I thought it was about time for another update. Especially since today was my first day at intern, but that will be kept for last. Just so I know for sure that you will read the entire blog, isn't that smart of me? I have to say, university life really is good for me. It's like getting instant cleverness! I felt my brain growing the minute I walked at uni grounds.
Anyways that was not the point, although it's an interesting subject.

So okay let me check where I left off. Ah yes that's where. This weekend wasn't really special. Oh no wait it was, I met some housemates! The first few days I was actually hiding in my room because I was a bit too chicken to say hi to anyone. I know I know, it's stupid but I totally didn't know what to say. They all talk so brilliantly English with their cool accents and compared to that my Dutchish English really sounds just terrible.
But anyways Saturday I finally got the courage to talk to someone. It was actually my neighbor who just got up and apparently had a huge hangover. She invited me over for takeout that evening with some more housemates. We had Chinese food which is really different compared to Chinese in Holland, but still really nice. After ‘arguing' for 5 minutes Brigit even got her meal too! Apparently the noodles all look alike so they couldn't figure out which noodlethingy belonged to who, it was kind of funny. So anyways my housemates are really nice. I've got a lot of international people here so that's kind of nice too. And they are all bloody insane, I should feel right at home here.
Sunday wasn't really special, although that was the first time we cooked. Don't ask me what I ate the other 3 days, you don't want to know. And if you see my kitchenphoto's you'll understand why I was afraid to cook. Oh by the way they cleaned up the kitchen now. Chances of me getting a diseases tumbled down to 60% instead of 99,9%.
Monday we had our first (and last) class at the university, about the neurological system. It's too bad it's our only class here. Not only does it sound absolutely cool to say 'oh he see you this afternoon I am going to college first,' but the classes here are pretty interesting! I was afraid I wouldn't understand it because of all the English and Latin but the lady giving the class was really good. She talked in normal people language which was understandable even for me. I've learned a lot in that class, which is really weird because last year we've already got a class about the neurological system from like the greatest teacher ever!!!!! (Yeah you've guessed right, he is reading this too.)
Oh the funny part was that at the end of class we had to do this assignment in groups. Brigit and me were looking at each other like ohhh god how on earth will we get a group. But the ladies next to us were so kind to ask if we wanted to join their group. We had to make, what I think, was some English version of a nursing care plan thingy. I really had no clue what on earth we were doing but all the other people in the group were telling the answers so I just wrote down whatever they were saying. I really hope they don't use that system in the hospital or they will have a lot of explaining to do.
After that we've paid our accommodation, which was about 1100 Euros in total. I think I stared at my bank account for 5 minutes in utter shock. And an hour later another 55 Euros was gone. I did get a shiny month ticket for the bus in return.
But anyways now all the important payments are done so that's a bit less stressful. All the money I get now I can spend on food and well food because that's probably about everything I can afford. Oh and I will buy a nice James college sweater so I can prove I really have been to England!

The next day we had this health assessment thingy at the hospital. We had no clue what they were going to do. In fact I wouldn't have been surprised if they brought us in this sort of questioning room you always see in these crime scene series, where they would put a blinding light in our face and ask us millions of questions about our health. In the end he just wanted to see our vaccinations passports and well that was about it. It was kind of an anticlimax, I at least suspected some glaring and swearing and blackmailing. There was not even a fancy lamp.
After that we went to our wards to meet our mentors. We first went to ward 11, Brigits ward, where she met one of her mentors. After that we went to ward 14, which is right across ward 11. I've been introduced to my mentor, Marijke. She comes from Holland, so I am very very lucky. She lives here for about ehm I think 20 years if I remember correctly. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. Anyways she told me that we will mostly be talking English since of course it's the main language here and because she finds it hard to talk about medical stuff in Dutch. But it's a good thing, this way I can learn English and if I really don't know something I can just ask in Dutch. We've decided that tomorrow we will start working, and luckily for us we will get an early shift hooray!
Oh it was kind of embarrassing, my mentor asked me 'well what do you want to see or do?' when we were introduced. And I got so nervous, I kind of started stuttering and rumbling about tomorrow and working and actually I don't even know what I was saying exactly. Luckily my uni mentors helped me (they brought us to the hospital by car, really nice of them. And no they are not even reading this, I am honestly being nice.) so I could have the same shift as Brigit. Now at least when we will get lost we will be lost together.
So after that our uni mentors, did I mention their names? I don't think I did, they're both named Karen. Which is kind of nice, since I usually forget names pretty quickly. This way I only have to remember one name. Anyways they dropped us at morrisons, a cheap supermarket, which is kind of far from campus, so we could get some needed groceries. I kind of went overboard there, the nearest bus stop was about a 10 minutes from there and I bought, well almost half of the store. I will be alright for at least a week now but my hands will hate me. I've got blisters on my blisters I think.

