A Work in Progress

Beautiful Stratford Upon Avon. And Holy Trinity Church.

Today I had some trouble deciding on the picture of the day. From ten in the morning, it was quite clear. But I didn't think that my afternoon would be as fun and nice as it was. So, I opted for two. At 1030 this morning the fire alarm went off. Thanks to all the early morning tests I think almost everyone waited a minute before actually leaving the building. Of course, it is chilly in the mornings, especially when it's raining. So we all met outside each other with sleepy eyes and pajamas, confused and irritated. No one reported smoke on their floors or anything weird. Our security arrived as did the fire brigade. Now being outside in the rain was worth it! It turned out nothing was on fire and I assume someone burnt their breakfast. In the afternoon I had a Chinese buffet for lunch and walked to the war memorial park. After the earlier rain, it turned out to be a beautiful day, perfect for enjoying the turning leaves.

I have certainly had an adventurous, educational, and unexpected first month in Coventry. I would not admit all of my fears about moving a month ago, but there were plenty. I was worried that stores I needed would be far away and I’d have to lug groceries for miles, but most stores are just out my back door. I worried that I’d never meet anyone, but meeting people has been easy, as I am not the only alone foreigner. I have gotten very good at walking into situations where I know I don’t know anyone. I mostly worried that I was under qualified to be accepted at school in the first place. Our class has such varied backgrounds, I feel like I fall somewhere in the middle. But ask me in a couple of weeks when I’m sweating over my class assignment. A few things are “worse” than I expected. I am still disillusioned that UK public transport is neither fast nor cheap (in general). Recycling is not universally required, and I can’t find a recycle bin to save me. Salad is expensive and s...

Christmas preparations in the city center.

A brilliant compilation of the "giant phone" prank. Yes I have the same ringtone! No, it is not as obnoxious. Trigger Happy TV - Giant Phone Compilation

I’ve finally caught up on the last few episodes of “Trauma.” I am left wondering if it was be meant to be humorous or depressing for current EMS providers. It’s not exactly littered with inaccuracies, just a few glaring ones instead. For example: let’s work this code for about a minute, let’s enter this burning building, let’s confront this gang, let’s go into a building with a psychotic gunman on the loose, let’s fly this ankle fracture, let’s forget to triage people, let’s crash a car into whatever we want, let’s use our x-ray vision, let’s suture iliac arteries on the street. Most of these things left me whacking my head against the wall. At least they didn't shock asystole! I get what they’re trying to convey most of the time, but it may be because I’m a medic. The job is already cool; you really don’t have to keep putting your medics in stupid situations to make it cool. And to be more realistic I think they should do some real EMS and do something boring for once! One ...

Today's post is brought to you by the worlds smallest milk. Note the penny for scale. Awww!

I spent most of the day working on my paper. Then I went to a halls representative training, which basically spent an hour and a half telling me that if I have a specific problem in my hall, to refer to page 1 of the hall rep handbook. Not rocket science really. I then went to a class at church which I'm sure I'll have more to say about later. I didn't do anything particularly exciting, but did take a few minutes experimenting with low light photography. These were both taken at the same time of day (the dark) with different settings. I am not a photography genius so it's guess and check for me. This is the steeple of Holy Trinity church, I'll bring the tripod next time.

Not kicking a ball or the former currency of Ireland. The Punt. Flat bottomed boat propelled by pushing a long pole against the riverbed. Formerly used to traverse shallow waters and hunt ducks. Currently used to take tourists down English rivers. I was in Cambridge today, where punting is a favorite pastime. We did take a floating tour down the river Cam, which was actually very nice and informative. I know a lot more random things about Cambridge than I did before. (which means a bit more than "Cambridge has a really old university.") They also have a library designed by Sir Christopher Wren that houses the first edition of "Winnie the Pooh". Also, a "stupendous" (accurately described by my Godfather) collection in the Fitzwilliam Museum, which has things from Egyptian artifacts to Monets; so something for everyone.

The beautiful interior of Holy Trinity Church here in Coventry. I really like the windows here, but am more intrigued by their light fixtures. Hurray for energy efficiency in a 13th century building.

After going a few miles out of my way, I found the London Road Cemetery that I had been looking for. I can't wait for my new map to arrive. What I came to find was the civilian memorial, built for those who died during the Coventry blitz in 1940, and many of those victims are buried here. It's a really huge cemetery, with a distinctive old and new section. The old section gave me a very creepy vibe, so I didn't stay long. The newer area was nice and far less creepy. Also, my mother has a particular interest in cemeteries, so I took a few extra pictures for her. If you're also interested, you can find them online here .

Kenilworth Castle. Lovely place, worth paying to get in. Parts of it were built in 1125! The castle was changed a lot over the years, most notably, all the green you see in this picture would have been filled with water in the early 1200's thanks to King Johns attempts to improve its fortification. Fast forward to the 1930's, the castle gate was still used as a residence. It is (like every English tourist attraction) full of all kinds of nerdy history, King Edward II abdicated the throne here in 1326 and, Queen Elizabeth I visited several times during her reign. I rode the bike here, it's only about 12 miles there and back, but it has been a long time since I biked that far!

I love EMS. Here is my future ambo. I had my first meeting with the SJA "adult" unit this evening. They seem like good people, and are doing their best to get me out of some/most/all of the required SJA training. And, they have an ambulance! And a bike. And a van. I'm hoping (and I think they are too) that I'll be able to help them with training and with responses and doing standby time with them. It all sounds pretty good to me, and I'm really glad I went. It cheered me up after a frustrating afternoon. Nothing serious, just that getting a contract cell phone here is somehow more difficult than getting a student visa!

