May 17 - Maintaining Confidence

Last weekend I attended a conference. Now, while you may think that isn’t a big deal, trust me when I say that for me it was! The problem was that at this particular conference I would be going alone, would know nobody, and there were bound to be papers to read and discuss. On the other side of the coin, I was quite interested in the topic and really wanted to go. 

Before the day of the conference I spent several anxious moments and restless nights as I pondered the personal challenges of the day. How would I find the registration desk? Where were the washrooms located? Would the men’s and women’s be clearly marked? How would I manage at the coffee and refreshment table? Would I be conspicuous with my white cane? How would I find a chair to sit?  Who would talk with me and possibly guide me when the group changed to the adjoining room? How would I manage the paper work? Would I come across as someone needing pity or just someone who needed a little assistance?

I think that most of these questions were legitimate concerns perhaps for anyone attending a large event on their own but especially for someone without full sight. In the end, and with encouragement from Lyle, I decided that the only way to answer the above was to front up and see what would happen.

I had a great day! Lyle guided me as far as the registration desk, showed me the location of the washrooms, took me to an empty chair and before he left, brought me my first cup of coffee. I was still too anxious to eat any of the muffins. At the roll call, I was still the only one sitting at the round table at the back of the hall. However, shortly after I announced my name and where I was from, a very kind woman approached the table to say that she and another couple of women were from a neighbouring town and would I like to join them.

Would I ever! I gathered up my belongings and followed her to a table near the front. From there the day went well. The five women at the table might have all had extensive training on how to treat a visually impaired person. They were kind and helpful without treating me as being helpless. I was simply another conference delegate. They read appropriate papers for me, asked for my opinions and offered to get me coffee.

When the day was over, I remembered that people are basically kind and helpful when the occasion arises. I was also a little pumped knowing that I had overcome my initial fears and anxieties. I had moved out of my comfort zone and once again practiced stepping out with a modicum of confidence.  

May 9 - B and B near Rome

Generally speaking, I don’t use this blog to write about hotels, motels and bed and breakfast establishments. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever done so before. However, the B and B where we stayed last week was excellent and so I am making an exception.

Before our return flight to Canada, Lyle and I needed an easy stay somewhere preferably close to the Rome airport. We had finished with our sight seeing and so didn’t want to go back into the city. Our choice on Booking.com was Un Passo Dal Mare. Our decision was made mostly because the establishment offered a free shuttle to and from the airport.

We were so fortunate. Even though our flight was just over an hour late, the promised driver was there to meet us at the airport. The drive to the B and B was about ten to fifteen minutes but would have been a very expensive taxi ride.

Un Passo Dal Mare was in the Fuimicino area, which I suppose can best be described as the suburban area near the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. Until this trip, I hadn’t realized that the airport, and also our B and B, was so close to the Mediterranean. Un Passo Dal Mare was only a few blocks from the waterfront. We walked the distance that night, found a long paved walkway beside the beach, and ate in a lovely local restaurant. In spite of it being a holiday Monday, the area was quiet and felt completely safe. We saw mostly local people on our walk and noted that Fuimicino was also known as a fishing port.

The B and B itself was great – spotlessly clean, comfortable beds, hot water in the shower, and the next morning an excellent breakfast. The breakfast was an extra seven Euros, but totally worth it. In fact, we felt quite spoiled with freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly ground coffee, choice of cereal for me, and bacon and eggs for Lyle, fresh pastries and buns and a variety of fruit. Our flight had been delayed again – oh the tribulations of travel – so we spent a very enjoyable hour and a half over breakfast and chatting with the super friendly owner and proprietor, Paula.

In a way, Lyle and I were disappointed that we hadn’t arranged to spend an additional night. We would highly recommend Un Passo Del Mare to anyone needing a quiet, comfortable, clean, and convenient place to stay either arriving or departing from Rome. We would definitely stay again if the opportunity arose.

 

 

May 4 - Pictures from Tunisia

We don’t take many pictures these days. For the most part, I am unable to see pictures and the memory of the real thing stands out far more clearly in my mind. However, our tour in Tunisia was special enough for us to record the day and so I am posting three pictures here.

In the first picture I am standing in front of a stone arch. It is one of the few arches we saw still standing in the ruins of the ancient city of Carthage. The arch is quite tall and I think that it gives a small indication of just how impressive the city was in its day.

Being victorious in the Punic Wars, the ancient Romans razed the original city to the ground and built their own city over the top. They then proceeded to build one of the most impressive Roman Baths in the ancient world. While this was truly an incredible feat of engineering, it wasn’t the smartest in terms of choosing a location. The Baths were miles away from the nearest source of fresh water. Not to be outdone, the Romans then constructed an aqueduct over 100 km in length – again the longest and most impressive in the ancient world. The partial ruins of this are still visible today.

