A Black Eye: Traveling With Epilepsy

I debated whether or not to write this post. The short of it is this: my disability is a pretty significant part of my journey, so it's fair game. I have epilepsy, and some days this is what it looks like.

 

Last week, I seized in a coffee shop in Wellington. Knowing immediately that something was wrong, I went to the barristas to tell them about my condition, but I didn't quite make it. My next conscious thoughts came about 20 minutes later as I was looking up at paramedics.

Crap, here we go again.

Epilepsy certainly adds a certain je ne sais quoi to traveling, but there's no reason to let it stop me. Here are the things I do to deal with my disability while on the road.

• Let People Know: I make sure my friends, hosts, and flatmates know about my condition and what to expect in case I have a seizure.
• Let RoadID do the Talking: Even after a seizure, when I can't tell the paramedics the who's and what's of my condition, I can still fish out my RoadID tag and let it do the talking for me. I'm religious about keeping my medical information current with RoadID.
• Prescription Refills by Mail: I order a 3 month supply of meds via mail. These show up for me at my forwarding address in Seattle (hurray for EarthClassMail!). FedEx gets them to me wherever I am in the world.
• Know What to Expect from the Local Health Care System: In New Zealand, everybody gets emergency care, full stop. Nobody asked to see my insurance information, or asked me to sign anything, or gave me a bill. That's not true everywhere, of course, and I'll need to choose my destinations carefully, or get travel insurance.

But why travel with epilepsy? Why risk it? I look at it a different way. How would staying home help? Is taking a header in a coffee shop in Seattle any better than doing it in Wellington? No. Ironically, if this had happened anywhere in the US, it would have cost me more money! Staying home isn't the answer. Being prepared is.

I could talk and talk about my epilepsy, how my life has changed since my diagnosis, what having a seizure is like, how it has changed my views on life, death, consciousness and how our brains mediate reality, but this isn't the place for it. If you're curious, drop me a line.

All's Well In Welly

My first week in Wellington started inauspiciously. I arrived, jet-lagged and sick, to be greeted by bitterly cold winds and gray somber skies. The flat I had arranged the week prior -- that I was so looking forward to settling in to -- was ... dear God, it was a hole. What in the world was I doing in Wellington? If it weren't for my friend C who graciously offered me her sofa, I may have just gotten back on a plane and headed back to San Francisco.

The next day, the sun came out briefly, and this view greeted me from C's deck:
 

Wellington is beautiful, and C's flat in Hataitai has a spectacular view of Evans Bay. C showed me the ins and outs of getting around Welly, helped me buy a SIM card for my mobile, and gave me tea and "throat lollys" for my hacking cough. By my second day there, I had lined up a better flat and was feeling much more chipper about the whole thing. It doesn't hurt that Wellington is exploding with flowers this time of year. Oh right, that's why I came.

 
Spring: the real reason I came South.

Today, C and I hopped a bus to the coast and wandered Island Bay and Owhiro Bay. Picture waves smashing against volcanic rocks, a winding road hugging the coastline, and little houses dotting the green rolling hillside.

 
Near as we can tell, this is really just someone's home.

Next week, I move into my new flat in Mt Victoria, where I'll have easier access to the coffee shops and bars of downtown Wellington. You know, back to business as usual.

Sunrise over Auckland

My travels have finally taken me away from North America! I've just arrived in Auckland, NZ. Soon I board a plane to Wellington where I will meet up with my friend C. And here in Auckland, the sun is just coming up. :-)

Running Around Town, Part 5

Trite thought for the day: there's beauty wherever you look for it. Case in point: Cornelius, NC. Less than a mile from Doug's place is the really-quite-lovely Lake Norman, which is surrounded by parks, trees and walking paths -- perfect for a short jog.

 
Squinty, a little sweaty, but otherwise happy.

 
Beautiful Lake Norman, created in the 60's be the construction of Cowans Ford Dam. Fancy a swim? Watch out for Normie, the Lake Norman Monster. Think I'll file that one in the "Shameless Tourism Ploy" category.

 
This is Doug leaving me in the dust. Hey, wait up!

More Bang For Your Starbucks

The only coffee shop within walking distance of my current home base is a Starbucks. They're not usually my first choice when looking for a hot cuppa (or second, or third, or...). Starbucks normally charges for their wifi, but I've learned how to beat their little system.

AT&T Free Wi-Fi

Starbucks wifi is provided by AT&T. Recently, AT&T agreed to provide free wifi access to US users of certain smartphones on the AT&T mobile network, including iPhones and some BlackBerrys. You can read all the details here. I walked into Starbucks and my BlackBerry Bold connected to the wifi automatically, no configuration or login necessary. OK Starbucks, not bad.

Bluetooth Tethering

Only my AT&T mobile device has free wifi access at Starbucks. My laptop, however, does not. In another post, I described how to tether a BlackBerry, using it as a Bluetooth modem for a laptop.[1] So my laptop connects to my phone through Bluetooth, and my phone connects to the Internet via wifi. Problem solved, right?

USB Tethering

The problem with Bluetooth tethering is that you are limited to Bluetooth speeds. Also, I find it drains my BlackBerry's battery pretty fast. Instead, I found I could connect my BlackBerry to my laptop using a USB cable. That boosts the speed and keeps the phone charged. Configuring a BlackBerry as a USB modem was pretty simple, and is described on BlackBerry's support forums.

So that's it: unlimited, free broadband at any Starbucks in the US. Now, if only I can convince them to stop playing the new Barbara Streisand album. Ack.

[1] Sorry US iPhone users, you can't tether your phones.

Absentee Voting

 

It's time for King County Elections, and you know what that means: another moronic initiative from Tim Eyman. Now that I'm a nomad, does that mean I can't vote? No!

Before I left Seattle, I legally changed my address to one given to me by Earth Class Mail and signed up to vote via absentee ballot. A few days ago, my voting packet turned up in Seattle. Earth Class Mail forwarded it to me in North Carolina. And today I put the smack down on ol' Tim. Damn, that felt good.

Amazing Maize Maze

One nice thing about staying in the US Southeast: many of my old college buddies are in the area. Friday night, my friend Rob drove down from Charlottesville, VA to meet up with me and Doug for a mini college reunion.

 
Today, Rob, Doug, Doug's girl Hannah and I survived the Amazing Maize Maze at Rural Hill. We warmed up after with hot spiced cider and hot chocolate. Yum!

 

If this shoe looks like it has been chewed on by a dog, that's because it has. After getting back from the maze, I thoughtlessly left my muddy Doc Martin's out back, much to the delight of Doug's dog Coco. There's a lesson in here for couchsurfers and friendsurfers everywhere: keep a keen eye on anything that might look like a chew toy to your host's pet. Guess it's time for some new shoes!