The Night Bus and my first weekend out

This entry may be a bit all over the place, but I'll do my best to organize it...started work on Wednesday, but my supervisor was out sick from Wednesday through Friday, so all I was able to do was shadow other OTs. It was a bit frustrating given that I'm not a student or even a brand new OT, and I'm looking forward to having my own caseload. I am currently assigned to the Day Hospital, which is for people who aren't acutely medically unstable and thus do not meet the requirements for a hospital bed. However, functionally they have a lot of problems, and they arrive at the day hospital by ambulance for therapy to help remediate or compensate for their functional deficits. I believe this service falls under care of the elderly, but I'll let you all know later on when I've actually started working there. I did tag along on some bordering-on-horrifying home visits (see entry below), but then again, I've never worked in a big American city either, and I suspect I would have had some eye-opening experiences in New York City, for example.

I'm in somewhat of an unsual circumstance, because I came into Whipps Cross right before they make a change of rotation which happens every 6 months. I've been placed in the day hospital, but my manager told me since I already have almost a year's worth of experience under my belt, she'd give me an option she's never before given a basic grade OT. Essentially, I could choose to change with everyone else on April 1, rather than just have an extra long rotation at the day hospital. The caveat being I have to make my decision within the next week or so. I'm hoping I'll have enough information next week when my supervisor returns to make that decision, although I must say I'm tempted to stay at the day hospital. My only other choice for a rotation is what they call intermediate services, which is essentially rehab. And although I like rehab and I'm familiar and comfortable with it since that's what I was doing in NJ, one of the attractions of working in the UK at a basic grade rotational position is to get experience in different settings. I'm hoping that when it comes time for my second rotation I'll have a shot at the stroke unit, which I'm quite interested in.

I am settling in at my new house, although it will take a while, I think. For one thing, there's my mattress- it's very low to the ground (and a lot of you know I always raise my bed up, who knows why), and it feels very hard, so I haven't been sleeping well. My parents called yesterday afternoon, and my mom told me to go out shopping for a cheap mattress. Only trouble is, I've already had to pay a lot of money for my security deposit, half of Feb rent, and all of March rent. I don't get paid here until March 29 since they only pay salaried employees once a month, and my friend Viv will be here from March 8-20, and I'd really like to show her a good time. So I have to live off my American money until end of March, which I hadn't counted on. Oops. Anyway, I'm mostly unpacked now, but having come from the relative luxury of my parents' house, my new room isn't nearly as comfy cozy. Hmm, perhaps I should have stayed in the US and bought property. Ok, I know that's the homesickness talking, but still, sometimes I do wonder if I'm starting to "feel my age". Funny how you can consider yourself so grown up and wise, and even a year later look back and laugh at yourself for how much you've learned and changed.

I did go out with my friend Jo and several of her friends from work on Friday night in Angel. We first went to a Cuban bar where they actually had mojitos (though not nearly as good as Clydz, Jenn), and then we went next door to another bar where they had a DJ and were open until 4 am. I had been thinking I'd probably head out by 12:15 or so since I was knackered as they say here (tired), and wanted to catch the tube which shuts down around 12:30...but I was having such a good time I decided to give the night bus a try. So we danced and danced, and I marveled at one of Jo's friends who kept getting pulled away by some fairly bold guys, and I was thankful it wasn't me;) We did leave before closing time and had all the men in the place trying to call us back...but by 2ish I was really tired and we headed out. So the night bus...which no, mom, isn't anything like Harry Potter. In hindsight, it was probably stupid of me to take the night bus on my own, having never done so before, but they're well lit with lots of people on them. Only trouble being, you have to know exactly where your stop is, since they don't make annoucements. I did okay on the first bus, since I finally asked the driver where to get off for the second bus I needed. I got off with 3 Aussies just in time to see the bus we wanted pull away in spite of our frantic waving. So we waited and shivered, and I was glad they were with me...I didn't feel unsafe mind you, but that late at night it is dark and there aren't many people around. We finally caught the second bus, but I missed my stop and when I asked the bus driver he said "Oh no, love, it was back there and it's too far to walk. You'll have to get off and catch the N8." Which I did, after waiting at a bus stop with a very large Eastern European woman who was really drunk and had evidently been sent home from a bar by the police, as she kept announcing at the top of her voice. An English guy was trying to help her, but without much success as she was somewhat of a belligerent drunk. The N8 dropped me basically one block from my house, and I was so relieved to be in familiar territory. I walked in after 3am, thinking, I'm getting too old for this!

I went out again last night with my roommate and her boyfriend in Covent Garden, a much more chill night at an Aussie pub. We did have plans to go to an event called "The Church" today (no, it's not religious, it's dancing and drinking), but as it turns out we're doing that next Sunday instead. So I think I'm going to do some grocery shopping once I'm done here at the internet cafe and maybe just wander around a bit. It's much warmer today, at least at the moment, than it has been. I feel like such a wimp! It was so much colder when I left NJ, but I still end up shivering and complaining here.

This has been a bit long, so I'll stop here, but please do keep sending the emails, it keeps me feeling connected to you all. I will let you all know when my parents have figured out the cheapest way to call here, and let me know if any of you want to come visit! Love and miss, Allison.