The day before, the day before assessment day
on Rachael's VSO experience (Malawi), 15/Mar/2010 21:46, 34 days ago
Normal0falsefalsefalseMicrosoftInternetExplorer4st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}Ok! So this is the start of my Blog. The reason I am starting it this early is so I can get the hang of it. At the moment I have no idea where I might be going or even if VSO (voluntary services overseas) are going to want me! It’s a weird feeling as this is something that I’ve wanted to do for so long and I hope they’d love to have me (lets be honest why on earth wouldn’t they!!!) but it’s hard to think that they might not.Everyone I’ve spoken to about the interview day has basically said the only preparation that you need to do is just to think about what it will be like to leave people behind and how you’ll cope without them and everything else that is ‘normal’. They also suggested that I come up with some ideas of how I’ll cope missing events at home. It’s a hard thing to imagine really, I’m in a very privileged position that my family are 100% behind anything I do, so I know they’ll understand that I’ll miss birthdays and Christmases ect. I know that it will be hard, I think especially days like my families birthdays or Christmas will be the hardest to be so far away but I’m stronger than many people know so I really do believe I can cope! So apparently the VSO interview is about showing you can follow instructions and you can participate in group activities and can make the best of limited resources. Realistically working in the NHS I think I can do that!!!I am aware that this is probably going to be the hardest thing I’ll ever do in my life but it’s something I feel I have to do. I’ve wanted to do some kind of voluntary services overseas for a long time before I qualified as a nurse. Initially I wanted to be a nurse in the Navy but never felt that I would be physically fit enough, in actual fact I’m gladthat never happened as I think this will be the most amazing thing I have ever done. It’s a very hard thing to explain to someone else but I feel as if it’s my job in life to do this. Like I felt I was ultimately drawn to nursing it feels like yeah I guess my purpose.Well I’m already getting a little bit deep but I want to try and explain to people why I’m doing this. I know to all my friends and colleagues it seems like a crazy thing to do, there is the chance I’ll miss weddings, birthdays, Christmases, fathers day, mothers day, births, deaths! And to some thatwould be too much to risk missing.Obviously I’m not going into this naïvely I am aware that this will be tough, I think seeing adults and children dying that I know could have easily been saved in the UK will be incredibly hard. Things like the lack of supplies and equipment will be tough too the amount of stuff we waste in the NHS going toa country where there simply aren’t enough gloves to change them between patients will be so hard. I can go there with lots of hopes and aspirations but ultimately these are totally poor countries there won’t be the money for them to implement much change.Ok well I think this will probably be it for today I’m staying in a hotel inLondontomorrow night as the assessment day starts at 8:30 and it was more convenient to stay over inLondonso I’m there and have slept well!! So I’ll probably update more tomorrow.Rach x