The rest of me however is another story.
It happened like a movie. I was walking down the street and was eating an ice cream I had just bought, thinking how great chefchaoen is vs fes and Marrakesh. It was cooler. It was prettier. It was safer. No one was trying to take advantage of me or make money off me. People in the streets were friendly. I was in a state of idyll.
Only in a state of idyll do bad things happen. A truck swerved right near me and I did not think I was in danger because I was near the wall on the sidewalk. This quick thought would prove to be very wrong. Next thing I know the truck is racing (albeit not very fast but much faster than I could run out of harms way) towards me and pins me to the wall. I scream. He comes at me again. I scream some more. The people on the street realize what is going on and tell the truck to stop (I think the second one happened because he was trying to turn around). Next thing I know I'm surrounded by people. They have me stand up and then sit on the nearest step. I'm in shock. I cry as its the only thing I can think to do. I just got hit by a truck. That thought keeps ruminating in my head. So I keep crying. Very few people speak much English and this was not the time to have me try to make translate simple sentences in french. The driver of the truck (I think) comes over and kisses me on the head and walks away. Someone gets me water. Two older men start speaking enough English to converse with but I don't have the energy.
An ambulance pulls up. They put me on the stretcher and in I go. One of the English speaking men offer to go with me but I assume that it's a hospital and that there should be someone to help me. I was partially right.
The main nurse speaks some English although the doctor, policemen, emts or the fire man (why was there a fire man?). They cleaned me up but did not do a full examination. Due to the incident I think they assumed anything badly hurt would be uncovered by a rip in my clothes. They were mostly right. He did insist that I get an ex ray of my leg although that did not seem to be top priority. I was and am still worried about a spot on my head and a heaviness in my chest. Overall the damage is serious scrapes on my hips, one elbow and the opposite thigh. The other elbow needed stitches. I have a small depression on my head and some small scrapes on a foot. Its pretty hard to walk but i can do so without anothers assistance. I do need the support of a wall though. For getting hit by a truck, temporary discomfort and pain is a pretty ideal result.
Around 2 hours after Ienter I get some prescriptions and policeman drives me back to the hotel. I make the hotel guy who speaks more English than anyone else help to understand. Tomorrow I am to see the policeman down at the station to give my statement. (They kept asking me at the hospital that it was my decision if I wanted to follow the course which would up being essentially press charges, I think?).
Unfortunately I had to leave at 730 tonorrow in order to make the 2 hour taxi, to the 4 hour ferry, to the 4 hour train to get to granada and my roommate julie and her family by the end of the day. That isn't happening. And I don't know what is. I was supposed to go back to my room and rest but I think since I slept for so long yesterday (13 hours) I simply can't fall asleep. So I order some spaghetti bolognase(seems to be my comfort food lately), fruit and a sprite to my room.
The silver lining is that this room and this hotel if you can imagine is better than the one in marrakesh. It's different as well, riad jona in marrakesh was intended to be boutique whereas this one I think is just luxury and much bigger. Somehow (this also seemed to happen in marrakesh) I got one of, if not the nicest room in the place. It's literally called royal and has a private small grassy terrace overlooking the pool area and the whole city (because of the blue and they way it's arranged I could imagine pictures here being mistaken for santorini, but upon closer look it's built into a hill not on top of one). It has a sitting room and a large bed. The hotel guy (who has been great) says that room is worth four times what I'm paying. Not sure how that one worked out but I guess if you get hit by a truck there are little places better than a royal suite to recover.
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