Tones travel to Louisville 03 to 13 July 2008.
Introduction:
To my readers in the USA and Canada:
After returning from the Louisville Convention, I wasn’t greeted with “Hi, Tone, nice to see you.” I was simply asked “When are you releasing your tour diary?” Before I’d even managed to release the Norwegian version, my friend Elisabeth said “Heeey, why can’t you translate this diary to English? Then you’ve done something in return to the people who invited you and to your email-friends as well. In my opinion it must be the best thank you gift you can give them.” And then Elisabeth said “I’ll do it for you! Translating jobs are great fun!”
So then: Thanks to Elisabeth for the translation job - and to her dad for spending 60 minutes on a quality check.
July 2008: I’ve just come home from a great trip to the US, and I’d like to share some of my experiences with you.
If you wonder whether this is related to my favorite subject, i.e. guide dogs: YES! You’re hereby warned J
Preparations:
July 07:
I listen to the net transmission of GDUI’s Convention (GDUI: Guide Dog Users Inc) in Minneapolis…..GDUI convention 2007 ….
whishing I was at the Convention myself!
Ten years ago I joined the guide dog mailing lists, and I’m still fascinated by the excellent lectures and discourses introduced by
Guide Dog Users Inc GDUI, which they also release on the net after the Conventions.
In fact, I think I’ve been listening to every Convention since 2001.
Gdui convention 2007
Just the idea of participating in such a large-scale congress, with so many people, sharing mutual interests, and having common knowledge
of the matter of being blind or visually impaired is thrilling me – and then suddenly I, Tone from tiny Lillehammer in Norway, receive an invitation
to speak about the Norwegian guide dog work at the Convention 2008, in Louisville, Kentucky.
I was invited as a private party. Consequently, I was the one responsible for the necessary fundraising.
To all my sponsors: THANKS A LOT for helping me make my dreams come true.
August 07:
Cecilie, my guide from previous travels tells me that she’s willing to go with my as my guide on the Louisville trip.
I’m very happy! My experience with Cecilie has taught me that she’s the perfect guide for such a long and intense trip:
For a blind or visually-impaired person, the feeling of safety often depends on a trained and cooperative guide. However, both the guide and the one in need
of guidance must trust and respect each other sufficiently to communicate both wishes and demands.
And besides, one has to go along together in a way that makes both parties comfortable.
September 07:
Sheila and I discuss GDUI’s wishes for the issues & contents of my speech.
January 08:
GDUI and Sheila confirm that I’m welcome as a part of the Louisville Convention program.
March 08:
After finishing the budgets I start the fundraising job.
Slowly but surely, the trip becomes a reality.
April 08:
As my employer confirms the holiday period, we book air tickets and hotel accommodations.
I realize that the business of travelling from Norway to Louisville is a time-consuming project in itself:
In addition to the time spent on travelling to the airports and the check-in, we’ll spend 17 hours on various aircrafts.
As a matter of fact, I appreciate every hour I’ve spent on weeklong bus tours in the past:
Bus tours like the one from Oslo, Norway to Prague, Czech, a couple of years ago, made me develop lots of survival skills, which will be extremely
helpful now!
May 08:
I work on my speech. Luckily, I get a lot of help.
Juni 08:
The fundraising’s been sufficiently successful.
(Don’t anyone ever dare to stop me now!)
I plan which parts of the ACB and GDUI – programs we’ll follow.
ACB and Gdui
GDUI Guide Dog Users Inc and ACB American Consil of the Blind.
I make the necessary registrations and do the last minute shopping as well.
1st of Juli 08:
How do I get all my stuff into two rucksacks and one small suitcase? In two days we’re off,
USA here we come, yeah!
Convention week:
3rd of July – Departure day
Today’s headliner: Tone finds out that airport service car is great fun.
(Time in parenthesis = Norwegian time)
07.30: Field assistant Johan and Sigurd, his four year old son, picks up me, guide dog Doffen, all our luggage (and Doffens bed of course) at my home
in Lillehammer.
08.45: Stange, (halfway between the Oslo Airport Gardemoen and my home at Lillehammer):
Doffen jumps off for vacation at field assistant Elisabeth’s place.
Elisabeth and her family is Doffen’s favorite holiday home and Doffen’s so happy that he forgets to say goodbye to his everyday mom, which, as usual, makes
me a bit sad, but just a bit!
10.15: We arrive at Oslo Airport Gardemoen, where I meet up with Cecilie, the most perfect guide
I’ve ever had.
11.30: Check-in and security check, there’s almost no queue, hey what’s wrong here today?
12.00: WOW! Now I really understand that I’m on my way to Louisville and besides, I feel so safe with Cecilie that I really can enjoy being half-way
dead by suspense.
13.30: A nice flight to Frankfurt.
15.35: Frankfurt Airport’s gigantic in size! We couldn’t have made the flight to Chicago without the service-minded airport guide
(who was booked in advance) and the airport service car.
Maybe I’m a bit childish, but I still think that my first airport service car experience was a cool experience.
17.15: Fasten seatbelts for take-off to Chicago! In comparison to the aircrafts travelling to and fro Norwegian airports, this 400-seat aircraft is really big. The entire situation feels a bit unreal, but the flight is not as long and boring as expected.
In addition to the standard entertainment (security information, food & beverages) we’re challenged with the immigration form for tourist visa.
This form has two parts: The first part to be delivered on arrival, the second to be delivered on departure.
Unfortunately, I can’t sleep.
19.30 (02.30): USA HERE WE ARE! It’s been too many hours seated and strapped in the plane seat, so it’s nice to have a walk.
Chicago Airport is even bigger than Frankfurt Airport. The airport guide efficiently saves us from getting lost in umpteen terminals, which are
connected by train lines, as well as the immigration authorities.
