Xmas 2010-2011

Hi and Merry Xmas to you @ll and very soon Happy New Year!!!

Well, as most of you already know I have spend Xmas "working", why do I put it in between quotation marks?! Easy, because he wasn't felling very well I had too much free time so I was quite bored despite the fact he has certain difficulties. I know it sounds contradictory, but yes you can be bored of having too much free time. Luckily I had a TV in my room, but you can imagine how I've missed my laptop, thank God for my BlackBerry!!!

I spend Xmas Eve at the pub with my co-worker and our client. He goes to the pub every Friday, so there we went!! I had a good time, I was needing to get some new fresh air. We spend Xmas day at home and his daughter in law cooked a great turkey, one thing I didn't missed this year!!! To be honest it was very nice, almost like mums... I had just been with them for over a week and Father Xmas was very kind to me. My parents had send me a parcel with different typical Spanish Xmas sweets and some little pressies that made me quite emotional and home sick.

I'm happy with the job, even I might have given you the wrong impression after telling you I was bored. But with my next client I think that will totally change, cause she is an athlete and she's training for Paralympics 2012!!

Also, at the end of January I'll be going to Poland with my Polish friend Ola, I've already told you about her... it's going to be awesome!!!

No I have a few days off and I'll be in London for New Years Eve with Andrea, Eva, Diego and hopefully Sue will be feeling better to come too...

So luckily, dinner with friends and then we will go to the Thames to live the entrance to 2011!!

I did it!!

… and at last they called me… Like, I hope :p, you already read in my previous post all my paperwork arrived and I was just waiting for them to call me for my first client, and so they did, yeap… the following day! They called me around 1130 and I was supposed to arrive at my first destination during the afternoon, that was two and a half hour away by train northeast from London! They don't usually call you with such a short notice, but because the snow many companions could not arrive at there destinations. After few minutes and a little explanation about who my first client was, I decided to take it, was going to happen sooner or later, so the moment had arrived. Luckily I had my suitcase almost ready, so I only had to add 3 or 4 things and off I went! The truth is that I was very nervous, wasn't expecting a beginning like that, but it could have been worse, no! Anyway, once at the station waiting for my train the head office called me again to offer me my following client! You can imagine my reaction, they had just called me two hours ago for my first assignment and now they where calling me to give me the second one, I was so surprised that the only thing I could say was: let me get through this one first and then we can talk again, right! The good thing was that I was only going to be with my first client for 5 days, so if it didn't work out, I knew I didn't have to stay for long. But the truth is that it did work and I felt very confident with her, she was great to me, she did things very easy for me, she helped me a lot with everything she could and had much patience with me. She said to me she had told the office how happy she was with me and that she would like me to go back in the future… so, I DID IT!

But of course, after 5 days my kidneys me were killing me, so I'll definitely have to go to the gym!

After those 5 days I returned to London and I stayed at Titos, but yesterday I came to my aunt and uncles in Guildford, here I can leave my things and come when I get some time off between clients, they have been great to me and I am very thankful, this helps me saving a lot of money!

Today I've been to town to open my bank account and to do some Xmas shopping… not much because I am "broke" hahahahaha…

Waiting...

Yes, still here, waiting for my papers to arrive so I can start working, but to be honest I'm starting to become exasperated!!! Is not so dramatic, but it's a mixture of different circumstances. I feel comfortable at Titos, don't take me wrong, very comfortable!! But at the end of the day is his house and he deserves his privacy too... I can see my friends, but because I'm so stressed with what's going on I don't enjoy it as much, economically speaking I'm almost ruined, so I can't even enjoy all the things London has to offer... But everything has a solution and is not that bad, but you know how uncertainty kills me.

I'm also considering to rent a shared room with Andrea and Eva (2 friends from Ibiza) although I won't be using it that much, but then I'll have a place to leave most of my staff, not having to travel around the country with two luggage every 2-3 weeks, a place to call home and not to feel so nomad and of course a place to go when I'm off... But to do that I'll have to give up my house in Ibiza, which is not a big deal either, I could afford both, but then I wouldn't be saving as much money and that wasn't the idea!!!

Anyway, as you may have seen on the news and by my last Facebook photos, it's been snowing all week and is great!!! But the bad part to it is that everything standstill!!! Trains, airports... ask my friends Marian and Mari, they arrived on Sunday for 4 days visit, they where supposed to go back to Spain today from Gatwick but it's been closed since yesterday!! At first we thought they would have to stay for another night, but because Stansted is operative they managed to change their flight, hope they get their on time.

And meanwhile I'm at home, worm and taking it easy, cause I've had enough cold and snow for the last 2 days, so I've decided to pass... anyway their aren't that many places I could go to with this weather... Tomorrow, if weather allows me, I''l be visiting Ola in Sevenoaks and take some time to open my new bank account.

London

Well, after 5 intense days course and a even more intense last day, together with some nerves for finding out if I had passed and what they though about my work during the week... I paaaaaassssseeeeddd!!! I'm very happy and pleased with the comments they made of my job, but to me totally honest, I struggled at some moments and a bit scared too, but I'm confident I'll be fine!!!! Obviously, they tell you about the worst options so you are prepared for any kind of incident, but when they are telling you one after the other you just think that that is how is going to be and it's kind of difficult to ask your brain to relax cause those are just "in case if"

Well, they thing I can make a good PA (Personal Care Assistance) of my self, now I just have to demonstrate it so for that I'm waiting. This is UK and I'll be working in health, so imagine how extric they can be with the requirements, I'm waiting for my previous job references to arrive and my CRB (Criminal Record B...) so I'm hopping to get some news from the office in the next days, my fried Ola (the Polish girl that I've already told you about) has received an email today saying that they have it all so she is ready to work, cause they have to ask for it, it will take as long as Spain wants it to take, I just hope it will be fast, pleaseeeeee!!!

