Snowing in Sevenoaks

I am currently in Sevenoaks, attendind the fairly comprehensive training for my Personal Care Assistant (PA) position I have started with Active Assistance. I am training in a group of ten of us, which is really cool. Girls from all over, including New Zealand, South Africa, Zim, Slovakia, Poland and Czech.

We have been doing all sorts of weird things to prepare us for work - for the last hour I have been pushed around the streets in the snow in a wheelchair, we have been giving dummy's plastic kisses with our First Aide training (Lucie's term!), and poking around where noone would normally on anatomically correct models. Hmmmm.

Actually learning quite a bit, and it is also a bit of a refresher from previous work. It's interesting learning about how things are set up here in the UK for people with disabilities, and especially things specific to people with Spinal Cord Injuries, which is an area I haven't really focussed on before.

The group is fun, and I think we have managed to terrorise all the poor male bar staff in each of the pubs here in Sevenoaks! And have come pitifully last in a couple of quiz nights while out and about.

The village - well, that's what it feels like to me - is so cute. Old, cute little buildings. And everything is covered in a layer of snow, more so today than the others days. Those of our group from warmer climates have been very excited about it all - much to the amusement of the others.

Hopefully the snow will allow me to get back to London tomorrow afternoon, after the training has finished. I will then have to wait for some paperwork to be cleared so I can be sent out on my first work assignment - which could be anywhere in England and Wales. Assignments are from 1-3 weeks, and are full-time live-in.