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 :)