But while I'm waiting, I've come to London to disconnect a little bit and get to see the people I have here, who knows if I'll have time afterwards!! Besides, Marian is here with her cousin, so there's some tours to do. Not today cause they had booked the Hop On and Off tour for the day, so I'm having a relaxed day at home so I can do my blog and other things. Saturday I went out for dinner with Diego, Tito, Sue and Monica, we had a great time. We went to a Thai restaurant in Soho, nice and most important cheap, cause I'm broke till I get payed and get my money back from the taxes.

Yesterday I spend most of the day in the tube, shame cause despite the cold it was a great sunny day, well not all of the day but quite a lot of time... hihihi Ola came to London for the day, then we went to meet here friends in a Pub and from there I left to go and get Marian and Mari. Actually, the truth is that I went to rescue them, because they weren't very sure how to get to the tube station I told them to wait for me in a pub and so they did, but they must have been the only girls and all the men where really excited with such an exotic visit hahahahaha, anyway the where really pleased to see me, the girls of course, I think the men where a bit sad!!!

Trough the ecuador...

Well, today is Wednesday and we have crossed the ecuador of the course, but I can still feel nervous!!! Every day of the course is very interesting, all we are learning, but also as time goes by the more insecure you feel... will I know how to do it?! will i do it right?! will i hurt them?! will I make a big mistake?! The truth is that the trainers are great and support you a lot, but to be honest with you I'm "freaking out"

All we do or not do with a client is extremely confidential, but even if it wasn't, there's no need to go into details cause it's not so much different as the private life of each other of us! the most interesting thing of the course is the amount of new staff we are learning and the best is the people and the atmosphere.

Most of us had to go through listening to bad stories from others, but the good thing is that in the end we realised that those people where a problem them selves!!! Yesterday, Ilona arrived, another Polish girl that has a total different experience, so we all end up in our apartment trying to get us much information from her, but without making her brake the Gold rule of Confidentiality!

hopefully, this weekend I'll be able to go to London to visit all of you that are there, which are a few!!! About Xmas time, I think I'll be staying here, cause tickets are a bit expensive for me right now!

Anyway, until now I'm passing all my test, that means I'll be able to get my first assignment asap and we should find out more on Friday, so keep your fingers crossed!! But I'm sure everything will work out just fine!!!

In Uk

After all day travelling and many problems with my bags, I had to pay for my hand luggage at the gate... EasyJet hahahaha!!! Anyway, got to Sevenoaks fine and a live, I met my flat and course mate. Alexandra, polish, she likes to be called Ola!!! Curious, right?! Specially when she explains that you should pronounce it like HOLA in Spanish!!!
Our flat is just on top of the companies offices, right in the center of Sevenoaks, a very nice little village, we have a very "loud" pub next door.

Not long after I arrived I met Max, another polish guy, someone I would rather haven't met... Why I say this... Well you know how people likes talking about anything and sometimes don't even think of consequences of their own words. I was so positive, happy, excited, etc... and after a very long day the last thing I wanted to here was all about hes bad experience with the company... At least it didn't last long and Ola and I manage some time together to talk about how we got here, why, and all the special details... Was so great to find out the we have parallel stories!!!

Today Ola and I went for a 6km walk to Salisbury's and we had more time to chat. I wanted to do exercise, right?! Well there you go!!!

I'll be uploading photos of Sevenoaks asap!!!

1st Stop?

At last I've been able to tell you all about my new plans! If I didn't say anything before was because of work, I didn't want to bother anybody.

Anyway, the 20^th I flight to London and from there I’ll be going straight to Sevenoaks, Kent, where my new life will start. On the 22^nd I’ll be starting a training course so I can face my new challenge in the right conditions! The course will last 5 days, intensive, but I’m sure there I’ll learn so much. The provide us with accommodation, so it’ll be like the old days where I shared house with friends in Barcelona or London… but I’m so thrilled that even that seems fun!

And then work!!! See where I end up and with whom?! Yes, I can end up anywhere in UK or Wales, imagine what I’m going to be able to visit and see!! All this years travelling to Uk and so little seen. About your visits, that I hope you come to visit me, we’ll have to work it out as we go along, we’ll come to some kind of solution!!!!

That it’s pretty much it for now, cause even for me it’s all a huge question mark, but I like that!!!!

Ibiza 2 UK

Why I decided to make this move?! Why something so radically different to what I have always done?! Well, it all started right after my last trip to Asia (not bearing in mind that I’ve been dreaming and wishing for something like this for a long time) The return to rutinary reality after 2 and a half months travelling around countrys like Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Indonisia… become really difficult, it was impossible to get back home not having changed even a bit! And that was my case, I decided it was time to make the big move and start changing my life style and what better way than travelling?! Initial Project?! A World trip! The problem was money, as always. But I have made the decision that nothing would stop me. So I started looking for jobs that would allow me to save as much and spend the less money as possible, with accommodation and expenses included. At first I thought of fruit picking in UK, cause it’s closer and I did not need a Visa, but winter it’s not the right time! Cause I had made up my mind, a new that something would turn up and that it’s so what it happened! Searching and searching on the web I suddenly bumped into a series of companies which provide of personal care assistance to spine injured people. At first I dismissed the idea, due to my ignorance of the subject, but I started looking for information regarding one company in particular (Active Assistance: http://www.activeassistance.com/) and then the idea became more and more interesting. Helping people like me, with the same concern and dreams but with physical limitations, what a better way of starting a project that originally was going to be dedicated, in part, to voluntereen and at the same time earn good money!?