The next day finally the day arrived!
I was really looking forward to it and because it was so early my emotions weren't working so I couldn't be nervous until I was already walking on the ward. In the beginning it was a bit awkward because you don't know where to go or what to do. But the people there were really nice and they helped me so I got over it pretty quick. I had a good talk with my mentor about English hospitals and English care in general and how it is, compared to dutchieland. I also got a few hints and tips about differences in behavior between Englishmen and Dutchies and what to do and what not. It was really helpful en it helped me get comfortable. When I told her I've never worked in a hospital before she was kind of surprised. She thought everyone got placed in a hospital, like some standard procedure. Unfortunately there just aren't enough spaces.
So well since this was the first time working in a hospital, Marijke decided it would be best if I would work with a health care assistant that day. I am still grateful for that. If I understood correctly health care assistants don't have a diploma but they followed (some) course(s) in the hospital. They do all the basic stuff like help with washing and getting clothes on, clean a bit, do coffee and tea rounds and help with the food round. Because of this decision I could get to know the ward and the hospital and well the whole system without being overwhelmed with all the new information. I think that, if I had walked with a nurse today, I would have died cause of brain overload. Even my pimped up uni brain can't take up that much in one day. That day I mostly helped people with washing and getting dressed, did some beds, did some cleaning, I did a lot of following of my health care assistant and I've taught another colleague some dutch. It was so funny to hear him pronounce Scheveningen or even my name. Tomorrow I will learn him 'zeven scheve sneetjes brood ' if he's there.
So all in all it was a great first day. I have learned a lot and now I come to think of it except for the awkward part in the beginning I didn't really feel nervous.
Tomorrow I will go with a staff nurse. I am really looking forward to that but I am also really nervous. But well so far everyone was really kind and my brain will have a night to process all the new information so I think I will survive. If not, well it was nice to meet you all and thanks for reading my blog.

Okay so at the moment I have to say my body is kind of pressuring me to go to bed. And seeing that this story is starting to look like a book of its own it's probably a good idea to just give in and go to bed.
Oh one last thing, it just popped into my head. I really loveee the language here. Everyone is always saying love and sweety or anything of that kind at the end of their sentence. 'Do you want a cup of tea love?' 'Do you need a wash love?' 'Watch your buttocks love.' Even though probably all the yorkish people think it's normal, to me it sounds really sweet. Like you really make a bond with people. But well I can't say it yet, I think everyone will look at me with a you-crossed-the-line-there-missy-look. They will all think I actually love the woman I was trying to wash. Not a really good idea.
Oh okay now it is really time to stop writing. I am starting to talk rubbish, that's not really a good sign.

Stay tuned and someday another awesome story appears about what stupid things I said in English. Cause believe me, I am bound to say something awfully stupid, meaning something completely else. I mean it's just written in the stars.

Cheers!

Ps. Non dutchies: Click ‘reageer' to respond, gives me the feeling people actually read my blog
Pps. I thought it was worth mentioning that before this sentence I wrote exactly 1900 words. Amazing isnt it?