By the immigration desk, I experience a new “scent”: A distinguished stink of stress and body odor mixed with dust and dirt.
Arriving at the gate for our flight to Louisville, the air’s fortunately normalized to the smell of “ordinary airport gate”.
By the gate, we’re approached by three US citizens, one actually a Louisville citizen.
We’re told that Louisville is a nice small town – and they wish us a nice holiday.
(By the way, after returning to Norway, I checked Wikipedia and found out that the Louisville population is 713,460 (consolidated) and 558,541 (balance),
while the total population of Oslo, the capital of Norway, amounts to 560,484. Norwegians consider Oslo a big city, while my hometown Lillehammer,
with a total population of 25,070 is considered a small to mid-size town.
Which again means that “small” is a relative term.)
21.30 (04.30): We’re onboard on the plane to Louisville, a tiny aircraft with only 32 seats.
23.00 (05.00): Eventually, we’ve made Louisville KY. Unfortunately, our luggage didn’t.
The airport personnel give us a toilet bag containing just the absolute necessities and no fun like perfume samples & etc and tell us that possible
ETA for the luggage is tomorrow.
The Louisville airport has a manageable size.
We even find a taxi and set off to the hotel.
4th of July - Arrival, check-in and jetlag
Today’s surprise: Tone finds that living in an US hotel without luggage feels like a camping tour and is not that bad, after all.
00.00 (06.00): Eventually, we’re at the hotel, the Galt House.
After 22 hrs of travelling I feel seasick so I crash into bed.
The Galt House – homepage
09.00 (15.00): A late morning. Recovery activities which means lots of coffee (thanks to Galt House for the hotel room coffee machine), breakfast on
leftovers from the travel snacks, and a shower.
I wish I’d something clean to put on.
11.00: We’ve signed up for both GDUI and ACB activities. While there’s still some peace and quiet (30 minutes standing in line is nothing compared to
hours of waiting later that day) we sign in and receive the registration packet consisting of name tags, tickets for the various activities, the
Convention program and even more information.
I discover a series of guide dog users and their dogs, but I don’t recognize any of my net friends.
12.00: No luggage yet! We’re short of almost everything and quite frustrated.
Communicating with the air company (what time is soon?) and the insurance company (is shopping caused by this incident covered?) just adds to the
basic frustration.
Fortunately, I haven’t signed us up for lots of activities today.
14.45: When leaving the hotel, we experience the hot & damp Louisville air. As the Norwegian spring/early summer asks for fleece jackets and woolen socks,
this is a completely new experience.
The heat is fantastic but the damp makes me struggle for air.
15.00: 4th Street for shopping. After a 36-hr diet consisting of travel snacks we need a decent meal so we dig into spareribs with bbq sauce.
Yummy! Afterwards, we find a store that sells “almost everything” which also includes the necessary range of beverages and snacks. As both restaurants and
a drug store are situated only 3-4 blocks away from the hotel, we’re on
the sunny side!
Shopping’s fun – but I quickly find out that the monetary system is a real challenge.
In Norway, the size as well as the color of the bank note depends on its value.
E.g. the NOK 50 note’s the smallest – and it’s green – while the NOK 1000 note’s the biggest note. Besides, it’s brown. In addition, the Bank of Norway has
equipped the NOK 500 note with a tactile mark.
Surprisingly – and sadly – I find no tactile marks on the dollar notes, and independent on value the dollar notes have the same size.
Later on, I learn that the monetary system’s a subject for discussion……but I guess that any change will be a time-demanding project.
Changes always are.
In the meantime I can start with learning the coins, which varies in size and have sufficient marks to be recognizable.
However, the bank notes are simply impossible to figure out so to keep control of my cash, I need a parallel system to my Norwegian money systems.
Dependent on the number of rooms in my wallet, I have one room for each bank note value – and the number of folds I make on the rest depends on the
note value (i.e. NOK 200 notes are folded twice while NOK 500 notes have their own room).
Later on, I find out that this is a common system among the US inhabitants as well.
Anyway, when I go shopping I still can’t check the amount the shop staff gives me in change.
Back at the hotel, the lobby’s overcrowded by Convention participants and their dogs, canes, bags and suitcases. I’m really thankful that we checked in
this morning.
I’m impressed by the hotel crew and the Convention volunteers, all busy with lining up Convention participants and efficiently sorting out and solving
their various needs, wishes and demands.
20.00: Grand Tour at the hotel! I don’t think we have hotels at this size in Norway.
None of us have experienced this kind of wide hotel corridors. Our tower, The Suite Tower, has 18 floors.
The second tower has 27 floors. The two towers are connected by a so-called pedway, where we also find a Deli that’s open around the clock as well as
a lounge that’ll be a popular meeting-place these days.
The most frequently used meeting-rooms (for us) are situated in the Suite Tower, by the reception at the first floor. Our room’s at the 3rd floor, right by
the elevators (and with the staircase as an alternative) and not far away from the meeting-rooms, so we’ve got a perfect Convention base camp. Living at
the 10th floor or even higher up would have been far more challenging to us.
22.00: As we’re still haunted by jetlag: Good night, sweet dreams, and say a prayer for the delayed luggage.
5th of July – Where’s our luggage?
Today’s headliner: Tone’s ultra happy that her luggage’s arrived. However, she finds that many Convention participants are just as noisy as her sightseeing fellows.
07.00: A quick Deli breakfast. The morning coffee smells lovely, and the Deli waiter, a young boy, is very helpful to us.
08.00: A two-hour bus sightseeing tour to check out Louisville city. OK, but a bit boring. Our guide is far better on telling stories from her own
hometown than telling us about Louisville.
