hello all!
I haven't written about the end of our trip to Holland for several
reasons. I wanted to find out the results of the Sponsorwalk first,
but I still haven't heard those......and I was waiting for the
outcome of the separate conference/specific subject lines debate.
Since that hasn't been resolved yet, let me wrap things up quickly
here...
Al and I were sad to say goodbye to Kees and his family. They were
wonderfully hospitable and we had a grand time in Holland. Neither of
us had ever been to Europe before. The dykes, lush farmland,
incredible flowers, pretty homes, quaint villages, hundreds of
bicycles, unique waterways, history, delicious chocolate, cheese and
friendly people made our visit so memorable.
I had been a bit concerned about travelling with medication and
adjusting to time zones, but I was pleased at how well my body
adapted. Perhaps it was the excitement of something new or the lack
of stress (constantly ringing phone, trials and tribulations of
teenagers, meeting mortgage payments, etc.) that helped. Who knows?
I tried to make sure I got enough sleep, exercise and took my meds on
time, and the rest took care of itself.
It was a bit disconcerting to be in a country where English was not
the primary language. Our hosts did their best to 'clue us in' but I
realized how odd it feels to hear people speaking and not have an
idea of what's being said. That was an eye opener and made me much
more aware of making sure I'm understood, not only as far as another
language is concerned, but as it applies to the hearing impaired and
senior citizens who have trouble absorbing fast speech.
One of the more interesting revelations regarding Parkinsons came to
light when we attended the Thursday afternoon session at the week
long conference in north-east Holland. It had to do with society's
perception of us and how our frozen expressions and slowness can
result in people thinking we aren't interested in what's going on
around us and don't care to be included. How wrong that is! and yet I
can see how these manifestations of Pd can be so easily misconstrued.
I'm not sure exactly how much the Sponsorwalk made, but I know the
incredible work that went into making its first year such a success.
Kees already knows how to make next year's walk even better and I
know that his dedication and tireless efforts will make it so.
Hopefully this event will be echoed around the world in 1996.
Thanks for listening,
Lynda
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