The AEE Conference . . . or bust

Thursday, October 29
We left in the van, headlights on, at 5ish a.m.; Beth, Darrell, Kristi, Jen, Erin, George, Anna, and me. Mike and Rachel followed in Mike's car. Trip took about 4 hours with 1 or 2 quick stops knowing we needed to get to the conference for a meeting with Woody about service requirements. Woody was feeling like his head was about to explode so we got the brief briefing before signing up for any additional assignments. Service helped the conference and also was a way to defray some of our registration costs.

Okay, let's sign up for additional service. Oh. No can do. My glasses are in my pack back at the hotel where we're staying--a 10 minute walk from here. So my first introduction to Montreal is to find a pharmacy where I can pick up another pair or 2 of readers. I get directions but since I can't see the map, follow my general sense for direction and ask a couple of people if they speak English and can tell me where I'll find the "pharmacie." $30 later I own 2 more readers without cases and can relax and appreciate my walk back to the conference. "Rue" this and "Frontenac" that remind me of the card game Mille Bournes that my family played when my kids were young. Got back to the conference and signed up for a couple of extra service gigs.

That evening, my sore throat that crept in yesterday is more noticeable and I make another trip to the pharmacie for numbing lozenges. By morning, I've not slept from the worsening pain. Long story short, this sore throat is 2nd only to the one that sent me to the ER many years ago when I was beside myself with pain. Now, out of the country where I can't read or speak French, am sharing a room with 7 other people, can't speak well or swallow so I'm at least not hydrating never mind eating much, I'm pretty miserable. I get to 2 or 3 workshops that I wanted to see, participate poorly, work none of my service so my savings is nil, and basically drag my sorry self out of bed late every morning to walk to the conference hotel. I'm losing energy daily and my feet are literally dragging. Jen has Nyquil with her and I use some one night because they all promise it'll put me out so I can sleep. Falls way short of putting me out but desperate, I use it again the next night and at least double up on the dose and get better sleep. Meanwhile, I'm missing not only the conference but also seeing anything of Montreal and hanging out with everyone. One night, a few of them didn't get back until 4:30 'cause they decided to do a night hike at Mt. Royal which supposedly is in the middle of Montreal. I never saw it. The hikers got up in time for the 8 a.m. workshops. . .ah, youth. Just touching my throat hurts. . .swollen glands and all. Damn, I had been sucking down Elderberry syrup for weeks and thus far had staved off bugs when most of the class was dropping like flies. Staving has stopped. I had debated the choice to come. I wanted to make sure I'd be okay for the White Mountains backpacking trip next week and figured the lost conference $ was a consequence I couldn't control. But, there would be people to meet in this field and workshops that jumped out, e.g., Teaching Girls Technical Skills. Listen to my body or consider the conference another test for opportunity and just keep moving forward?

Okay, so challenge by choice and then there's hindsight. Al suggested that I could have been at home girding my loins. . . yeah, or at least gargling. I now have an antibiotic, my throat feels better but climbing a flight of stairs does me in, and I seem to be developing a cough. I knew backpacking would be a challenge on my good days. I have a week to get better and will plan that I am going backpacking next Sunday--for 8 long and challenging days. Reframe. Positive mindset and all that. Missing such an important feature of this program means I'll also have lost sharing an experience with the rest of the class and especially with my group. That really can't happen. Too much at stake.

And, I'll assess and determine on Saturday what is realistic for me.