It was strange to be standing where all this took place around three thousand years ago. In the second and third pictures with this post I am standing beside a fallen marble column. In the first of these shots, you can clearly see the size of the slab. The outside of the marble column still felt smooth to my touch while the inside was rough and crumbly. The last picture is more of a close-up.

Lyle and I feel very fortunate that we have been able to have this glimpse into the past.

The three pictures follow this text.

 

Sue standing in front of a stone arch

 

Sue standing in front of a marble column

 

close up of Sue standing in front of a marble column

April 28 - Tunisia

This year I spent my birthday in Tunisia.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever spend any time here, but it was a port of call for our cruise ship, so that was that. To be truthful, I even had to look at a map to see where Tunisia was located - the northern tip of Africa in case you are wondering.

I loved the land tour. Our guide was excellent with a good knowledge of modern day Tunis and the ancient days of Carthage. The ruins of the Roman Baths and the longest Roman aqueduct ever built were fascinating. How on earth did the Romans sculpt those columns and then lift them into place.

We also visited a local market or bazaar. This wasn’t quite as interesting for me and I found walking on the cobble stones and uneven steps to be very difficult.

One point if interest was our stop at the public washrooms.  As usual, the line up for the women’s was lengthy.  However, an attendant obviously noticing my white cane, took my hand and led me out of the women’s line. I thought I was being led to a handicap washroom - but no! Instead, the obliging attendant led my past the men’s urinals to a cubicle at the end.  As I do have some sight, I found this a little unnerving. I’m not sure what the men on the tour thought of my presence.

All in all though it was a great day, and a perfect way to spend my birthday.

April 23 - Low Vision Badge

At home, when I go about my everyday life, I try to avoid drawing attention to my sight challenges. When we are travelling, the opposite is true.  I use my white cane and I wear a low vision badge.  If we are travelling by plane, ship or tour bus, I register as a legally blind passenger.  I do this all for my own safety and to protect others.  I don’t want to bump into people or things that I can’t see.  I don’t want to trip or fall. Last Thursday, Lyle and I flew from Calgary to Montreal, connecting on to a flight to Rome.  In spite of preboarding with my white cane, wearing my low vision badge and being listed as blind on the passenger manifest and boarding card, I wasn’t given a safety briefing nor did I receive any other attention to my special needs.  The second leg of the trip started in the same manner.  Then about twenty minutes in, and observant flight attendant noticed by low vision badge.  Kimberley crouched beside me to ask if there was any way she could offer assistance, adding that she would alert other crew members to my situation.  This was helpful when the lights were dimmed or when the meal was served. I sometimes wonder if wearing my low vision badge is a bit of overkill - but obviously not.  It was interesting to me that it was the very smallest thing that was a signal to my sight disability. The picture below shows me sitting at a table in hour hotel and wearing my low vision badge.  We are in Civitavecchia prior to boarding our cruise ship tomorrow.   Sue with her low vision badge

April 14 - Vision and Travel

Over the past few days I have been chatting with friends about travelling. If you have been a reader of this blog, you might have guessed that travel is one of my favourite topics of conversation. I truly enjoy going to new places and having experiences that are out of the ordinary. In saying this, I must admit that Lyle and I both realize that we are fortunate to be able to travel as much as we do.

Anyway, as I was speaking with one friend, she explained that she was too nervous to travel any more because of her diminished sight. Now, I know that this friend has an eye condition that might mean even more decreasing sight in the future. I asked her if she wouldn’t want to use what sight she had right now before her ability to see decreased even further.

Seizing the present is definitely my own philosophy. Certainly there are some anxious moments when I am out of my comfort zone but to face the challenge is exhilarating in itself  - especially when the experience ends up being a positive one. Even with failure, I can feel a certain satisfaction in knowing that I have tried something new.

Traveling with my white cane has only served to add a new dimension to the travel experience. Perhaps I will write more about this in my next post because by next week we will be on the go again.

April 6 - Peer Support Groups

Yesterday at our support group meeting, our guest speaker was a retired optometrist. Dr. Perry gave a very interesting presentation about macular degeneration. It was good to get the facts and anything relevant in the terms of latest research. We learned of the difference between dry and wet macular degeneration and what we might expect with each. Dr. Perry stressed the importance of preventative and stabilizing measures. I think that we all learned something from his presentation and it was surely more gripping hearing it all in person rather than reading the same information on a brochure.

After the presentation, of course we had refreshments. In some ways that is the most important part of a support group meeting. The coffee time gives us an opportunity to chat and share with each other. 

While vision loss can be explained from a clinical point of view, the impact on the individual is very much emotional. Vision loss, whether it is sudden and dramatic or slow and gradual, can point the way to a different way of life. I believe that peer support groups can be an effective tool with this journey. Even though I lead our local support group, I gain as much from the other members as anyone else in the group.