Of course I have the shakes

It is 12:30 am here and I just got home. After having a few beers with friends from the ISP program, I walked over to the bus station to pick up the number 3 bus back to my house. After waiting with another student for a half hour (and seeing 6 buses pass with "depo" on them) we decided that the buses were not running tonight. We walked over to the line of taxis and she took the first one home. In a strange coincidence, 6 different groups simultaneously jumped into the next 6 taxis. So I had to wait. Once I finally got a taxis, I told him where to go. As we were approaching my house, I saw an accident in the road. It was obvious that it had just happened, as people were still getting out of cars. It is then that I saw the body in the road and the empty broken motorcycle strewn across the street. I yelled at the taxis driver as the was passing this scene, "Halt! Ich kann helfen!" (Stop, I can help). He told me the guy was fine, and I screamed again to stop. He finally stopped, and i threw the money I had in my hand and jumped out of the cab. I went to the scene of the accident where a young guy was leaning over the body and I asked if I could help. I checked if the guys was breathing, and then saw an off duty medic come running out of his house with a crash kit. With all the language barriers, I decided I was not helping out in this situation anymore, and I left. But now I am wide awake, full of adrenaline, and shaking. I did just go outside and ask the cop if the guy was okay. And I managed to catch that the victim was talking now, which is always a good sign. (He was not responding when I was there and I was worried because of the obvious lack of a helmet.)



Can you see hte chalk outlines at the bottom right corner (where the motorcycle was) and the other one at the center medium (where the guy was laying)?




This trip has been one crazy happening after another. Last weekend in Stuttgart a beggar punched me hard in the shoulder when I would not give him money.

A few weeks ago I saw a fist fight, including blood and teeth, at the Marktplatz. And a few days before that, I nearly avoided a crazy drunk woman, who ended up attacking an old lady at the bus stop (more on this crazy story later).

Geez! I am about to go Google the emergency numbers for all the countries I am travelling to.

**UPDATE: Apparently, the European emergency number is 112.