Caring...

So here I am, at work. I am the sole person responsible for my client's care, who is currently bed bound. She has no voluntary movement, apart from one arm and above her neck. It's a little scary!

Once I know her routine, it will be fine - but it's just learning it, and remembering all the little things that you do for yourself without thinking.

Oh! And I had my first poo experience this morning for this stint of care work. Lucky me.

I am in a small town called Horsham, in West Sussex...about an hour train ride from central London. I get set times off, and so a short wandered into the main street - and LOTS of reading! Otherwise, I am doing little tasks, or just needing to be around. LOTS of reading!

I burnt the first big meal tonight. Oh dear!

Here for a week or 2. We will see who gets sick of who first!!

Off to assignment after all!

We finished up our 5 day training course for work today. Learnt all the final bits and signed our life away, and some of us finished up with Sevenoaks, too. I am back in London tonight, after saying goodbye to a really good group.

I so hope we will all keep in touch. We may get to work together on different assignments, although it sounds rare. Maybe see each other for handovers, but we will definately have to coordinate to meet when we have time off in common.

Despite the idea that I would have to wait ages for my police check to clear before being placed out to work, the agency have a mini-screen cleared (so I haven't messed up too much in the UK after arriving a week ago!)...and I am off to my first assignment tomorrow!

A bit nervous and apprehensive about it all. I guess it will be good to just jump straight in. They have placed me this fast because of my past experience, so hopefully it all comes flooding back fast!

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.

Monopoly in London

Yesterday, after a big jet lag fighting sleep, I ventured into the big city of London to see some sights, and get aquainted with the Tube. Looking at the map, and arriving at street level feels like I am playing a mega game of Monopoly, with all the familiar place names. The Strand, Trafalgar Square...I am just waiting to collect my $200!!

Getting off the tube at Oxford Circus for a bit of lunch and a peek at the shops. I can see that once I am earning pound over here, I am going to have a serious shopaholic addiction on my hands! Just wandering in to a few stores, I can already see that I am going to be in trouble!! I have never seen this type of range in Australia.

Fighting the shopping urge, I jumped back on the tube to gaze around Piccadilly Circus. Surrounding by the wonderful old, old buildings, I walked down to Trafalgar Square.

Amoung all the pigeons, apparently encouraged to return to this area by all the tourists who feed them, wre loads of people milling to have a look at the huge Square and it's fountains, but also to get involved with the London Back The Bid 2012 Olympic campaign. It's everywhere! This weekend is when the IOC delegation is in town to be impressed - so the city is a-flutter.

Not really knowing where I was, I happened upon the Queen's Horse Guard, which lead me through the Horse Guard arch to St James's Park, and the walk up to Buckingham Palace.

Everything is all so very familar, and famous, and old, and beautiful! The Palace where old Lizzie resides is quite spectacular. Whilst wandering and gaping at the Palace, and taking it all in, it started to snow! I am not kidding! Just little drops of powdery white ice from the sky, and nothing that settled. But was very cool.

I must confess, my favourite sight so far here in London is Big Ben. I have seen a million of picture of it, but have never really appreciated it before. The pictures have always looked so drab - but all the beautiful gold etching!! Wow! (More photos.)

Still snowing, and thus, very very cold, I decided to head back to Charles' for a quiet night (not like us at all - will have to get back into form!), to stave off that jet lag.

I am mobile again now, and I have also taken the time today to fix up all my photos here. Am off to Kent tomorrow for an interview, and hopefully a week's training to get me started with some work - and some £!!

Tokyo-Frankfurt-London

Big travel day yesterday - about 12 and a half hours flight time, plus transfers, train time, waiting in airports. But I am finally in London!

The end of my time in Japan, and it's cute, precise and efficient ways - the heated toilet seats, clean and safe streets, inforced recycling (the provisions for every possible type of waste, you can't not recycle), and picking out what you'll have to eat by pointing to the wax replica of the dish in the front window. I was quite surprised at the prevalence of smoking, and especially smoking in restaurants in Tokyo - bit of a shock compared to Aus, although here in London and through the airport in Germany, smoking was everywhere too, so perhaps I just need to get used to it.

I flew with Lutfhansa, and it was strange being around mainly caucasians again, and still not understanding what was going on! Lots of things and people seems "so European" - I guess I'll have to get over that too! Hee hee!

Met at the airport by Charles, which was great to see him. He also saved me from the luggage nightmare that I have managed to bring on for myself, which was very lucky. I think I am developing a complex about my damsel-in-distress propensity around Charles, especially after arriving into Bangkok sober this time and realising what he managed to organise when I was otherwise incapacitated...hmmmm. I am staying with Chucky for the weekend, so thanks heaps Charles! Looks like he will get to show me the ropes in London.

