Hi everyone!
So it's been a heck of a week. Soooo sorry I've not been posting; I haven't really had internet access, and I admit, I forgot when I was in McDonald's last to come in and give you a post.
SO. What's new? Well, last Tuesday I found a garden on the campus of the hospital. I don't know if I've mentioned that, so, sorry if I'm repeating myself. It was LOVELY. I had a nice little 'dander' around. They had a little labyrinth, some statuary, and lots of lovely flowers. I'm planning on going back this week as well; it's a lovely place to relax. They also had some 'fairy houses' and other things... I can't wait to show you all pictures!
This past weekend I went to see an ice hockey game, that was great fun. It was the Belfast Giants vs. the Edinburgh Capitals, and Giants won 8-1. My new friend Hannah and her family had me over for dinner, and then drove us into town. Afterward they insisted that I come to theirs again for tea and biscuits (very common), and that I check my internet things, too. :) Then they drove me back, and they've invited me up on another day as well, which will be nice if I end up going.
This Friday was rather sad. We found out that Aoife, the other OT who has been working with us, has been assigned to another location. This means that I've taken on a lot of her duties; I'm leading groups several times a week now. Terrifying? Yes. Awesome? Definitely. I'm learning a lot and becoming much more confident, and everyone on the ward is really brilliant. I am having a great time.
In other news... I've never eaten so much toast in my life. Breakfast? Toast and Nutella. Tea time? Toast and jam. Dinner? Beans on toast, or fry on toast, or, well. Things on toast. Seriously. I eat so much bread! But it's fab, really.
Also, eggs are really expensive. I bought six the other day, for £1.42, which works out to be about 3.00. For six eggs. Ridiculous. But the cheese is fab, and I'm eating a lot of sandwiches.
Not sure what else to pass on, really. Going to Giant's Causeway this weekend, and possibly learning to make scones (pronounced 'scons'). We'll see what else happens, and since I'll have internet (THANKS SUZANNE) I'll see if I can't get another post up with some pictures. :)
Well I love you all... I'll talk to you soon! Cheerio!
TT
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Day 6: Howdy
Hallo everyone!!
Well, I'm back again, but I'm afraid I don't have pictures for you. :( I'd hoped to get some up for you today, but my bootleg internet from McDonalds just isn't fast enough. Sorry. :( So next weekend, since this weekend I'm staying at hospital. But next weekend I should be headed to Suzanne's house, and she's graciously offered to let me use her internet. Yay!
So an update about yesterday and today... Yesterday I went to my first ward meeting. Listening to all the different disciplines talk about all the clients, so everyone's on the same page. It was interesting, but a real challenge for me because I still don't have all my accents or slang down. But I'm getting there, and by the end of the meeting I think I was taking decent notes. Suzanne says that by the end of my time I'll be going to those myself.
We also had a BAKING group yesterday! Had a bit of a problem solving moment when we added too much digestive biscuit (sort of like a graham cracker), and ended up having to compensate with the butter and sugar. In grams. From ounces. Man. But we managed!
Today we took some clients out to the mall in Belfast, so that meant I got to see a bit of the countryside! That was pretty awesome. The mall was... just a mall, haha. But the countryside is so pretty!!
I also LEARNED TO KNIT!!!! (THANKS SUZANNE.) This morning at group things were pretty slow, and we were all just chatting anyway (as I've learned is typical of a Wednesday), and so Suzanne said that if we were just chatting, I might as well chat and knit. And so I did. :) I still add stitches magically (I went from 20 to 41 stitches per row and I've NO idea what I did), but I've got the basic movement down, which is GREAT.
Ok well I have to get shopping now, before the shops close (it's about 7:15 PM here, or 19:15, and the shop closes at 21:00.) I'll post pictures when I can, and I've got a half day Friday, so look for a new post then!
Cheerio!
Well, I'm back again, but I'm afraid I don't have pictures for you. :( I'd hoped to get some up for you today, but my bootleg internet from McDonalds just isn't fast enough. Sorry. :( So next weekend, since this weekend I'm staying at hospital. But next weekend I should be headed to Suzanne's house, and she's graciously offered to let me use her internet. Yay!
