explain my accident, recuperation and rehab, injuries and my life now to the climbing community via the forum on SuperTopo.com. I’m not sure why…because it won’t be cathartic. I’ve never felt that talking about personal issues, divulging private information etc is cleansing in anyway. That is not to say I am not a fan of psychotherapy…but I think therapy is useful for untangling the strands in one’s mind and therefore understand oneself better. Will keep you posted on whether I choose to write on SuperTopo or not.