I’m really surprised by my fellow tour-mates. They simply ignore our guide and go on talking to whoever’s sitting next to them or behind them or in front
of them or they have extensive phone conversations.
Although the guide is a bit boring, I consider this behavior very impolite both to the guide and to the more silent part of the crowd.
Later I realize that this was just a sample of what’s waiting for us: MORE LOUD TALKING, and REGARDLESS OF WHAT’S GOING ON.
When I come home I must tell my friends about Churchill Downs and Kentucky Derby Museum and lots of other horse-related activities of course. And I have to
tell them about Louisville Slugger Museum and Louisville Zoo as well.
I find out that Louisville has a school for the blind.
Kentucky School for the Blind
10.30: Eventually, I’ve discovered the secret behind the flower scent in our hotel room.
It’s tons of air freshener! Here’s our room:
11.00: We find out that the receptionist, Starr, really is a fantastic lady!
Starr takes Cecilie out to the airport to see whether our luggage might have arrived or not.
12.00: Cecilie’s succeeded in getting hold of both my suitcase and my rucksack!
I’m happily unpacking my stuff and showering and changing clothes and enjoying the situation in general.
However, Cecilie’s bound for shopping. Her luggage’s still lost.
13.00: We’re hungry! Consequently, Cecilies shopping expedition needs a warm-up at the hotel cafe Magnolia. Hot Brown, with thin-sliced chicken breast,
bacon, mushrooms and cheese sauce is a new sandwich experience.
Cecilie does a bit well-deserved shopping, and we find out that even more Convention participants have arrived.
6th of July – Lots and more lots of people!
Today’s headliner: Tone eventually discovers that this Convention is much bigger than she ever could imagine.
08.00: Rise and Shine. Eventually Cecilie’s luggage’s arrived, so it’s a great day and again, receptionist Starr’s our
Big Star.
10.00: Repeating the Grand Tour success, we find that the hotel has a nice outdoor area as well as a
swimming pool.
11.00: Sightseeing in the ACB hall where we check out the various stands representing different equipment, guide dog schools, and lots of
companies offering services for both blind and visually impaired persons.
As the hall’s both crowded and noisy, there are lots of impulses to keep up with.
12.00: I was supposed to set up my stand in the GDUI suite. However, on arrival we find that the suite is overcrowded by Convention participants and their
dogs, routed for a guided grand tour of the hotel. As they’re given both smart routes and tricks & tips for surviving in this crowd, I think it’s a
very good initiative.
Waving goodbye to the grand tour, I get hold of Sheila, my contact person all the way through my preparations for the Convention. Sheila’s the leader of
GDUI, she’s an active and nice lady. It’s a pleasure to meet her!
By the way, in 2007 she visited Norway with her mother and sister. She’s got relatives in Stavanger as well!
Gretch, her dog, is really cute!
I set up my stand and ta-ta! My pearl- and-silver-wire-dog sculptures find new owners and homes. The dog figure concept’s new to my customers (and
visitors), and my dogs receive lots of positive feedback. This is great!
My artistic self-esteem’s jumping to new levels.
14.30: New food experience: Tortilla chips with hot cheese sauce. It’s salty. Actually, it’s very salty. I’m not sure if this dish is suited for the
Norwegian market.
15.30: With a Dog's Eyes: Capturing the Life of Morris Frank, the first guide dog user in the US.
The guide dog school The seeing eye
has made a play, a great monologue, illustrating his life and his work
with guide dog schools in general, and his own guide dog, a German Shepherd named Buddy, in special.
Buddy even saved his life!! The actor casted as Morris Frank does an excellent job.
17.00: Umpteen guide dogs are to leave the hall, and they do so without making fuss! I’m familiar to both guide dogs and their users, but I’m still impressed!
I notice that many guide dogs have small bells on their harnesses or collars, so I have to ask their owners why. The owners tell me that the
purposes are:
Sound signal to tell about both presence and direction of movement significant to other blind or visually impaired persons.
Checking out the movements of their own dog.
If you go with another guide dog user, it’s easier to hear the other equipage and to keep up with each other and with the direction as well.
However, several guide dog users tell me that they don’t use the bells when the dog’s in the harness. They prefer to use the bell when the dog is
off-leash, e.g. out in the garden, which is quite normal in Norway as well.
As a matter of fact, one guide dog user actually tells me about a lecturer who taught neither to use neither bells nor other sound-making device on the dog
at all.
His opinion was that sound in itself will attract aggressive dogs and make the guide dog unnecessary vulnerable.
Evening: Speech rehearsal! I’m really nervous. I’m used to giving speeches, but not in English.
This is completely new to me!
Anyway, I enjoy today’s shopping (a Braille watch and a t-shirt) and both
Cecilie and I enjoy the luxury of having a corridor ice machine. The hotel room water’s lukewarm, so ice cubes are necessary to make it drinkable.
Partly because of the air-conditioned air, and partly caused by the outdoor heat, we need gallons of water to avoid dehydration.
7th of July – The Speech Day
Today’s headliner: Eventually, Tone finds out that Crackers are crossovers between crisp bread and biscuits.
08.00: We don’t have these thick and porous pancakes in Norway.
09.00: I spend some hours at my stand and sell a couple of dog sculptures and meet a lot of nice people, among them several email-mates.
It’s great to meet the human beings behind the email signatures, and they’re all just as nice as I’d hoped for! Meeting Jennine is really great!
Jennine’s one of the Dogclub makers (Dogclub’s the GDUI Convention net radio).
She’s just as nicely nutty as I’ve imagined, and she’s got a charming Labrador-poodle-mix named Molly.
And then I meet Bill! Bill’s my long-term email-friend from Buddy-L. He’s a very well-informed person, and for many many
years we’ve had great email discussions about various subjects and I’ve learnt a lot from him, so to meet him IRL is just
wonderful.
