X-rays, Conference, Soccer Game (11/3-6/1982)

Wednesday, November 3, 1982

X-ray Day! Hospital employees have to be annually checked for tuberculosis, and in Switzerland they use x-rays. It was to begin at 14:30, so I went down at 14:25 to join an already long line. I was then sent to get a card, but Sister Erika was not in her office. When she arrived at her desk, she took the box of cards to the outdoor mobile trailer. I rejoined the line and received my card. Upon passing the heavy blankets hanging as a curtain, it was obvious that I was now to undress. I took off my jacket and blouse, and joined the line of bra-ed women. Handed the card to a lady who made a note on it and handed it back. Upon reaching the x-ray booth, you had to be ready to remove your bra. As I entered the girl asked if I spoke German. Ja. I was told to flatten my chest against a sheet of cold plastic, put my chin in a scoop, and breathe in and hold. The door closed, then opened, and I stepped out of the booth. Got dressed and left. Whew!

Friday, November 5, 1982

When I woke up, I found my eye had swollen half closed. Not again! Yesterday I had diarrhea badly enough that I canceled my afternoon appointments. Actually two of my kids that morning also had diarrhea, but I was fine in the afternoon!

Walked down to the train station to meet Elisabeth J and Hetty D, but instead saw Bernadette DV from the CP station who was going for coffee. Elisabeth arrived at 7:50 and Hetty arrived at 8:05. Hetty drove us to Basel, first going to Solothurn to join the Autobahn. In Basel we went to the Hoffman-LaRoche headquarters to attend the Swiss Institute of Prostheses and Orthoses Conference. When we arrived at the registration desk, the woman exclaimed, “You must be from Wildermeth!” “And you must be Tamiko!” Well, yes…

Conference name tag

Instead of paying the 80 CHF/$40, we only had to pay 50 CHF/$25 each (group rate?). We entered the auditorium at 9:30 in time for the opening remarks (all in German). During the first break there were croissants, coffee and orange juice. For lunch we were given fish and creole rice, a salad, soup, and vermicelli marroni/chestnut paste with a kirsch/cherry liqueur cream under it. The afternoon break had cookies with coffee or tea. The conference was an overview and offered very little that was new. There was a lot of picky criticism and antagonism throughout the day. It was done at 17:30 and Elisabeth went to stay with her brother while Hetty drove me back to Biel. Home about 19:15, and Marsha C had dinner ready for me!

Saturday, November 6, 1982

Walked down to the train station, seeing Barbara S on her way to work.

Train day pass

Caught the 7:27 train to Basel and it was late, arriving at 8:45! Bought a 1 CHF/50 cent tram ticket from a vending machine and waited for the #2 tram.

Basel tram ticket

It let off several passengers and took off before I could get on. It circled around to the other side of the station area, so I ran across to board. Got off at Wettsteinplatz and walked down Grenzacherstrasse to the LaRoche building to arrive just at 9:00 for the second day of the Prostheses and Orthoses Conference. It lasted until 13:00 and we even received certificates of participation! This morning the occupational therapists, Rita I and Vreni S, came with Hetty. Afterwards Rita was staying in Basel, so Elisabeth and I drove back to Biel with Hetty and Vré. Vré was dropped off in Suberg, and Elisabeth and me in Lyss. I caught the 14:35 train to Biel, arriving at 14:45.

At 15:45, Marsha C and I were heading down to Juravorstadt and Dufourstrasse to catch the #2 trolleybus. We had just missed one, so decided to walk to Gurzelen Stadium, to see a soccer game between FC Biel-Bienne and FC Bern, starting at 16:30. We paid 7 CHF/$3.50 just to enter the stadium. It costs another 7 CHF/$3.50 to sit in the Haupttribune/main stand and 4 CHF/$2 to sit in the Vor- or Südtribune/fore- or south stands.

Soccer Program cover

Soccer Program line-ups

We walked around the standee area near the west goal. The place seemed to have only men in attendance and heads swiveled as we walked by! We found a place near the railing as the crowd of men got bigger and bigger. In the end we saw only a handful of women. We heard mostly Italian, and some French, being spoken. They played 45-minute halves with a 15-minute halftime. The halftime score was 2-1, and the final was 4-1. We were getting colder and colder. At 18:15 we walked stiffly to the south entrance to catch the #2 trolleybus and got off at Nidaustrasse. Walked to Mühlebrücke, but the next bus wasn’t for another hour. We walked back to the Personalhaus/staff residence, and climbing the stairs warmed us up.

My bus pass wouldn’t let a 12th ride be punched in; the former punches had gotten off track I guess.

Biel bus multi-ticket