The sun is shining again for me too
N 44°26'48.2'' E 026°03'41,6''Events from 08.07.-12.07.2006
“What a gift to finally be able to look out of the window again,” I say every morning, waking up in a good mood. My progress has been incredible. The day after the operation, I make my first brave and successful attempts to walk around the ward. Ciprian, the friendly physiotherapist, has taken care of me and visits me every day to teach me how to walk and stand up properly again. On the third day after the operation, I’m already practising walking up and down the stairs again and Tanja and I sneak out of the clinic in the late afternoon to avoid the monotonous and mostly cold food there. We sit in the pub opposite and start making plans for the future. “If the healing process continues at this rate, we could actually stay in Romania,” I say thoughtfully. “What? I don’t think I’m hearing right. No, we’ll go home, you’ll go to a rehab clinic and cure your injury completely. Only then will we set off again. I don’t want to go through something like that again,” says Tanja firmly. “Sure, you’re right. It was just a thought. Maybe we should even consider postponing the next departure until next year. I’ll definitely be one hundred percent fit again then,” I muse.
Dr. Baltisanu and his colleague Dr. Sandu visit us on Sunday afternoon. “Well, how are you?” he grins happily at me. “Fantastic,” I reply, also cheerfully. You can continue your journey in two months at the latest. Will you please come and visit me then?” he asks us invitingly. “We don’t know if we’ll be able to set off this year. It’s already getting cold towards Russia in September,” I reply. “Oh no, then we’ll go to the Carpathians together. It’s beautiful there. We could celebrate New Year’s Eve there,” he suggests. “If we’re in Romania at that time, that would be a good idea.” “Get out of bed at last. Have a few beers and enjoy your life,” he changes the subject. “Well, I’ll wait a few more days to drink the beer, but then we’ll have a big drink,” I joke. The friendly conversation ripples on for a while. Dr. Baltisanu and Dr. Sandu join me on the bed for a souvenir photo. We laugh and have fun. Just a few days ago, this scene would have seemed like a bad joke, like a delusion, but now I can touch the two gentlemen next to me in bed. They are real and, above all, they have freed me, freed me from physical suffering. They are the reason that the sun is shining for me again. They are responsible for allowing us to continue our lifelong dream of “The Great Journey”. I hug my two rescuers, thank them once again from the depths of my heart for their help, their blessed hands and wish them all the happiness in the world.