My attention to the subject of outdoor areas reserved for the dog participants is growing.
As GDUI hire Doodlescoopers http://www.doodlescoopers.com . and have done so for several years – they must do a very good job, both with
continuous outdoor cleaning and dealing with the indoor accidents as well.
Most of the dog-using participants do their best to clean up after their dogs, but there are still some leftovers. And besides, indoor accidents are just
a part of the dog-owning business.
11.00: Coffee break & new issue: How to deal with a 15 cm diameter cookie? (The coffee man said “small cookie”…..why didn’t Cecilie tell me?????)
13.30: GDUI program start-up. Introduction and program review. A quick presentation of the speakers - Cecilie and I are met with spontaneous applause.
WOW! I’m told that the big audience will grow even bigger.
14.30: Around the world with guide dogs – a special tribute to Michael Osborn.
Michael Osborn’s done a great deal of the work to let US guide dog users travel to England with their dogs. Emailing with him taught me that he was a person with
plenty of resources. He will be missed!
I manage a quick hello to Judy. She’s an American living in Germany and she’s raised several guide dog puppies.
Judy and I’ve been email friends for many years and I think she’s a great lady.
In 2006 my guide dog Can-Can died, and to console me, she sent me a beautiful poem – “The Rainbow Bridge”.
Eventually we meet! The weirdest thing is that we meet in the US, and not in Europe where we both live.
Judy: If you ever plan a trip to Norway, you have to tell me so we can meet!
…….and then:
My speech about guide dog work in Norway, and the dogs (of course):
Approximately 350 guide dog users
Mainly Labrador retrievers, some Golden retrievers, some Standard Poodles and a few German Sheperds
Annual delivery of approximately 50 dogs trained by 4 companies
The dogs are trained for 6 to 9 months
When new teams get 21 days of training at school, followed by 5 days of home training
The Norwegian government covers a fixed sum per guide dog. The rest is covered by the school.
And then I told a bit about my own dogs; Eiko, Can-can, Vilja and my life-enjoying eight year-old Doffen who’ll hopefully work for many more years.
…….and after me: Guide dog user Chris Acten and her speech about guide dogs in Australia:
Mainly Labrador retrievers and Golden retrievers
The income necessary is based on charity only
One guide dog school per state in addition to a federal school
3 to 5 guide dog users per training course
Flexibility’s a key word
Unfortunately, I needed a break then, so I missed the lecture on how to bring an US guide dog to Europe. Sorry…..
And finally: Audience’s free to ask questions!
15.30: US guide dog schools update.
GDUI rewarded the speech-job with a goodie-bag containing Kentucky souvernirs.
16.30: I check out my stand to clean up and do some preparations.
What overwhelms me the most about this event is meeting that many blind or visually impaired persons. Suddenly, being blind is not an anomaly,
the lifestyle and problems connected with the situation of being blind or visually impaired is common knowledge, and I find that I don’t need to explain
a lot of things – which I normally have to.
In comparison, at the annual conference held by the blind organization in Norway there are approximately 100 participants.
Our biggest annual conference is approximately at the same size as the “small” group that listened to my speech today!
19.30: YEAH! I’M DOGCLUBBING, I’M ON AIR!! I’m interviewed by Vanessa, Renee Kae, Jennine and Jeff, they’re really great people and they do a great
job as well! As I got to know the Conventions via net radio (actually, the number of sleepless & radio-listening nights are countless), this is very,
VERY special to me.
And, of course, I say hello to some of the participating dogs, who are just as nice and cute and lovely and [fill in positive adjective, yourself] as
the Norwegian dogs when off-harness. And, please don’t tell Doffen, I fall completely in love with Jennine’s Molly.
I wish I had more time with the Dogclub people!
21.30 Food! AGAIN! (Scanning trough my diary notes I find out that I mention almost every meal we have – maybe my readers think that meals are
our no. 1 priority, if so: Oh no!!! ).
8th of July – Electric car and equipments
Today’s headliner: Even if I knew that electric cars were silent, they are much more silent than I’d ever imagined.
07.00: A very unofficial Breakfast Club in a basement cafeteria in the neighborhood.
09.30: At my stand, selling dog sculptures, having a very good time meeting lots of people.
09.30: At my stand, selling dog sculptures, having a very good time meeting lots of people, among them Stacey.
Stacey and I’ve been emailing for many years, both via the mailing lists and privately.
Meeting all of you is just so lovely!
11.00: Another ACB hall tour to check out some more stands, especially the ones demonstrating what’s on the computer and software market, as well as the GPS
market.
In Norway there’s a broad range of equipment, but I’m still fascinated by the mobile phone with both a voice program as well as a scanner program connected
to the phone camera.
As this combination allows you to get a snapshot of e.g. road signs and then convert the text into voice there & then, it’s really great!
I say hello to lots of people from yesterday’s audience. MY audience……and they boost me! WOW!
On Jennine’s recommendation I buy caramel macciato. The coffee’s a new & good experience as well as a much needed energy booster.
13.30: How much is too much? Panel will discuss assessment, requirements and training for low vision clients;
representatives from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Guide Dog Foundation and the Seeing Eye.
Panel’s consisting of guide dog trainers as well as guide dog users.
14.30: Hot Topics for Guide Dog Handlers: town hall style discussion; Sheila Styron.
16.30: The Seeing Eye demonstrates and describes the electric car.
The one in question is a Toyota Prius, a combination car: At slow speed,
the engine runs on electricity, at high speed on petrol.
The demonstration is very useful, simply because electric cars are a challenge to the blind and visually impaired: In a normally crowded street, they seem
to be soundless. The important thing is to trust your dog.
