When I started this blog I was finishing my final years of school, and now I am finishing the final year of a University degree; something I was never certain that I would get to do. It's a surreal feeling.
Currently I am 20 years old and about as stressed as possible. I have a never-ending list of assignments and personal projects, and most of them are due within the week.
As part of my Nursing degree we've had to complete practical placements, where you work in a hospital or aged care facility for a certain number of weeks in a professional role, undertaking tasks and being assessed. I have my last one of these placements beginning on September 9th, and it's a rural hospital placement - I have to move 110km away from home for 8 weeks.
I am incredibly excited to get this opportunity, and to grow and learn in a community nursing environment which I have never before had the opportunity to do!
As far as my personal life goes; I have had a wonderful year with a lot of personal development. I undertook a placement in January in an operating theatre - I nearly failed this placement and learnt a lot about how to approach others in a work environment and also how to deal with harsh criticism. I grew from this as a person, though it wasn't an enjoyable experience. I then travelled to the south of England for a month (February/March) on my own, staying with various family members or friends I had met online. It was so refreshing and invigorating to travel alone, meet people I had never seen face to face, and to just do whatever I felt like doing. Letting the days flow in whichever way they wanted to was absolutely fantastic. I became far more independent and feel I learnt a lot about what I want from life.
I then returned to University for 8 weeks, bought myself a car, and undertook a further 8 week placement on which I was able to slip into a management position and gain much needed experience doing the work I will, hopefully soon, be being paid for. The nurses I worked with were so incredibly supportive and wise. After placement ended I had more time to spend with a boy I had inklings of feelings for; which blossomed nicely into a deep-seeded crush, which I for once acted on! We're now dating, and have been together for just under 3 months. I'm pretty happy with this.
My anxiety and depression was diagnosed earlier in the year and I have been seeing a psychologist for 4 months - at today's session he told me that I had made remarkable progress and our future appointments need only be on an as-needed basis. So that's something I have also made progress on!
This year has been so wonderful thus far - I have grown and developed as an individual in ways I never thought I could. It certainly shows what I can achieve if I set my mind to it!
It's a bit embarrassing to look at those first twenty or so posts - but it's a slice of my history, and shows how much I have progressed since!
I won't make any promises of future posts, because to be honest - I don't know when I will find the time.
