Time is so precious!!

This pic was snapped on my phone camera this morning ... the kids were cracking up because Bill was trying to tickle my bottom with a toi toi flower behind my back as I was snapping the photo!! This photo captures our time together as a family!! I'm loving it!!

A BIG HI to Debbie!! Debbie's sister in law is in the same intake as me in Auckland ... I won't mention her name (ya never know who is reading round the corner) but she's a VERY COOL CHICK!! A real doll!!

I've done two shifts on the road now and it's not as scary as I thought it would be! And everyone around me is so supportive, even tho I am the 'newbie' :)

And yes I have been flopping into bed at the end of my shifts but I'm absolutely LOVING IT!! I still have to pinch myself to think I'm being paid to do something that I've done volunterally for the past 2yrs and love so much!!

I've just finished my first 4 days off and have had a wonderful time with my family. We've been down to the beach, gone for walks and sat and talked ... very cool time!!

I'm back up to Auckland this afternoon for day shifts the next 2 days and 2 night shifts.

And no I wasn't at the stabbing in Auckland last week. I started the very next shift (half an hour later) and it wasn't in the area I was working. (I've had heaps of people ask me that lol)

I finally got on the scales yesterday ... first time in nearly 3 months!!! Wow time goes quick. And I'm not too disappointed ... a gain of 2.4kgs ... could be worse but of course I could have been lighter too!! Water under the bridge. Things are still a little crazy to go back to counting points just yet ... as always I'll get back to it when my world settles down and I get used to this new routine.

I usually find I get a little homesick the first day or so (mainly in the evenings) then my mind gets busy and I come right. Bill said the kids are the opposite, they're fine for the first few days then they start asking when I'm coming home, saying they miss me ... :( That's the hardest part in all of this. But they are coping very well and our time together is precious, and we all treat it as so.

Anyway better get my butt back to Auckland ... so sorry I haven't commented on any blogs lately!! I have just been soo soo busy!! Miss you all!!

scary caves!!

Sorry for the HUGE delay in doing an update!! In the last 10 days tonight is the first night I've had at home where I've had no assignments/homework to do!!!

IT'S CRAZY!!! But I'm still loving it!! Scared shitless but loving it!

We're still in class at the moment. My first shift on the road is at Howick station next Thursday night (not tomorrow but a week away). Our days have been filled with assessments, assignments, tests, lectures and a WHOLE LOT OF LEARNING!!!

On Monday we had a scenario to do where we went (in pairs) to an apparent "fall/collapse" in the garage of the station. As we walked in we checked scene safety then as all looked clear we walked up to the patient and he told us he had been assaulted ... then out of nowhere a big maori guy with tats, beanie and dark glasses came running towards me with a baseball bat swearing at me "what the FUCK DO YOU WANT!!!" I threw my hands up, told him to stop and ran as fast as I could backwards towards the door!!!! My heart was in my throat!!! Don't think it had beaten that fast in a very long time!! And I'm sure I lost a couple of kilos there and then!! He got very close to me and thank goodness he was an actor otherwise maybe I might not have been here to tell this very horrific story!!!! lol

We went on to learn how to defend ourselves in scary situations. We had to go through situations of this guy hurling abuse at us and what we would do!! It's actually a very scary thing to go through but very important all the same!!

Today we got sent to an address in Devonport and we were met by a guy who told us his mate had collapsed down a dark cave (which he took us to the entrance of). Our team was the only team (1 of 3 teams) who refused to go in the cave to a guy who had apparently cardiac arrested. The lesson was no matter how serious the condition, if our safety is potentially at risk ... don't go!!! yay we passed that one by telling him (in between him screaming at us!!) that I'm very sorry but until we get someone here to help us (the police) we can't go in there.

The course has been very demanding with them putting us in all sorts of situations but I'm really happy with how it's going and the things I am learning from it!!

This weekend I am off to Thames for my inclass course for my Diploma in Ambulance Practice so it will mean 9 days straight working, then I have one day back (my first shift on the road) then ... bliss ... 4 days off!!!!

Think I might need it by then!!!!

P.S. my belt buckle has gone down a hole since I got here!! Something must be working :)

I made it to the big city

I've been in Auckland now for just 2 days and it feels like I've been here forever!! So much has happened in the last two days.

I arrived Sunday night after spending two days in class on my National Diploma in Ambulance Practice course in Thames, so I was knackered. My flatmates had cooked me a lovely dinner, very nice welcome!!

Went to bed for a rough night of tossing and turning, I guess all the anxiety of what tomorrow would bring. Helped a little that I'd rung Bill and the kids earlier in the evening and everything was going well at home.

Woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep. So by 5.30am I decided to get up. I had to be in Downtown Auckland at 8.30am and I really didn't know how much time to allow to get there from Manukau with peak hour traffic. Given I wanted half an hour to relax with a coffee once I got there I figured if I left just before 7am I should make good time.

What happened?? I arrived there at 7.20am!!! Over an hour early!!! LOL! Think the guy thought I was a bit over the top keen turning up that early. But much rather be that than the other way round.

As the people started arriving (12 of us in all starting that day), it was good to have a chat and see where everyone else came from.

8.30am came round and first on the agenda?? A test!! Straight into it! Then a little introduction from everyone giving our backgrounds. They then got us to stand in a line side by side and proceeded to repremand each of us on what was wrong with our uniforms. Lucky I escaped that one with a "you're not too bad" but oh boy... felt like I had joined the army, not St John ambulance!!! After bracelets, necklaces, gum removed and name badges straightened, buttons done up properly, jackets zipped up by everyone we were able to move on.

We were then given 1 minute to come up with a 2minute speech on a topic and to speak for not a second less not a second more!! Oh boy!! What had I done??? I was feeling rather homesick by this stage.

The rest of the day was filled with more tests, explanations of what was to happen, what stations we were all going to, rosters etc, etc, etc!!

I arrived home to the flat very tired and brain drained to say the least!

Today I was up at 5.30am to be at Mt Wellington station by 7am start on a driving course. We spend the first 3hrs driving an ambulance through the tiniest and busiest streets of Auckland in peak hour traffic!! Fun!!

Then this afternoon was in class learning more theory about driving. Tomorrow we are out at Whenuapai Base to do backing and ambulance and skidding skills.

Talk about busy ... full on!!! But I'm LOVIN IT!!!! And to think I can be paid to have this much fun!!