I can travel!

Since this is part of a series, let's get started with a quick recap:

At the end of March, 2024, I had an accident while I was heading home from Shinjuku. I stepped back out of the way of a bicycle to let it pass and managed to fall over on my left ankle. The resulting fall completely dislocated my talus, fractured it, and caused damage to both malleoli. I was hospitalized for over two months, and had to undergo two surgeries. 

At the start of this year, I was finally able to walk using a walking frame to get out on my own.

Now there is a further update. My wheelchair is gone and I now can go out and about on my own using simple crutches.

My Doctor is happy to go up to 70% weight bearing on my injured ankle. While there is some discomfort, it is mostly due to muscles recovering and things should get better over time.

He also encouraged me to use my crutches more and be more active walking around as much as possible. This makes sense, since I need to build up strength and get used to having two legs again.

Getting back to some kind of normal has been great

Because of this encouragement from my doctor, I have been able to get out and about on my own a lot more easily. I still need to ride in taxis for long trips, but I can walk unaided for stretches now, and can go a few km on my crutches if I have to.

I've been finally able to reconnect with the awesome folks in Nichome - and not just when Dean has been able to go with me to push the wheelchair.

Aside, but again - Dean has been amazing during my continued recovery. I would have gone insane without his love and support during this difficult time. Thank you, love.

It's been really great to see my friends again, and finally meet some new folks who have joined the friend group while I have been off my feet (it's bad taste if anyone else jokes about it 😉).

There was something even better

To change track a little, two of my oldest friends in Japan, Dennis and Koji, recently opened a new cafe down by Naminoue Beach in Naha. It's called Nijiiro, which means "rainbow".

It looks really pretty from the outside, and its location right by the beach is perfect for getting foot traffic. I'm thrilled for them and wanted to show my support in person and see their hard work for myself.

That would be a pretty big challenge though. I'd have to get to the airport, navigate it, get on the plane, navigate that, and then do the same in reverse after a 4.5 hour flight down to Okinawa.

I did it though.

I guess I buried the lede with the title of this article, but I made it down to Naha by myself for a long weekend, and was able to see my friends and give my good wishes in person.

It was excellent. I think the surprise took a few years off Dennis's life - but I am sure he thinks it was worth it. It was great seeing the look on his face, and the big hug.

Honestly, I got the best out of the visit though. Koji's cooking is amazing. Since they moved to Okinawa I haven't been able to eat it - and now he is being his proper chef self and I was able to enjoy it.

The trip had some difficulties. Domestic flights are easy enough for security, but you still need to put everything through an X-Ray, including any crutches you need - so that was fun.

I also realized how big airports really are. You don't appreciate the walking distance when you're able to just put your head down and power through normally to get from the gate to the arrivals hall. It's a bit different on crutches with no stamina.

The best decision I made was just taking a backpack and only traveling for a few days. I certainly wouldn't have managed checked luggage.

What this means to me

The accident happened just before I was supposed to be traveling to Thailand. I wasn't able to go, naturally. I had concert tickets booked (for Tillybirds), and a great time planned. I am going to be able to finally take that trip.

Traveling anywhere is something that is important to me. I have what we call itchy feet, I can't stay in one place for too long. I love to visit other countries, or parts of Japan and explore and learn.

Next Thursday (the 26th) is the anniversary of the accident. Since I moved to Japan, and ignoring the plague times of Covid, this is the longest I've went without traveling.

Most importantly, traveling is something I love to do with my husband, Dean. We had plans to visit Seoul, and Bangkok, and Singapore. These were all cancelled because of this injury and my recovery.

Now we're able to start doing that again. This Golden Week, we'll be in Osaka. This will be the first vacation we've taken together in over a year and a half. We're starting small and local, but later this year we'll be heading to Singapore, Manila, and even (possibly) Melbourne.

Things are really looking up.

I can travel!