After inductions, sorting out enrolment, checking books at the library, shopping, and using cash machines, I think I have moved from novice to intermediate, because I have stood in a lot of queues in the last two weeks. I always show my commitment to the line and wait patiently. I give a wide space between myself and the person using the cash machine. I sigh quietly, give long glares, and shift my weight angrily when someone queue jumps (I certainly don’t say anything to them). If there is any queue confusion, I look to the other person involved and gesture kindly toward the till (and they do the same to me until one of us reluctantly approaches the counter) and if it’s me, I feel slightly guilty at the misunderstanding. Which brings me to the word “till.” I can’t think of an American equivalent, and I’ve heard it so often here that I wonder how we can survive without an alternative. I guess we say “checkout” but I really only think of checkouts in grocery stores. What do we say i...

I promise the pictures will be more interesting after this week! But these things are interesting on a logistical basis. My student card, of course is great. Especially as it gets me into buildings and allows me to check out library books. My Sainsbury's nectar card (which I haven't quite figured out yet) and my Tesco card. Woot, discounts at grocery stores. More importantly is my British debit card. Not only does it feature the 2012 Olympics on the front, but it has a smart chip in it. This was popular in the US a few years ago, but didn't catch on like it did here. Nobody swipes a card here, they stick it in a machine! Oooh! Anyway, goodbye foreign transaction fees at amazon.co.uk! Most importantly is my NHS (national health service) medical card. This entitles me to free socialized healthcare and £7 prescriptions (which is really quite cheap).

The fridge. Note, that I do not call it a "mini" fridge. This is standard UK size I think, or maybe even a little bigger. Courtesy of my good friend Jean, who is better to me than I deserve. I have stocked up on some of the essentials. Tiny milks, salad cream, "lemonade," and crumpets (which are delicious by the way, nooks and crannies and all). I also purchased some peanut butter, something that I think America has perfected. It is not quite the same as what I'm used to, but unlike American peanut butter, it only has three ingredients. There are so many products to try in the grocery store. As a lover of foreign groceries in the first place, I love that I have as much time as I could ever want to wander carefully down the aisles, taking it all in. I have been especially amused by "American" products including a disgusting looking jar of hot dogs and potato skins with sour cream in a box with the stars and stripes on it. It is true that you have...

Day two of Disaster theory was a very informative day. There was lots of stuff about theories, and disaster models, and other stuff that's not extremely interesting. We also had a discussion about disaster recovery and comparing that of first world to third world nations. We were given our assignment for this module, which so far seems very doable. Before lunch we watched two short videos about hurricane Katrina. This is definitely an excellent example of everything we want to and are going to learn. What I didn't expect was while these videos played, I suddenly wished for a hole to open up in the floor, so that I could drop into it. I felt so full of shame watching Americans struggle without hope from the government or each other. I watched helplessly at footage of the superdome and convention center that was simply awful. I know Katrina was awful, but for the first time I felt like I really stuck out as an American. They even showed all the moronic clips of Brown and ...

I had my first training with St John ambulance this evening. Because it would cost about $600 dollars for the UK Health Professions Council to "appraise my prior learning" as a paramedic, I am biting the bullet, and sitting through SJA's basic courses. It's only a few hours, and really wasn't as torturous as I thought it would be. Though next week I know I will have a hard time not telling everyone to "push a little harder" while doing CPR. Tonight we did the basics of dealing with an unconscious patient and some bleeding control. It was only two hours, and I wasn't too bored. They use DRABC: Danger, Responsivness, Airway, Breathing, Circulation. They like to call it "Dr. ABC" but I prefer Drab C. I'm still partial to scene safety/BSI, AVPU, and ABCs, but this gets the job done for the lay person pretty easily. Plus, a tap on the shoulder is not nearly as much fun as a sternal rub. Oh well. Oh, and this country, or at least the...

Today was the first day of class. I met a lot more of my classmates and had a pretty nice day. My class is about 20 students strong, all from different backgrounds and regions of the world including several countries of Africa, Cyprus, France, UAE, the UK and the 1 from the US of course. I'm very happy to be getting what will be a global education both socially and academically. This class is also a mix of part time and full time students. Some of the full timers started last January, and some, like me are on their first module. There are eight modules between now and the spring, this week is Disaster Theory and Practice. Classes go for one week every day 9-5 and are a mix of lectures and group work, then we have three weeks for self study and to complete our module assignment (a 4000 word essay or report). Our main lecturer is from Canada (who has worked in the UK for 25 years) the other is from South Africa, who I think will bring a unique perspective. There are no required ...

Yesterday morning I went with a friend to the Holy Trinity Church. This is a beautiful old (founded in the 12th century) building. It is very near the cathedral, and I figured I'd mix it up and visit as many of the different local churches as I could. I had a sudden déjà vu as we found our seats and I flipped through the bulletin. "It's baptism Sunday!" I frantically whispered. I again had that fleeting moment of panic as I considered running toward the exit. How could I have stumbled upon two in a row?! We stayed of course and it wasn't really all that bad. It was a nice service and we even sang "Lord of all hopefulness," one of my favorites. The only thing was that they had all the words wrong. I mean every single one. Same tune though, so it was the easiest thing to sing so far in my church of England adventures.