Week 1

Week 1 has been hard. The hours are long and the pressure is on. There
have been two written tests, one with a pass mark of 85%; the other
has a pass mark of 75%. The first test ias all about road signs and is
written answer, not multiple guess. The answers have to be spot on, as
per the Highway Code. The second is True/False and Multiple Choice -
the material it is based on is the Highway Code and the IHCD Ambulance
Drivers Manual. As well as studying for this we are being taught how
to use "the System" for driving. This is almost completely alien to
someone like me who has driven for nearly 21 years. Also the hours are
long as we are trying to make up for the lost day due to the Bank
Holiday. But the group I'm with are fantastic. We are all really up
for it and pulling together.

Day 1

Day 1 has been survived. The morning was taken up by housekeeping and
introductions. In the afternoon we moved on to the driving phase of
the course. Today this involved a short drive with assessment and then
two mock exams. Luckily for me I managed to beat the required mark on
both exams. This doesn't mean that I'm going to be complacent but it
does help my state of mind somewhat.

3 Days to Go

On Monday the 24th April I start my Technician training with Dorset Ambulance. I am now totally shitting bricks. I am soooooooooooo nervous you would not believe. Why? I don't really now. This is what I have always wanted. I know it is not going to be easy but the easy part is that I'm going to be learning stuff that I just want to know. None of the next twelve weeks is going to be bullshit. It will all be real world useful stuff that I'm actually interested in. No more crappy IT courses that I just couldn't give a damn about.

But - I'm scared. So scared that I'm going to be a washout. I've got three weeks driving first. Two weeks advanced driving and then a week of blue light training. There are two exams in this time. They both have a pass mark of 90%. Watch this space!!

Sugababes

Off to the Sugababes concert at the BIC tonight. With any luck over the next few months will also get to see the Arctic Monkeys, Girls Aloud and Joe Satriani.