Even if you can’t hear anything, an odd reaction might be very sensible; it might be an electric car. When I come home, I think I’ll convey my experiences to my fellow guide dog users and try to give them the same experiences as I get here.
Today, the number of electric cars is relatively low, but due to the increasing focus on environmental issues, the number of such cars will only increase. Electric cars feel like a scary part of the ordinary traffic jam. Without dog, with a cane only, I think I’d be scared to death. They lack some kind of sound that makes it possible to identify them. Why don’t the manufacturers equip them with some kind of alarm similar to the backing alarm. When backing, even the tires are silent!
17.15: WHAT A WEATHER!!! As we try to cross over from one part of the hotel to the other, we’re attacked by a gale. For a very short period, the weather’s
similar to the worst case Norwegian autumn stormy weather. WOW!
The elevators are continuously overcrowded. It’s difficult to hear which elevator’s going where.
Especially at lunchtime and when meetings are beginning or ending, it’s totally chaotic.
Consequently, we use the stairs as much as possible. However, we managed to get a snapshot for my Norwegian readers:
The crowds and the queuing make both people and dogs quite fed up and stressed.
You’re pushed and pulled and your co-participants walk or stumble into you.
The dogs work really hard to try to help their users go clear of more trouble than necessary, guiding their handlers trough crowds consisting of both
other dogs and distractions as well.
Imagine standing on your knees while you try both to be aware of everything going on up to 2 meters above you and 1,5 – 2 meters at your rights side
while figure out a path through a crowd.
It’s a tough enough situation for anybody with full visual capacity!
I’m really glad for Cecilies guidance. Those who have to manage on their own with a cane seem to be working quite hard: With cane only, you’re dependent on a very good sense of direction, in addition to excellent audible capacities and lots of patience as well. With a guide dog, it’s two of you to share the jobs. On the other hand, you don’t need to remember to take doggy out for necessary breaks.
Only a few participants have guides. The volunteers and the hotel staff helps out as much as possible in addition to off duty guides.
The no. 1 problem area is the hotel bar where people seem to get lost which isn’t caused by too many drinks, but by an audible image inviting people to
lose whatever sense of direction they might have had.
This confusion’s a result of acoustics caused by a combination of skylights and fitted carpets on the floors.
The wall-to-wall carpet is a challenge in itself. Footsteps become soundless, and when you think you’re alone, you bump into someone who also thinks that
the coast is clear enough to move freely. And BUMP we go!
Wooden floors are much easier to deal with.
(Back in Norway making sense of my diary notes I’m still awaiting the exact number of Convention participants, but I think that there must have been some thousands of us. It seems that all the States were fairly well represented, which is interesting to me. I think I’m meeting people of all ages, but with an emphasis on people aged 50 +. As visual problems progress with age, this seems natural to me.)
We also find activities for children and youth which again welcome the entire family to participate – and we observe some families as well.
20.00: Auction sale to the benefit of GDUI. The auctioneer is active and entertaining, how fun! I’ve donated a couple of dog sculptures, and they pay off for GDUI as well. Cool! The income makes $ 5000 which is not bad at all! As GDUI’s activities are based on charity and donations, these money are very welcome.
22.00: Even if the auction is great fun, we need to eat.
Today’s shopping: T-shirt with “In Dog We Trust” print and a homecoming present to my Dearest Doffen-dog.
9th of July – A strange day, it’s not packed with Convention scedule
08.30: Breakfast & coffee in the Deli.
Here’s the Deli at breakfast-time:
The sound of the Deli a.m.
10.00: I spend a couple of hours at my stand.
12.00 – 15.00: Our big star, receptionist Starr has recommended
A taste of Kentucky
so we go souvenir-shopping. The staff is really service-minded (as we’re familiar with Norwegian shop staff, we’re close to stunned by their how
service-minded US staff are!).
Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Then we go shopping again and then we go home to relax.
14.30: Rally obedience
Rally course’s made by volunteers (not blind or visually impaired) who serve as ”audible road signs”. 27 competitors with dogs walk the same round and move
or do as the “road signs” say (e.g. “sit”, “down”, walk, speed-change, change of direction etc.) while the time consumption is recorded.
Both handlers and dogs are really good and this is a very informal and greatly entertaining competition.
This exercise is the one most similar to the activities at the guide dog club gatherings in Norway. Still, I think we’ll have a rally as well!
In Norway, we have a lot of practice to keep both knowledge and cooperation handler/dog (includes harness training) at a certain level i.e. as good
as possible. We’ve fewer conferences, and there’s more focus on working a dog in practice than emphasizing legal and financial rights.
In general, I’m impressed by the guide dogs. Despite the number of them, there’s not much noise or trouble, if – for example – in a restaurant, I notice
the small bell when doggy and its handler is leaving, and NOT before.
It seems that they give the expected response to the jobs they’re challenged with.
However, for every Convention day, the number of really tired dogs multiplies itself, which I perfectly well understand. Besides, not all dogs
continuously welcome all the other dogs (and humans) of the world into their private zone (they’re simply not that party-sick).
In the worst crowds I hear a couple of “under pressure barks”, caused by a “don’t stand so close to me, I said DON’T STAND THERE!”- situation, and
I perfectly well understand doggy’s response: It’s simply normal to boil over
a bit when squeezed into and stuck in a corner with a stranger intimidating your integrity.
And then the handler, maybe misunderstanding the situation, gives a command you simply cannot execute…..well, if I were the dog I’d let out more than ONE
bark.
We talk serial barking……I don’t think I have the patience to be a guide dog!
Even if the human beings must be excused by both the noise and the crowdiness, the dogs are UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES to be blamed for the situations that
occurred.
