09 September 2013

Fahrrad fahren (Bike riding)

It has been many months since I posted here in this blog.  The reasons for this are many.  In March, shortly after I posted my disappointment about the 10 minute play festival, I had some major health problems.  I went into the hospital for a hernia surgery and a two day stay only to find out that I had an advanced case of pelvic inflammatory disease (which they discovered when they started surgery and couldn't find a hernia) and was in the hospital for six days, then had to go back to the hospital two weeks later for a bigger surgery where they removed my fallopian tubes, which were filled with pus, and I had another six day hospital stay.  There are several funny and horrible stories inside this experience, but I will not write them now.  It was a long recovery and I have been restored to my full health and strength, minus my fallopian tubes.  For me, the  outcome of this is PERMANENT BIRTH CONTROL!!! I am extremely happy to not have to worry about my eggs anymore.  The irony is that the whole problem was caused by my IUD, which I had so I would not get pregnant.  Also, it really sucked that a month after I got married, my vagina fell off.  But she's back now, and she is once again a happy and healthy girl.
Robert was incredibly supprtoive to me throughout this time.  He made healing much easier.  I am lucky to have him.

In July I was in Liz Erber's play, "Tip of the Iceberg," as part of English Theater Berlin's Lab series.  We sold out and got a sparkling review on ZDF (which is like the German PBS) and are discussing doing the show again.  I had an amazing time working with Liz Erber and Rob Rodgers, two incredibly talented artists.
I am hosting a monthly cabaret which is beginning this month!  I think I am almost done booking it and then I have to try to get people to show up so I can pay the wonderful artists!  If you are in Berlin and have an act, please contact me.  I am especially looking for things that push up against the boundaries of gender, sexuality, race and class while having entertainment value!

Possibly the largest thing going on in my life right now is something that most other adults can do and take for granted.  I am learning to ride a bicycle.  I started this process four years ago in San Francisco, but never practiced much.  It seemed too daunting and a bit pointless.  Only the daring use their bikes in that city as a reliable mode of transportation.  In Berlin, everyone rides a bike.  The city is very bike friendly.  It's flat, for the most part, and drivers are used to sharing the road with cyclists.  Last week, Robert helped me choose a small, green women's cruiser and lowered the seat so that me feet could rest flat on the ground.  My new apartment in Kreuzberg (a short walk to Robert's flat in Neukölln) is across the street from the bike learning area, a small little "traffic park" for children to go ride their bikes in.  Well, children and me.  It's free to use and the people there loan me a helmet.  On Wednesday afternoon, there is a class for adult women who are learning to ride bikes.  This class is geared toward the Turkish community, where the family structure is more patriarchal, but it is for me also.  I am a grown woman who never learned to ride a bike.  I am really looking forward to this class.  I go everyday to practice on my small, green bicycle.  It is frustrating, but I notice a slow progress.  Stopping smoothly continues to be an issue, but I can now get started well, which I could not two days ago.  Today it had rained, so I was alone there, which was nice.  On Friday, a 9 year old boy wanted to help me and gave me all kinds of encouraging words until his mother (thankfully) asked him to leave me alone and go play.  It's hard to practice when someone is trying to engage you in conversation.  This kid had the right idea though.  Let's ride bikes.  Let's have fun.  Who cares if you are good at it.
I will try to adopt this attitude.
I will also try to write in this blog once a week.  Thanks for reading!

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