So an update about yesterday and today... Yesterday I went to my first ward meeting. Listening to all the different disciplines talk about all the clients, so everyone's on the same page. It was interesting, but a real challenge for me because I still don't have all my accents or slang down. But I'm getting there, and by the end of the meeting I think I was taking decent notes. Suzanne says that by the end of my time I'll be going to those myself.
We also had a BAKING group yesterday! Had a bit of a problem solving moment when we added too much digestive biscuit (sort of like a graham cracker), and ended up having to compensate with the butter and sugar. In grams. From ounces. Man. But we managed!
Today we took some clients out to the mall in Belfast, so that meant I got to see a bit of the countryside! That was pretty awesome. The mall was... just a mall, haha. But the countryside is so pretty!!
I also LEARNED TO KNIT!!!! (THANKS SUZANNE.) This morning at group things were pretty slow, and we were all just chatting anyway (as I've learned is typical of a Wednesday), and so Suzanne said that if we were just chatting, I might as well chat and knit. And so I did. :) I still add stitches magically (I went from 20 to 41 stitches per row and I've NO idea what I did), but I've got the basic movement down, which is GREAT.
Ok well I have to get shopping now, before the shops close (it's about 7:15 PM here, or 19:15, and the shop closes at 21:00.) I'll post pictures when I can, and I've got a half day Friday, so look for a new post then!
Cheerio!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Day 5: Just a quick drop by
Hey everyone!
So this is just a quick drop by to say hello. It's been a busy day!
First, to fill you in on the rest of Sunday. I found an ASDA, which is like a walmart but littler. I got some groceries for 14 pounds (that's like, 20~ dollars?) I got some shampoo and conditioner for 44p TOTAL! That made my day. I also got some plums, some apples, some NUTELLA(!!!!) and other sundries for lunches and whatnot. I took some pictures of my room; as soon as I get them edited I'll upload them.
I'm currently stuck with McDonalds wifi; the hospital doesn't want to let me have a passcode. So I'll be checking email, but this update will probably be less often. Sorry! :(
Anyway. Today was my first day at the hospital. EVERYONE is awesome. My FE is named Suzanne, and she is really sweet. The other OT in the department is Aoifa (pronounced 'effa'), and she is also really awesome. They both promised to get me into town for groceries if I need it.
Suzanne and her husband have also invited me to their home on a few weekends so I can get out of the nurses accommodations (the dorm), get some REAL food, and some reliable internet. She has promised to show me the countryside, and her husband owns a restaurant. She's promised me a 'real Ulster fry'. Can't wait!
Her parents have also invited me to see them; her father says he will take me to a football (read: soccer) game, and her mother says she'll teach me to make scones! I'm thrilled, to say the least.
I met some of the clients at the day hospital and worked on an art group. The local artist who helps run the group is really neat and really supportive of all the clients. I think I'm going to have a good time there.
I also get to work on the acute care ward; all the nurses and doctors I've met so far are really nice too. I really am looking forward to getting to know everyone. Apparently KNITTING is the big craft on the ward right now, Suzanne tells me some of the ladies will happily teach me to knit. It just keeps getting better and better!
My alarm clock fried last night; I had to head to ASDA today after work to get a new one. Nothing sucks more than being TOTALLY paranoid that you're going to be late for your first day of work! But I managed not to be, and I got a shower too. Score!
I also bought an electric kettle today. Yay tea!!!
It's sort of hard sometimes, deciphering the accent. More the dialect, really. It's 'wee' this, and 'it is that', and 'you call these 'candy', right?' But still everyone is really accommodating, and lets me think through things. I can't wait to dive in tomorrow!
Okay well it's a walk back to the hospital and it looks like it may rain. I'll update as soon as I can, and next time, pictures!!
Cheerio!
TT
So this is just a quick drop by to say hello. It's been a busy day!
First, to fill you in on the rest of Sunday. I found an ASDA, which is like a walmart but littler. I got some groceries for 14 pounds (that's like, 20~ dollars?) I got some shampoo and conditioner for 44p TOTAL! That made my day. I also got some plums, some apples, some NUTELLA(!!!!) and other sundries for lunches and whatnot. I took some pictures of my room; as soon as I get them edited I'll upload them.