I overhear some comments like “control your dog”, but - as you have no guarantee that you’re not causing such a situation yourself (or making it worse) -
I consider such comments to be both unnecessarily rude, and stress-raisingly impolite.
Compared to the Convention, Norwegian guide dog gatherings are tiny things.
The biggest issues are how to get 20 – 40 guide dogs and their handlers onboard on or off a bus, and how to avoid bumping into another equipage in
corridors that are half the Convention hotel size at Hurdal, our conference center. Still, I must keep Convention crowdness and the situations that
occurred in mind, there must be something I can learn from these experiences.
As an advocate for the dog welfare issues, words like ”good dog!”, ”nice job” and ”what a girl!”/”what a boy!” make me really happy.
The majority of the handlers that I meet are very positive and patient as well as very supportive to their dogs.
During the GDUI meetings, the dog welfare subject is emphasized with continuous reminders of giving the dogs a break and, when necessary, make
them ”shake off” the stress and pressure as well as reminding the handlers of talking to the dogs and boost them for the job they do.
As this Convention is an extreme situation, even to US standards, this is a very important point!
In many Norwegian guide dog clubs we stress the point of releasing the dog from the harness when it’s not doing the guide job, simply for separating work from
off-duty and to give the dog a break and to let it move more freely.
When in harness, the dog must concentrate on the job, and it’s not allowed to seek our other dogs or human beings. In return to this demand is to give the
dog a clear signal to relax by releasing it.
Consequently, my mantra is that if I take off my rucksack or my jacket (i.e. to sit down), I release the dog from the harness.
Releasing has become a habit…..and putting on the harness takes only a couple of seconds.
I guess that the policy of not releasing the dog is due to the laws for guide dogs which again say that in any public place the guide dogs must wear significant signs of their status as service dogs. As I’m too curious not to ask the various handlers, I find out that some handlers think and do as I do, while others tell me that they take they hand off the harness as a signal. They even let the dog say hello to others, even if it’s in harness, but the dog still has to sit still and behave!
I’m surprised of the number of handlers asking if I’d like a ”dog fix”. Even if they say “say hello to Tone” and give every signal that I’m allowed to do so,
I find out that I’m a bit brainwashed with NOT saying hello to a dog in harness.
I try to do it, but my hands won’t obey.
Anyhow, my feet seem to be a favorite pillow for sleeping dogs in harness - I notice the harness handle!
”Hi Sweetie, how are you doing?” Many handlers greet their dogs in the same way as they greet people.
I guess we do so in Norway as well, I just haven’t thought of it before now.
I’m glad to hear that the hotel has allowed the Convention to make a fenced dog playground so the dogs can have fun with each other – and with their owners.
This is really great!
Despite the abovementioned brainwash, I say hello to many dogs – and Cecilie’s excellent in updating me on all the dogs in sight.
The dogs that I say hello to seem to be just as happy and nice as the average Norwegian guide dog.
As in Norway, the majority is Labrador Retrievers, but it seems that the number of yellow labs is much higher in the US. No brown ones –
when I ask why, a number of schools tell me that they usually don’t educate brown labs. In general, it seems that the breed is somewhat more robust than the
Norwegian line, both in weight as well as bone structure.
In addition to my lab research, I snuggle with some Golden Retrievers, some German Sheperds (that seem to be very good!) and meet a Boxer, a Doberman, a
short-haired ‘somkinda’ Collie and a of course Molly Labrador and Standard poodle mix.
I have to check out the harness range as well: In color, they’re black, white or brown.
They vary from light-weight nylon harnesses to various models of heavy leather harnesses.
Some schools use the British guide dog harness.
For the last years, this harness has been frequently used at several Norwegian schools.
We’re so impressed by the chandelier, a photo’s definitely necessary, just to show to my Norwegian readers.
But if you take a close look at the bottom of the photo……just in the corner…..a demo-dog has joined in.
A demo-dog is a rack with a handle for the purpose of simulating the impression of being led by a guide dog.
20.30: We’ve found out that Al J's Lounge, the bar next to the pedway Deli, serves food as well as beverages, and the meals are smaller and easier
to deal with than what we’ve eaten in other restaurants.
Cecilie rescues some co-participants from getting more lost than they already are, and she guides them into the elevator as well.
In general, I’m impressed by people’s sense of direction.
It’s so easy to get lost in the crowd. When I ask, people tell me that they’ve learned by the days and the number of mistakes they’ve done, the job of
not getting lost is a challenge in itself.
This is my two pics from the Deli:
10th of July - Everything’s so big in the US!
10.00: We make up my stand. It’s been fun to find that my dogs have an audience and a market value so far from home and – most important thing –
via my stand I’ve met a lot of people. It’s both fun and strange to know that my dogs are migrating from Norway to all over the US and to Canada as well.
11.00: A quick sight-seeing by the river. A paddle steamer leaves the quay and follows us on its way to the sea. Listen to the whistle! Quite intense,
isn’t it! And listen to the sound of the steamboat when it says hello to a somewhat smaller boat! (The recording’s not that good, but it was the best
we could manage, sorry).
Steamboat whistle
For a change, it’s not awfully hot, so we have a nice walk.
On our way to the river, we pass under an 8 file motorway bridge. The ground’s vibrating under our feet, a new experience to both of us.
13.30: Leaderdogs leading the way; an update on innovative school programs; Leaderdogs for the Blind,
Rochester, MI.
This speech’s about educating guide dog users to combine the dog with a GPS-unit.
During the week, several gps-users have explained to me and demonstrated how they combine the help from their guide dog with the help from an adjusted
GPS.
Sheila and several others praise their GPS, and I understand the reasons: By using voice programs, the GPS can tell you i.e. the number of streets that
meet in a crossroads.
Besides, you may plot any intended route into the system – and the GPS voice then guides you from start to destination.
