After taking the specialized course in the NeuroDevelopmental Treatment Approach to Cerebral Palsy and becoming a member of the NeuroDevelopmental Treatment Association (NDTA), I saw a classified ad in the NDTA newsletter for a private physical therapist position in Italy.
Italy! I had long dreamed of traveling in Europe and I had often thought of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; Great Britain; or even Scandinavia. But never the Mediterranean countries. However, I knew this was a great opportunity.
I had a telephone interview with a friend (who lived in Connecticut) of the family who wanted to hire a therapist, and learned the family was coming to New York City on their annual trip to see doctors for their daughter who had cerebral palsy. It was arranged for me to meet the mother in the Waldorf Astoria hotel for a face-to-face interview. After the interview, it was agreed that I would be hired to work with Elena, who was 7-years old at the time. She went to school in the mornings and I would provide two hours of physical therapy in the afternoon, five days per week. I was also to provide a half-hour of scoliosis exercises for the brothers, Arturo (12-years old) and Alberto (11-years old), as well as help with their English homework. In return, the family would give me a round-trip plane ticket to Italy, room and board, and a $500 per month stipend. The contract would be for six months, with an option to extend.
The family also provided my services to three other children in the area, who all had cerebral palsy.
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| My Journal |
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| From Grandma and my name lettered by Dad |
Saturday, February 24, 1979
TWA Flight 842 was scheduled to leave John F Kennedy Airport, NYC, at 19:30. However, we did not board the plane until 20:30, using the Mobile Lounge to get to the Boeing 747 aircraft. The Mobile Lounge had to elevate at least one story before reaching the level of the plane's doors. The cost of my ticket was $339 and I was in window seat 33-O. Announcements proclaimed cargo-loading problems.
I rented a headset and listened to several channels with different types of music. We left JFK at 23:30 and arrived at Newark Airport at 23:50, where we had to fuel up due to a shortage at JFK. Shortest airplane ride ever! We had dinner served while sitting in Newark.
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| TWA booklet cover |
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| TWA booklet: Duty Free info |
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| TWA booklet: Menu |
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| TWA booklet: Beverages and Duty Free info |
Sunday, February 25, 1979
Finally took off at 00:40. At about 1:30 over Nova Scotia, the duty-free shop opened. At 2:00 I watched the movie "Paradise Alley." Slept a while, but was awake in time to see the sun rise. Later announcements said I saw the English Channel below. Had breakfast over French farmland at about 7:00. Saw and photographed the (Swiss?) Alps:
I was met at the gate by a handsome young chauffeur, Dino, holding a card with "Miss Tamiko" written on it. He drove like crazy through Carnevale/Carnival or Mardi Gras traffic near Milano. Once on the Autostrada/toll road he reached speeds of 180 kmh/112 mph. On country roads he passed slower cars on narrow curving roads. We soon arrived at the gates of an industrial site in hilly countryside, and then drove through another set of gates of the residential property, down a tree-lined drive past a lake where Signore/Mr. B was fishing.
The one-story "Frank Lloyd Wright"-style villa was a bit of a disappointment after having passed mansion-type villas.
(I was given the wrong address for my new location, so that letters from home were returned, which worried my parents, and therapy balls I had ordered did not arrive.)
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