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!!