These are the new GPS-products, especially adapted for the blind or visually impaired, on their way into the market.
Hopefully, these are more user-friendly and easier to deal with than the current generation of adapted GPS units. To become a really interesting product,
the price must be adjusted to a level that allows an ordinary consumer to finance it by his or her own funds.
As Leaderdogs has understood that GPS for the blind or visually impaired is a great remedy that helps independence, they offer a weekly training-program
where you learn to use the GPS as well as to experience the combination of your guide dog and a GPS. In the beginning, the GPS may demand attention that
should, in certain situations, be given to the dog.
Consequently the training requires a certain skill and experience as a handler and to be accepted for the program, you need at least 6 months experience as
a guide dog user.
However, the training- program has been a success and I’m also told that several other schools have started programs similar to the Leaderdog program.
Anyway, you still need a certain sense of direction, and you must know how to cross a street in a safe way and how to deal with getting lost.
Those of us who have tried to use an GPS in a motor vehicle knows perfectly well that the GPS may be wrong……or tell you that you’re about umpteen miles
away from what the road sign tells you.
14.00: How many guide dog puppies does it take to steal your heart?
Puppy raisers from Guiding Eyes for the Blind will provide the answer.
Subject: How to make a puppy the best guide dog material possible.
I’m impressed by the LOTS of energy put into the task of understanding the puppy in question for to raise it to the task (or maybe dedication) it will
be trusted with as an adult dog. This is a very rewarding job, both for the dog and the guide dog user.
Puppy raisers use months on end to teach the puppy how to socialize with other animals and people as well as to give the dog as much relevant experience as
possible.
Before this speech, I was impressed by the puppy raisers’ work. Now – if possible – I’m even more impressed.
And finally, a poem…..and even the really tough guys cry!
18.00: The two favorite Norwegian sports are 1. Moaning about the weather (which is constantly is Just the Wrong Kind of Weather) and, 2. Complaining about
the complete lack of anything to watch on TV (independent of what’s actually on TV).
In our search for news, we check out the TV channels. I stumble in commercials, sport, crime series, TV-shop and a couple of so called humor programs make me
weep…….and there’s still no news to be found!
I remember Bruce Springsteen mention that there’s “fifty seven channels with nothing on”, but he MIGHT be wrong, we MIGHT have hit the wrong hour. Anyway,
I’ll stop complaining about the Norwegian TV channels.
20.00: Maintaining good health in our guides,
Rusty Gailor, D.V.M., Louisville, KY: Dr. Rusty Gailor will provide the often overlooked basics of canine health maintenance, from tooth care and the importance of daily grooming to vaccination protocols and first aid.
WOW!!! He’s good, he’s well informed and he’s a good lecturer as well!
I learn a lot, for example:
To reduce shedding, use lukewarm water or even colder when bathing the dog.
Soap-free lubricants are preferable.
Mapping allergies is demanding and requires accuracy. In general: Extreme itchiness in ears and on paws is a typical sign of food intolerance.
Itchiness on the hindquarters may well be a sign of inhalation allergy.
For longer trips, a first aid kit is a necessity. The contents are to be adjusted to the trip, but equipment and medication to treat wounds and
diarrhea is still a must – as well as a couple of doggy treats to bribe and distract sufficiently to enable an examination.
A foldable water-cup is also recommendable.
22.15: We give Jennine a hand with making up and returning her recording equipment to the Dogclub office.
22.45: ‘Somekinda’ fajitas at Al J's Lounge.
11th of July – Shopping and Farewell dinner
Today’s headliners: I’ve both read and heard about enormous shopping centers, but I’d absolutely NO IDEA that they were THAT overwhelming.
09.00: Cinnamon bun for breakfast. (No health issues please, not today)
11.00: Shopping! We’ve been recommended a trip to St. Mathews Mall.
WOW, it’s big! As Norwegian shopping centers hold maybe up to 50 shops, a 130 shop centre is just enormous to us. Today’s catch: Shoes and some clothes.
Now, I’ve the proud owner of a pair of Nike trainers, wow!
ST Mathews Mall
15.00: The Cheesecake Factory for a quick snack. The menu’s gigantic, just to choose demands skill and experience.
When returning to Norway, I guess I’ll recommend all my friends to check out
http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/ for a pre-US-holiday warm up!
By the way, I’m greatly impressed by the Louisville restaurant menus: They’re all in Braille as well as ordinary letters. As I’m able to read and
chose without help I feel that I’m taken seriously, and that I’m really welcome.
Braille menus are a challenge for Norwegian restaurants. Except for a couple of chain restaurants, you’re dependent on a guide.
Another challenge for Norwegian restaurants is to educate their staff to tell where they put your food and drink.
Imagine the watch: In Louisville, both at the hotel and in the various restaurants, the staff tells us that e.g. “I’ve put your juice at
approximately two o’clock”.
I’m impressed! How did they make it? And who’s taught them?
I’d like to know, just to inform Norwegian hotel and restaurant staff.
Death by Chocolate, literally speaking….
It’s hot! I guess it’s about 86 F. Anyway, we need a taxi to get ourselves and our shopping back to the hotel. As the taxi’s been parked in the sun for a while, we’re brought to boil before we reach the hotel.
16.00: ‘Death by shopping’ crashes door to hotel room.
WATER! ICE CUBES!!!! I praise the corridor ice machine. And then……. How to get all this stuff into the rucksacks and suitcases? The luggage seems to have
multiplied.
18.30: In the lobby, we meet Sheila & Co for Farewell Dinner at Bristol Bar and Grill.
And then I eventually meet Penny. Penny’s another of my email friends who also turns out to be just as nice IRL as by mail."
They recommended the Chili, a simple dish with beans. Very good!
