Songbird

Not much has happened since last time. I only have one weeks of placement left to go then I am over and done with semester five. It's only ten days until Connor and I go to Paris and 34 days until we move into our flat! I have so many reasons to be happy right now and I truly am enjoying every second of life. Yesterday I got up at 6am to get a lift from Stephanie into Edinburgh. I wasn't supposed to be going to Edinburgh this weekend at all due to Connor's exams, but I needed him to sign the contract for the flat so hey ho there we go.
I got to Connor's house really early, luckily he was already awake. It would not have been fun sitting downstairs for a couple of hours waiting for the rest of the house to wake up. Once I got to Connors room he handed over a packet with the two Bioshock Infinite necklaces we've been waiting on. I couldn't decide on which one I wanted, so Connor bought me both! (Yes, so maybe I'm a little spoiled). At night we had Jambalaya that Connor's mum made. It was awesome, but oh my lord I felt full for ages and ages afterwards. After dinner Connor, Jack and I went to the Omni center and saw Iron Man 3. It was a good film, but like expected it could not be compared to the first one at all. I woke up to a sunny day that quickly turned into a rainy one, but it changed it's mind several times and was sunny the first minute and rainy the next. Stephanie came through to Musselburgh and picked me up to drive back to Stirling. Once we got home we had a lovely nap and then went to the cinema to see Evil Dead. The movie was scary and had plenty of scenes where I got quite uncomfortable. It didn't have much of a story line though and when it came to the torture scenes it seemed to only want to be gross and not scary. I felt quite sick afterwards. After the cinema I had a lovely Skype date with Eva and Tanni (and we we're supposed to have Karianne there as well, but she ditched us for her grandma. Shame on you Karianne..). It really makes me happy speaking to my friends even though we're so far away. I really do miss them a lot <3

Amazing times!

This weekend has been a truly amazing weekend. It all kicked off with spending the whole of Saturday viewing flats with Connor up here in Stirling. The first flat we viewed was a decent size, but slightly old looking flat very close to where I am living at the moment. The couple who owned it were lovely and the flat had a stunning view. I guess a lot of my love for the flat was simply because of the fact that it was the first flat we had ever seen together. I think a huge part of it was the excitement that comes along with the thought of moving in with each other. The second flat we went to see was huge in comparison to the first one. However, it was dirty, dark and obviously moldy in the toilet. The person who had lived there before us had also at some point punched or kicked a whole in the wall. The flat had a study room. This was the flat that I was sure I wanted before we went to see it. I just don't see how the letting agency is expecting to let it out to anybody when they haven't even bothered hoovering the carpet. For the third flat we went to see we showed up at the letting agency's (Homes for U) office and got walked over by a lovely lady called Marie. The flat was on the top floor of a well looked after building. It makes a nice first impression not to smell cat piss the moment you open the door that leads to the stairs. It's on the third floor (fjerde etasje er det vi hadde sagt i norge) and when we finally made it to the top I needed a moment to catch my breath. Stairs is truly my worst enemy. The flat itself was bright, open and just beautiful. I am not too keen on the green sofas, but again that is just a minor detail that can be over looked. The flat was clean and had a nice big size bedroom and a walk in closet in the hall. My words can not explain how much I loved this flat. Which is also why we ended up taking it. The last flat we saw we saw just in case it would blow our minds and knock the third flat into the ground, but it didn't, because it couldn't.

