Just when you think you're moving steadily forward in recovering...

This morning on the way to school Lee and I got to relive my accident. We were sitting in a taxi waiting for a train to pass by and the light to turn green A kid on a side street to our right figured he could cut across all the stopped traffic on his bike. Just as he finished threading his way through the cars a scooter came speeding up the road in the wrong lane of traffic and smashed into the bike. Both drivers flew off their vehicles but they both jumped back up. Good thing too, because the train had just passed and the light turned green.

All off a sudden all the impatient traffic on the far side of the tracks came streaming over to where the accident had just happened. Fortunately they hadn't picked up much speed so they could gently swerve around the boy, his bike, the man, his scooter, plus all of their book bags, cups of tea, bento boxes of breakfast, and whatever else they were carrying that was now strewn across the road. The boy and man moved themselves off the road pretty quickly and started having a discussion about who was at fault. By then we started moving and I started crying. I'm not really much of a crier but this concussion has taken its toll.

Once we arrived at school I was fine again and we went to breakfast in the cafeteria. One very nice tradition at KAS is the monthly faculty breakfast. Different people bring food to share on one Friday of each month and we get a little social time before school starts.

I was enjoying my fruit and sweet potato when all of a sudden I couldn't stand to be there any more. It was as though my brain said, "Enough!" and the noise and commotion were more than I could handle. I fled up to my room for some solitude but never completely recovered. I did okay with my three elementary school classes but I was really ready to come home.

The bright part of my day? My fabulous sister sent me a care package. I got crackers and peanut butter, the kinds you can get in the US but not here so I miss them a lot. There were games to play to get my brain working properly, sunglasses and eye pillows for when there's too much info going in. She sent along cards that made me cry (again), and little gummy brains, which is how my brain feels sometimes. There was also an owl pillow stuffed with lavender, ready to be warmed in the microwave and placed gently on my sore parts. How cool is that?

Sometimes Taiwan feels very far away from friends and family and then a package arrives and the world feels small and cozy. Thanks Jenner, and Leslie, Cady, Dad, Barbara, and all the four-legged family members.