I'm currently stuck with McDonalds wifi; the hospital doesn't want to let me have a passcode. So I'll be checking email, but this update will probably be less often. Sorry! :(
Anyway. Today was my first day at the hospital. EVERYONE is awesome. My FE is named Suzanne, and she is really sweet. The other OT in the department is Aoifa (pronounced 'effa'), and she is also really awesome. They both promised to get me into town for groceries if I need it.
Suzanne and her husband have also invited me to their home on a few weekends so I can get out of the nurses accommodations (the dorm), get some REAL food, and some reliable internet. She has promised to show me the countryside, and her husband owns a restaurant. She's promised me a 'real Ulster fry'. Can't wait!
Her parents have also invited me to see them; her father says he will take me to a football (read: soccer) game, and her mother says she'll teach me to make scones! I'm thrilled, to say the least.
I met some of the clients at the day hospital and worked on an art group. The local artist who helps run the group is really neat and really supportive of all the clients. I think I'm going to have a good time there.
I also get to work on the acute care ward; all the nurses and doctors I've met so far are really nice too. I really am looking forward to getting to know everyone. Apparently KNITTING is the big craft on the ward right now, Suzanne tells me some of the ladies will happily teach me to knit. It just keeps getting better and better!
My alarm clock fried last night; I had to head to ASDA today after work to get a new one. Nothing sucks more than being TOTALLY paranoid that you're going to be late for your first day of work! But I managed not to be, and I got a shower too. Score!
I also bought an electric kettle today. Yay tea!!!
It's sort of hard sometimes, deciphering the accent. More the dialect, really. It's 'wee' this, and 'it is that', and 'you call these 'candy', right?' But still everyone is really accommodating, and lets me think through things. I can't wait to dive in tomorrow!
Okay well it's a walk back to the hospital and it looks like it may rain. I'll update as soon as I can, and next time, pictures!!
Cheerio!
TT
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Downpatrick!!
Hello everyone! So sorry for the delay in posting; as it's turned out, I haven't had internet for the past few days. I hope to rectify that tomorrow. For now I'm posting from McDonalds (!?!) because it's the only place that has free wifi open on a Sunday.
My time here so far has been AWESOME. I guess I should start on Thursday night. I got on the plane in Newark at about 9:00. My seatmates were an older couple on a tour on the UK; they were really sweet and talkative. The husband sat next to me and kept making sure I was comfortable; he maneuvered my air conditioning for me, passed me all my food and drinks, and made sure I had enough room (even though he was just as squished as I was.) His wife loaned me a pen for my landing card, since all of mine were packed in the bag in the overhead compartment, and I was in the window seat.
Customs was the most nerve wracking part. 97 days is a long time to ask to stay somewhere, but since I had checked with the embassy before I embarked, I wasn't too concerned. I had printed off letters from SFU, from the hospital and also financial statements to prove I wouldn't be a drain on the government. The official asked me lots of questions, like what I planned on doing, where did I plan on traveling to while I'm here, and do I know anyone in the UK. But my answers were satisfactory, and he stamped me in!
My friend met me at the airport and we got on the bus to Belfast proper (since the actual airport is outside the city). Once in the city, it turns out you have to walk about six blocks to find somewhere that has lockers; the bus station doesn't, but the tourist center has a closet you can rent for three pounds/bag. So I rented a spot for my two big pieces so we could wander a little bit.
My main memory of Friday is the kindness of strangers. The map that the gentleman at the bus depot gave us was... well, rather useless. There are almost no street signs in Belfast, so we got lost FAST. A lady on the street realized we were really confused and gave us directions back to the bus depot. From there we got directions from ANOTHER stranger, and this time we found it! After checking my bags, food was next in order. Unfortunately, by that point I was so tired that I couldn't even think about eating. I got a bottle of water, and we wandered Victoria Square a while, but we were both so tired that we decided it was time to head home.
At the bus depot I found a bus to Downpatrick that left at 1:30; we got there just in time. After my friend left (her bus left before mine), ANOTHER stranger asked about my bags. When I told him I was headed to the hospital, he said he worked there as a nurse and volunteered to make sure I got there. Loading my bags onto the bus, ANOTHER stranger grabbed one of them for me, so I didn't have to lug them all myself.
