A Sunday I will never forget …

Before I start writing this I would like to say that everyone is okay…or will be okay very soon. And that I am just telling the story from my experience. Every person involved had a different experience.

It was a normal Sunday. I had a barbecue to go to with my Rotary club in a little town outside of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The people were super friendly, the food was very good, and I really enjoyed spending time with some of the other exchange students. After eating lunch we started out on a hike … and it was the perfect day for one. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t too hot (because it can get a little too hot here sometimes) and we were all excited to see the rural area of this village. After about 10-15 mins of walking we came to a bridge. It was one of those wooden bridges that would sway back and forth when you walked on it. (Check out the photo)  For those of you who know me you are well aware that I am afraid of heights. On the hike there was all six Rotary exchange students who belong to my host Rotary Club. There are four exchangers from France, one from Demark and me. (Meghan who is from the United States was also with us even though she is from another Rotary club).  There were 8 of us including our guide. I would have gladly stayed off the bridge but it had to be crossed and while crossing we thought it would make a great group photo. We were taking the group picture when it happened … The bridge collapsed. 

While writing this I keep thinking of something that Richard, a boy from France, said: “This is something that only happens in the movies”. And until that day I would of thought the same.

The first thing I remember is feeling nothing beneath my feet followed by seeing people fall in front of me. Then all of a sudden I was in a “dog pile” with Meghan and Mille. We were stuck on the bridge. Quentin and Alizee who were near the edge were able to run off. Our guide who was taking the picture fell straight down approximately 20 feet and Richard and Bastien fell while holding onto the bridge on the way down. Looking back we are all very lucky. Our guide, who fell the farthest, was in intensive care but is recovering well and they say she will make a full recovery. The rest of us have varying degrees of cuts, bruises and muscle strains. In all honesty I had never been that scared in my life. Meghan, Mille and I were caught hanging in the ropes. I would look up and see the broken bridge and Meghan lying on top of me. I would look to the right and see the ground, the people that had fallen to it and I would look to my left to see Mille right beside me. It only took a couple of seconds for me to be aware of what had happened and then feel the pain in my foot. I soon realized that my foot was stuck between two of the boards from the bridge. The three of us also realized that we couldn’t move. 1. Because we were basically incapable of it & 2. Because we didn’t want to break the part of the bridge we were stuck in and fall. Now after that we had to wait … and we were all terrified and didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t know if everyone else was ok, and we really didn’t know if we were okay either. We waited in the broken bridge for 2 hours. My foot eventually went completely numb. I had never been in that much pain in my entire life. I don’t know what I would have done without Meghan and Mille there with me. There was one point when Mille was speaking Danish and we were all holding hands and it was the only moment were I was able to actually breathe.

When help arrived they removed Meghan first and then Mille and finally me. Everyone was taken to what seemed little more than a clinic about 10 mins from where we were. From there Bastien, Alizee and I were taken to the hospital in Santa Cruz by ambulance. Just for perspective the ambulance seemed to be a van with the back seats taken out and Bastien laid in the back on a stretcher with an oxygen tank rolling to the right of him, and I was sitting on a seat to the left. Being Bolivia the traffic was crazy and I don’t think even one car moved out of the way for the ambulance. We eventually made it to the hospital and they were able to hook me up to an IV and get some painkillers into me. This is where we got x-rays, saw doctors, had tetanus shots and so on. This is also when my family came! I had never been so excited to see my host parents. My host brothers came too and they all covered me with hugs and kisses. Eventually I was released from the hospital and allowed to go home. While hanging on the bridge it was only my foot that brought me pain and it wasn’t until I was at the hospital that I saw the extent of my bruising and cuts. I guess the ropes were digging into my arms because of the position I was in. For the next few days I wasn’t able to turn a door knob which made it difficult for me to get in and out of any closed door. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful host family who treated me with wonderful TLC. I was so excited when on my second day home from the hospital I had the strength to pull the fridge door open. I knew I was on the road to recovery. My host club in Canada was also great. They contacted me to see if I wanted to come home. My first thought was absolutely not. This is an amazing adventure and I don’t want anything to cut it short. I am healing more and more everyday. I still have a part of my ankle that is completely numb and I don’t know if the feeling will come back. I have a puncture wound there where one of the screws from the bridge dug into my ankle. My arms are still a bit swollen and the muscle on one arm is still protruding a bit but the doctor here says that over time it will go back in.

I am so grateful that everyone is going to be okay. It was scary but I’m glad I had my exchangers, my host family and the Rotary club all there to help me.

That’s it for now. I will post again soon to share with you all the exciting things that are going on … my first Christmas in the summer, upcoming Bolivia tour and my improving Spanish.

Chau ❤

Kate

The bridge right before it broke !!!

When my foot was totally numb.

From the ropes.

This was the hospital in Santa Cruz de la Sierra …

Both arms were like this.

My elbow after a couple of days.