Another day has almost been and gone, but its been quite a day. Ruth and I went to a reception for the conference at the Copenhagen Town Hall this afternoon and the mayor himself gave a speech! Had we been told not to have any lunch, we might have enjoyed the amazing buffet put on for us... I still enjoyed something sweet to wash down the Burger King meal we just had, though!
I walked into the amazing hall that the reception was held in and was immediately smiling for all the people that were as tall as me, or shorter, even! Its so much nicer to be talking to someone who is the same heigh, let me assure you! And there were some that gave me a hug, and even that felt easier. Just a little thing, but made my life so much easier, and I think it makes me more confident when I'm around others the same height who don't intimidate me quite so much... But, as I was saying to someone today, this condition shouldn't be all about the height as there is way more to me that that. My height should not be defining who I am. I significant lesson to take away, I think.
But back to the reception, I met a woman from Germany and had an interesting chat with her as she was quite tall (I would say 'normal' height!) but she said that both of her parents were tall and that made her that little bit taller than would be usual for Turner's women. We also chatted about the support groups we attended and the similar issues our groups faced... I shared with her how I feel the world isn't built for the likes of us 'shorties', but that there are plenty of positive things about being short. I also had a conversation with an english women who wasn't diagnosed until she was 31! She was normal height, too, and is here with her husband - one of only a handful of partners/husbands that I saw today, which is interesting.
Ruth and I also met a group of Japanese women at the reception and they were very interested in hearing about what New Zealand was like and it turned out that one of the women has lived in New Zealand (Omaru!) for a year! There are 30 delegates from Japan here, including a keynote speaker at the conference, a peadiatric doctor, and a genetic nursing student, which says something about the importance of the conference and finding out about Turner's to the Japanese community. The ladies I met were lovely and yes, some of them are staying at the same hotel as us. It was quite difficult to communicate with them, but they had a guide and he helped a little to translate...!
Later on, after the reception, we had a free canal tour, which Ruth and I went on... Beautiful surroundings, but it was hard to see from the boat for the glass cover, and the people packed on the boat made it difficult to take photos, but I got one (only just!) of the Royal Library - just had to get a pic! It was lovely to see a bit more of the city. Oh, and Ruth and I found the National Museum this morning and we spent a few hours having a look as it was free entry.
The conference starts for 'real' tomorrow, so I'l be able to share some highlights of the conference and what I'm thinking and hearing about then.
I walked into the amazing hall that the reception was held in and was immediately smiling for all the people that were as tall as me, or shorter, even! Its so much nicer to be talking to someone who is the same heigh, let me assure you! And there were some that gave me a hug, and even that felt easier. Just a little thing, but made my life so much easier, and I think it makes me more confident when I'm around others the same height who don't intimidate me quite so much... But, as I was saying to someone today, this condition shouldn't be all about the height as there is way more to me that that. My height should not be defining who I am. I significant lesson to take away, I think.
But back to the reception, I met a woman from Germany and had an interesting chat with her as she was quite tall (I would say 'normal' height!) but she said that both of her parents were tall and that made her that little bit taller than would be usual for Turner's women. We also chatted about the support groups we attended and the similar issues our groups faced... I shared with her how I feel the world isn't built for the likes of us 'shorties', but that there are plenty of positive things about being short. I also had a conversation with an english women who wasn't diagnosed until she was 31! She was normal height, too, and is here with her husband - one of only a handful of partners/husbands that I saw today, which is interesting.
Ruth and I also met a group of Japanese women at the reception and they were very interested in hearing about what New Zealand was like and it turned out that one of the women has lived in New Zealand (Omaru!) for a year! There are 30 delegates from Japan here, including a keynote speaker at the conference, a peadiatric doctor, and a genetic nursing student, which says something about the importance of the conference and finding out about Turner's to the Japanese community. The ladies I met were lovely and yes, some of them are staying at the same hotel as us. It was quite difficult to communicate with them, but they had a guide and he helped a little to translate...!
Later on, after the reception, we had a free canal tour, which Ruth and I went on... Beautiful surroundings, but it was hard to see from the boat for the glass cover, and the people packed on the boat made it difficult to take photos, but I got one (only just!) of the Royal Library - just had to get a pic! It was lovely to see a bit more of the city. Oh, and Ruth and I found the National Museum this morning and we spent a few hours having a look as it was free entry.
The conference starts for 'real' tomorrow, so I'l be able to share some highlights of the conference and what I'm thinking and hearing about then.
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