When we got off the bus in Downpatrick, my nurse-friend took one of my bags and walked me to the taxi kiosk. But the next taxi to the hospital would have been a while, so he walked me to the bus depot in Downpatrick. When we got there, he said to the girl working the booth "My friend here just got in from America, she's knackered. Can you make sure she gets on the right bus?"
So the girl came out and got me loaded, and the drivers teased me. I was the only person to get on at that stop, though a few more got on later. When I reached the hospital, I went in the main doors to get directions. A gentleman who worked there saw how many bags I had and drove me up to the old hospital, where I'm staying. It wasn't very long before I had my room key and got placed.
That was about when I passed out; I lay down to rest for a second at about 4:00 and woke up at 7:35 the next morning.
Saturday I didn't do much; I didn't have much food, but I was still too knackered to go into town, so I ate chips and granola bars and wandered around a little bit. Not necessarily a good life decision, but there it is.
This morning I got up at about 9:00 and decided I needed to come into town. However, there aren't any buses that run on Sundays up to the hospital, so I had to walk. There also aren't any stores open on Sundays, really. I found a BP for granola bars and milk that I ate while walking. I found St. Patrick's grave (How cool is that, that I'm randomly in the town where St. Patrick is buried?? Photos to come.), wandered the grave yard where St. Patrick is buried ( most of the graves there are 200+ years old) and found a place where John Wesley once preached.
Now it's about 12:15 and I'm eating my lunch in McDonalds. I found an ASDA, which is Walmart here, and I'm hoping they're open. If not, I found a grocery store that is open at 1:00. I'm going to get my phone card (and hopefully a cell phone) so I can call home today. Then I'm going to walk back up to the hospital and get some more reading in before fieldwork starts tomorrow!
I'm so excited!!
I'll talk to you all as soon as I can (even if that means eating nasty McDonalds once a week so I can use their wifi.)
Pax!
TT
My time here so far has been AWESOME. I guess I should start on Thursday night. I got on the plane in Newark at about 9:00. My seatmates were an older couple on a tour on the UK; they were really sweet and talkative. The husband sat next to me and kept making sure I was comfortable; he maneuvered my air conditioning for me, passed me all my food and drinks, and made sure I had enough room (even though he was just as squished as I was.) His wife loaned me a pen for my landing card, since all of mine were packed in the bag in the overhead compartment, and I was in the window seat.
Customs was the most nerve wracking part. 97 days is a long time to ask to stay somewhere, but since I had checked with the embassy before I embarked, I wasn't too concerned. I had printed off letters from SFU, from the hospital and also financial statements to prove I wouldn't be a drain on the government. The official asked me lots of questions, like what I planned on doing, where did I plan on traveling to while I'm here, and do I know anyone in the UK. But my answers were satisfactory, and he stamped me in!
My friend met me at the airport and we got on the bus to Belfast proper (since the actual airport is outside the city). Once in the city, it turns out you have to walk about six blocks to find somewhere that has lockers; the bus station doesn't, but the tourist center has a closet you can rent for three pounds/bag. So I rented a spot for my two big pieces so we could wander a little bit.
My main memory of Friday is the kindness of strangers. The map that the gentleman at the bus depot gave us was... well, rather useless. There are almost no street signs in Belfast, so we got lost FAST. A lady on the street realized we were really confused and gave us directions back to the bus depot. From there we got directions from ANOTHER stranger, and this time we found it! After checking my bags, food was next in order. Unfortunately, by that point I was so tired that I couldn't even think about eating. I got a bottle of water, and we wandered Victoria Square a while, but we were both so tired that we decided it was time to head home.
At the bus depot I found a bus to Downpatrick that left at 1:30; we got there just in time. After my friend left (her bus left before mine), ANOTHER stranger asked about my bags. When I told him I was headed to the hospital, he said he worked there as a nurse and volunteered to make sure I got there. Loading my bags onto the bus, ANOTHER stranger grabbed one of them for me, so I didn't have to lug them all myself.
When we got off the bus in Downpatrick, my nurse-friend took one of my bags and walked me to the taxi kiosk. But the next taxi to the hospital would have been a while, so he walked me to the bus depot in Downpatrick. When we got there, he said to the girl working the booth "My friend here just got in from America, she's knackered. Can you make sure she gets on the right bus?"
