The big bang

What do you get if you mix a moto, a left turn and a white girl on a bicycle? A Laura Vann sitting on her bottom in the middle of the road because she was knocked of her bicycle. Yes, that’s the experience I unfortunately had over a week ago.

I was riding to work on my 2-week-old blue bicycle and a stupid moto driver hit me from behind, causing me to fly off my bike and land hard on my bottom. As you can imagine I was not impressed at all and more seriously I was very shaken up and in a lot of pain.

I got myself off the road and was soon surrounded by a group of Khmers, mostly men I must add (something you get used to being foreign here). Unfortunately, I think I scared them off because I was crying so much and they couldn’t understand me speaking English. What was I thinking when I shouted ‘Someone help me!’ in a country where they don’t speak English?

Very soon after that a beautiful Khmer women arrived on the scene and asked if I needed help and if I was ok, soon followed by a couple from the Philippines who spoke perfect English. It felt like they were sent from heaven because they were so kind to me and said they would take me to the doctors just down the road. It was a good thing I decided to have my accident so near to the doctors!

After Dave arrived, following my phone call from the side of the road, I was escorted on a stretcher in an ambulance to the hospital for x-rays. It was the bumpiest and most painful ride of my life. Ouch!!

I was met by the oldest doctor in Cambodia, an 80-year-old radiologist insisted on speaking French. While I was lying on the stretcher he was talking to his fellow doctors about where to x-ray me. He only went and slapped me on my lower back and bottom, with me crying OUCH! He casually replied ‘You’ll be fine’. What a crazy Doctor!

I was thankful to find out that nothing was broken and that I’d just badly bruised my bottom and coccyx. I’m so thankful to God for looking after me and protecting me from a more serious accident. All I can say now is that I’m thankful I fell on the most cushioned part of my body. God definitely has a sense of humour!