So, here I am. In old London town. I have no idea what I am doing, what I am going to do, and even have little clues about London itself - I don't even have a guide book. Talk about jumping without a parachute. Bring it on!

I heart Japan!

I was greeted with a "Hai! Natasha-sun!" when I arrived back at my ryokan last night. How sweet. Granted, I did leave kilos of luggage here while I was away for a couple of days, but still!

A visit to the sushi place across the road was also meet with friendly familiar greetings. My dinnertime conversation involved pointed out in the atlas where I was from, and where I am headed next. Much chatter and laughter in Japanese...who knows what they were saying!

Today I have taken it a bit easy - a full-blown cold has hit. I guess I should have been less silently mocking toward the germaphobes on the trains, and joined them in their surgical-mask wearing...none of them are sneezing!!

Visiting the Imperial Palace, or what you can see of it, today. It is only actually open 2 days throughout the year, and today wasn`t one of them. However, you can see the palace, and view it with the famous Nijubashi Bridge in front of it. It is also set in a huge parkland, which is a welcome escape from the city madness.

A train ride away, I walked through Takeshita Dori, the place to shop for the hip teenaged Japanese. Dazzling lights and busy shops - and people in all sorts of gear walking past.

Another escape for the city hustle and bustle was found with a walk through to Meiji Shrine, and it`s amazing gardens. Walking along the paths, you could have been in the middle of a vast forested area - seemingly miles away from the train tracks and clogged streets just metres away. (More photos.)

Coffee and a tiny bit of retail therapy along the "place to people-watch" Omote Sando. Brand names and huge stores make up this treelined street, where the rich and wanting-to-be-spotted strut and have coffee.

The task tonight before hitting my rolled out futon is to consolidate my luggage into a managable situation for the trip out to the airport. This time tomorrow (well, plus a few hours cos of the time difference!), I will be in London!

Kyoto

Kyoto is the cultural capital of Japan, where many important and protected temples and shrines are. And the mythical geisha, apparently!

Yesterday I walked over to the Toji Temple, which is the landmark of Kyoto. The tallest pagoda in Japan, this is actually the fourth construction of it, after previous pagodas have been reduced to ash after lightening strikes. Unfortunately, this photo does not do the detail justice - but I am reduced to just the digi, after my big she-bang camera has gone on strike.

I then bussed my way up to Kinkakuji Temple, or the Golden Pagoda. After having lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall, sitting up at the little bar, and chatting to the lady behind the counter (who was aghast that I was travelling on my own), I walked up the street and then through the gardens. You round the corner, and there it is!

Quite spectacular, actually. Gold foil makes the temple in the middle of the beautifully kept Japanese gardens look quite magical. Here, after walking through the path, I lit a candle to the God of Marriage for Jess and Andrew next month (one of the less cheesy prayers!).

Upon darkness, I ventured to Gion to go a-geisha spotting. I pictured, and even read, that you could see them bustling about, hurrying off to their evening appointments. I now thing this is one of those myths fed to tourists. I did see one girl, all done up in kimono and little geisha shoes - but no face make-up. I am claiming here as a sighting, but still... Unsuccessfully, I wandered down the lantern-lit Gion area, where shopping and dining seemed to be the main thing to do. The little back streets felt like more of a red-light district to me, and perhaps that`s where they all were!

Today I have visited the Ginkakuji Temple, which is also known as the Silver temple. Not as breathtaking as the Gold version on the other side of the city, but was surrounded in beautifully kept gardens. (More Kyoto photos.)

It started raining last night, and hasn`t stopped yet. Have had to buy a Japanese Girl umbrella (oh, alright, the boys have them too - but ALL the girls have them!). Kyoto is surrounded with mountains, and all day there have been wisps of clouds all around. I have actually worn thermals everyday, despite being reluctant to getting them (thanks Mum!), it`s so chilly!

In Kyoto the day the Protocol comes into effect - another reminder of the embarrassing state of Australia, and the "change will cost us all more money" propaganda of the Little Johnny government. I guess the "look after ourselves now" line won them the election last year, and they are sticking to it. Shame. I may start to do as the few intelligent American travellers do, and plaster the NZ flag to my pack....

I have missed the earthquake in Tokyo! There is so much around about what to do in case of an earthquake...so scared of them, the Tokyoites. Well, I am off to catch a Shinkasen back to Toyko - maybe there will be some after shocks!