Frau Hill's adventure

This has been an amazing week as a wind up my study abroad. Monday we left our "home" in Heidelberg and made an exhausting trip to Düsseldorf on a series of trains, trams and buses in a torrential rain. Spent a delightful afternoon at the LVR Klinik there getting to know their Creative Arts Therapy staff (music, dance, art) . They led us through typical activities that they do with their patients suffering from depression, schizophrenia, dementia, and emotional, developmental and behavioral disorders. Music therapists from six other cities joined us (Essen, Bonn, Ratigen,Langenfeld, Bedburg-Hau, and Viersen) and afterwards our group separated to go home with each of them.

Unfortunately the music therapist I am shadowing was not able to attend, so I travelled alone to Duren on the train to meet her, about a two hour trip. Long story, but one of the few times in my life that I have felt totally alone and lost and truly homesick. Through a "series of unfortunate events" as they say, I found myself in a shabby, dirty, stinking hostel wondering why I ever came on this adventure ! 

Thankfully, I remembered the mandatory training modules I did back in January, called a fellow classmate and my professor and after just one sleepless night and anxious morning, all is well again. 

I have spent two mind-stretching days following an incredible music therapist and look forward to 1.5 more days with her. She does not speak much English, but we work hard at communicating and I am learning so much from her. She originally studied to be a teacher but changed her mind and got her master's in music therapy. She has worked at this Klinik for 28 years, so everyone knows her and is so curious about "the American student".

I have attended several team meetings (psychologist, social worker, art therapist, nurse, etc.) and assisted with group and individual sessions with adults diagnosed with depression, PTSD, phobias, and sexual abuse. Of course, everything is in German, but I have been surprised what I can pick up through body language and the little vocabulary I am learning through an app called DuoLingo that I do every night.

 My favorite so far has been a group of early dementia patients.  My music therapist played guitar and we sang German folk songs; luckily we had a book with tune and lyrics so I could follow along fairly well. The ladies were amazed that I "knew" their songs and I got lots of hugs and smiles and even some tears. They thought it hilarious when I requested Stille Nacht (Christmas song in May??) but we sang together joyously. (My teacher friend in Bridgeport taught it to me years ago in Literary Club.)

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." 

Mark Twain