The picture is for all those who don't know what a Swisstrac looks like - only that mine is green and not red.
After a lot of waiting at Zuerich airport, again explaining (about the wheelchair and the Swisstrac) and nearly 9 hours of flight (that was really exhausting for me, sitting without being able to change position) I arrived at Philadelphia at 1:30 pm (Philly time). Again waiting for the Swisstrac to be delivered - the workers at the airport all wondering about this funny little engine - and after a really nice immigration officer, with a name of Eastern Europe origin, who wanted to talk with me about trigonometry (he had asked WHY I would participate to Summer University and I had told him that I was a teacher, hoping that would be enough of an explanation - only teachers do want to do more learning during their holidays :-), finally outside the Philadelphia airport - a really big airport.
The taxi driver - a black man- didn't know what an accessible taxicab would be like - or maybe he didn't want to know, but with the help of another taxi driver he lifted the Trac and the wheelchair in the trunk of his car - and off we went. In Zuerich all this would have been much more complicated. The car was a little shabby, and the taxi meter didn't work, but I think 30 dollars (without tip) was more or less fair.
At the Stratum (student house in the University area), again accessibility is not really given - I can't go outside the house with my Swisstrac without help - but everyone is willing to help and almost always people are really friendly.
After a lot of waiting at Zuerich airport, again explaining (about the wheelchair and the Swisstrac) and nearly 9 hours of flight (that was really exhausting for me, sitting without being able to change position) I arrived at Philadelphia at 1:30 pm (Philly time). Again waiting for the Swisstrac to be delivered - the workers at the airport all wondering about this funny little engine - and after a really nice immigration officer, with a name of Eastern Europe origin, who wanted to talk with me about trigonometry (he had asked WHY I would participate to Summer University and I had told him that I was a teacher, hoping that would be enough of an explanation - only teachers do want to do more learning during their holidays :-), finally outside the Philadelphia airport - a really big airport.
The taxi driver - a black man- didn't know what an accessible taxicab would be like - or maybe he didn't want to know, but with the help of another taxi driver he lifted the Trac and the wheelchair in the trunk of his car - and off we went. In Zuerich all this would have been much more complicated. The car was a little shabby, and the taxi meter didn't work, but I think 30 dollars (without tip) was more or less fair.
At the Stratum (student house in the University area), again accessibility is not really given - I can't go outside the house with my Swisstrac without help - but everyone is willing to help and almost always people are really friendly.
Addendum: This morning I found a way to manage the wheelchair elevator even with the Trac, so now I am indipendent for going in and out the house.
I'll write more later, now it's very early morning here in Philly and I' m the only crazy one to be in the computer room at this time (Probably due to the jetlag and the noise of the air condition)
1 comment:
enfin tu es arrivée! Avec pas mal de difficultés. Je te fais confiance que tu sais te défendre.
Ta mère
Post a Comment