So the girl came out and got me loaded, and the drivers teased me. I was the only person to get on at that stop, though a few more got on later. When I reached the hospital, I went in the main doors to get directions. A gentleman who worked there saw how many bags I had and drove me up to the old hospital, where I'm staying. It wasn't very long before I had my room key and got placed.
That was about when I passed out; I lay down to rest for a second at about 4:00 and woke up at 7:35 the next morning.
Saturday I didn't do much; I didn't have much food, but I was still too knackered to go into town, so I ate chips and granola bars and wandered around a little bit. Not necessarily a good life decision, but there it is.
This morning I got up at about 9:00 and decided I needed to come into town. However, there aren't any buses that run on Sundays up to the hospital, so I had to walk. There also aren't any stores open on Sundays, really. I found a BP for granola bars and milk that I ate while walking. I found St. Patrick's grave (How cool is that, that I'm randomly in the town where St. Patrick is buried?? Photos to come.), wandered the grave yard where St. Patrick is buried ( most of the graves there are 200+ years old) and found a place where John Wesley once preached.
Now it's about 12:15 and I'm eating my lunch in McDonalds. I found an ASDA, which is Walmart here, and I'm hoping they're open. If not, I found a grocery store that is open at 1:00. I'm going to get my phone card (and hopefully a cell phone) so I can call home today. Then I'm going to walk back up to the hospital and get some more reading in before fieldwork starts tomorrow!
I'm so excited!!
I'll talk to you all as soon as I can (even if that means eating nasty McDonalds once a week so I can use their wifi.)
Pax!
TT
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Day 1: I'm On My Way!
Howdy everyone! Here I am, day 1! Are you all as excited as I am??? I'm writing this post from the Pittsburgh airport; I've got about an hour before my flight to Newark departs, so I thought I'd take some time to share some things with you!
I managed to get everything out in two bags and two carry-ons (one which is primarily SNACK FOOD). My two suitcases are 48 and 44.5 pounds respectively... Go me! I just hope I can get them from the airport to my dorm when I get to the other side of the pond!
It was sort of a pain to get myself checked in; the kiosk scanner didn't want to scan my passport, and the guy sort of looked at me like he thought I was an idiot for not being able to scan it. Oh well; I got the bags on the plane and I got a boarding pass, so that's all that really matters.
I stopped before I left home and got a sandwich from The Italian Bread Place, so I have plenty of food. I also have some chips and candy and granola bars (thanks grandma!). I'm all set for this flight! Still, I can't wait to get this show on the road... The waiting is killing me. I'm also realizing I'm using WAY too many exclamation points.
I wish I had some pictures to show you all of my luggage; I'm pretty proud of how much I shoved into those two bags, considering I had several textbooks to bring. I just wish I had been able to bring my crocheting with me in my carry-on, but I couldn't find one of those pendants for cutting the yarn with, so I had to pack it and it'll have to be an evening project. But I have lots of fanfiction and a couple books queued up in my bag, so I think I can make it.
When I land in Belfast my amazing friend is going to come and meet me... We'll probably do brunch or something, and she's going to make sure I don't get lost on the way to the bus stop. It's great to know people all over the world!
Well, I'd better sign off before my battery dies here; I've got a heck of a wait otherwise. I'll catch you all on the flipside (and maybe update again in Newark, since I'll have lots of time to kill.)
Ciao!
Tatyanna
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Hello!!!
Hi everyone, and welcome to my blog. This is my boring 'this is who I am' post, primarily to test the posting capabilities here.
I'm Tatyanna (as though most of you don't know who I am, haha) and I'm an OT student in Pennsylvania. For now this blog is going to center on my travels during my first Level II Fieldwork as I work toward my Master of OT program completion.
I hope to post once a week and keep you all up to date about what I'm doing and where I'm going. I'm so excited that I'm getting this chance, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
Cheers!
Tatyanna
I'm Tatyanna (as though most of you don't know who I am, haha) and I'm an OT student in Pennsylvania. For now this blog is going to center on my travels during my first Level II Fieldwork as I work toward my Master of OT program completion.
I hope to post once a week and keep you all up to date about what I'm doing and where I'm going. I'm so excited that I'm getting this chance, and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
Cheers!
Tatyanna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)