21.30: We pad back to the hotel. The temperature’s still approx 86 F.
22.00: We return to the hotel room to finish our packing and get some sleep.
12th of July – Day of Departure
(Time given in parenthesis is Norwegian time)
08.00: Good morning USA! This is our last morning at the hotel. And just to let you know: We’ve had a great time!
09.00: Our last breakfast.
”Mr. Rise and Shine”, the wake-up call voice, promised us an unforgettable breakfast omelet. He’s right. It’s so good that it’ll be hard to forget.
10.20: Bye-bye to the hotel room.
I’m impressed by how we manage to move forward with these lots of luggage.
10.40: Check-out from the hotel and good-bye to our great star, receptionist Starr. Starr’s been a fantastic help to us.
Oh, Starr without you, we would have had a lot of trouble!
11.00(17.00): On the airport bus. The bus is overcrowded.
12.30: Check-in and then we’re informed that our flight’s probably delayed.
At the gate we’re told that our flight is two hours delayed. This means that we’re bound to lose our flight from Chicago to Frankfurt and then from
Frankfurt as well.
Cecilie gets hold of the air company service and they promise us that we’ll be at Chicago airport in time for the 18.30 flight from Chicago to Frankfurt
with ETA 09.00 local time. If so, we’ll make the connecting flight from Frankfurt to Oslo, for which we’ve already got tickets, and then everything will
be okay.
And the best thing: Due to the delay, we’re upgraded from tourist class to first class!
13.00: Sight-seeing at Louisville airport.
Not awfully exiting, but we find a souvenir shop with magnets.
Since 1998 I’ve been a collector of magnets to have on my fridge, and as I have magnets from all the countries I’ve visited, I have quite a collection.
15.00: Eventually, we’re in the aircraft, together with several Convention participants.
Situation’s the same as when we arrived here: It’s a small aircraft and it seems to be full or over-filled.
Sound inside small aircraft
15.30: Take off from Louisville.
As a result of the difference in time, it’s still 15.30 when we land in Chicago.
And from here on, I start to struggle with time. Again, we’re met by an airport service car, and just love it!
It feels weird to sit in a car that is lifted by an elevator! Must be a big elevator, mustn’t it?
And, thanks to the service personnel, we made the flight to Frankfurt in time.
18.00(01.00): Now we’re seated at first class. This isn’t bad, is it?
The seats are big and spacious and they can be converted into beds.
Besides, you have pillows and blankets and whatever else you may wish for, including a four-course dinner and free beverages. This is luxury and a
very good compensation for the delay at Louisville airport.
21.00(04.00): I slumber in front of a movie.
Youtube about Ps: I love you.
23.00(06.00): The movie’s over. I slumber over an audible book.
13th of July – An awfully long day’s travel to go home
07.00: Good morning, it’s breakfast time.
Breakfast’s good, we get a roll, fruit, scrambled eggs, ham, coffee and juice.
09.00: We land in Frankfurt.
11.00: Ready for take-off from Frankfurt.
12.50: Oslo airport, Gardemoen.
Everything’s swaying and, I feel really sea-sick, just like I felt when arriving at Louisville airport.
13.10: We’re awaiting our luggage, but oh no, not again, there’s no luggage for us, it’s delayed!
14.30: Quite frustrated and completely travelled to death, we fill in the necessary forms to advertise our luggage.
14.40: Ten minutes of high speed tax-free shopping.
14.50: “Hello Mom & Dad, I’ve had a great trip, I’m exhausted, GET ME HOME PLEASE”.
(On our way back to Lillehammer we pick up what’s left of Doffen after ten days of holiday fun)
17.00: Home sweet home.
15th of July – Eventually, the luggage arrives
Huh, we’re back home and it feels really strange. How to handle jet-lag and all the events that swirl around in my head?
Since I come home, I’ve slept for hours.
YIIIIIPPEEEEEE! Both mine and Cecilies luggage have arrived.
In my opinion, a journey’s not completed before you’ve got your luggage – and I spend the day unpacking and trying to sort out what’s in my head and put both
my things and all the experiences I’ve made in the right places.
Oh, I almost forgot this photo:
This sky-scraper was found right by the Convention hotel, and as we don’t have sky-scrapers at this size in Norway, we had to take a picture to show to
my Norwegian readers.
And finally…..
As my luggage’s returned to Norway as well as my head – and I’m almost over the jet-lag, I’ll pull myself together to make a tiny summary of my ten fantastic days
in the USA.
First of all, it’s been a very successful trip, and again, I’ll thank my sponsors for making my dreams come true and tell them that I look forward to
the speeches I’ve promised them in return.
(As I’m still proud of my first speech in English, I consider speeches in Norwegian as ‘just peanuts’.)
And I’m so proud of Cecilies stamina and guts and the great job she’s done as my guide.
Without her capacity, I wouldn’t have made the Convention at all.
And then, to all my readers in the USA and Canada:
I’ve learnt a lot about GDUI as an organization, and how to organize the guide dog work from a guide dog user’s perspective.
I’ve made lots of contacts, and I’ve met a lot of the people I – till Convention – only knew by many years of e-mailing.
Meeting my email-pals and find out that they’re just as nice and friendly as I thought is just as fantastic as making new friends, which I have!
I’ve learnt a lot about how the US attitude to the blind and visually impaired differs from the Norwegian, concerning ‘almost everything’ from restaurant
staff to legal rights to e.g. equipment and medical treatment.
As long as we can learn from each other, we can improve both our societies and ourselves.
And I’ve learnt how the USA really is, in a way you can’t experience by reading or movies!
If you like to, you are welcome to 
write or read in our guestbook.!! or
send me an e-mail at Tone.Mathisen@start.no
Thank you for reading!
Norwegian text