On Sunday Connor and I spent most of the day watching TV series, eating and napping. About 5 pm we got in the car with Stephanie and drove to Edinburgh. Stephanie has just started working in The George Hotel in Edinburgh and as a part of her job it is required that she does a guest experience. Which means she needed to spend one night in the hotel, dinner and breakfast included for free AND she could bring a friend. Sounds like the best place to work ever if you ask me! Once we had said goodbye to Connor we checked into the hotel, got ready, went down to the bar and collected out (free) glass of champagne and then went to the restaurant and had our lovely meal. I had a smoked salmon for starters and huge steak for my main course which of course was beautiful and we shared a bottle of wine. It was lovely just sitting chatting away at dinner. It is lovely just being two friends out for a meal having time to listen to each others life stories and not feeling rushed in any way. We also somehow managed to squeeze some room for ice cream at the end of our meal. Once we got up to the hotel room I had a shower and some more wine (oops) before we got ready and hit the town. We ended up in the Opal Lounge where we had an amazing night. The club was right next to our hotel so we didn't have to get a taxi or freeze our asses off walking home. My alarm was set for 9am so we could go down stairs, eat breakfast and phone the letting agency. I phoned the letting agency just in time to get first refusal on the flat and BOOM Connor and I are moving in on the 1st of June <3

I walk the line

Yesterday was such a beautiful day. I woke up after about 12 hours sleep (which I needed badly). After placement on Friday I went home and picked up my stuff then hurried down to the train station. I arrived the moment my train left. It is safe to say I was not a happy bunny. Luckily the trains between Stirling and Edinburgh goes every 30 minutes on weekdays; or else I just might have had a break down. Placement is great fun, but being on my feet all day really is tiring. When I finally arrived in Edinburgh it was 45 minutes until my train to Musselburgh arrived. I had my bike with me so I couldn't get the bus. After moaning to Connor for a bit him and his mum picked me up from the train station in Musselburgh. I do love how well looked after I am whenever I'm here. After a shower and some food I fell asleep on the sofa while watching the Hobbit with Connor and Lee. I think 'dead to the world' might be the only way to describe my conscious state at the time. So anyways, the next morning the sun was out and I decided to go for a walk. Musselburgh has a beautiful beach that goes all the way to Protobello. I left my trainers in Stirling so I only had my pretty but uncomfortable shoes with me. My short walk turned into a 3 hour long wander down Musselburgh beach and all the way to the end of Portobello beach and then back again. It was beautiful, warm and sunny. When I got to Portobello I bought myself an ice cream just because it was that lovely. The beach was filled with families going for walks and playing in the sand. I love how Britain comes to life the moment the sun is out <3That being said, it did start to cloud over on the way home again (but it wouldn't be Scotland if it hadn't) .

Are you having lots of fun?

Spring time is here in Scotland and I am really hoping it is here to stay. I had a day off/study day today and I am really happy I didn't "waste" this day being stuck inside the hospital. I got up quite early (for a day off) and walked into uni for my last occupational health appointment. My next jag is due in 2017 so there is no more being treated like a pin cushion. My whole arm always feels numb after a vaccine so I can't really say I'll miss it. After my occupational health appointment I went over to one of the tutors at uni and spoke about the elective placement in semester eight. Hopefully I'll have some answers on Friday or at the latest Monday. If not I will bug him half to death until I get the reply I want. I got really excited after this meeting and had to phone my dad. On my way to the library I saw a lovely poster that said having fun will give you STIs. I laughed at it so I really hope I don't get AIDS or chlamydia. After that I went to the library and did some uni work and then I went to the gym. There is very few places I hate as much as I hate the gym. It's a place I associate with pain and irritation, so I was only there for half an hour before I gave up. The weather is simply beautiful with a really warm sun and cold wind. Dad reports cold weather and general suckyness in Norway, so maybe Scotland isn't so bad after all.

Time flies

I don't really see why I even try and keep this blog updated anymore. Whenever I do go on to update it I look at the last time I posted something and think "oh that's been ages, not way will I ever manage to write about all the stuff that has happened since then" - so I simply don't. However I am going to give it a bash this time. My four weeks with the Diabetic Specialist Nurse Team is over and it's has been a fabulous 4 weeks. Even though I thought I did; I didn't know much about the diabetes before I started. I realize I probably still don't know all there is to know, but that is OK. I think I need to start accepting that I will never learn everything there is to know. Even though it's hard. My mentor was brilliant and kept on quizzing me. I have not have a mentor who has been that interested in teaching before. It made all the difference!
Today I had my first placement with the Urology outpatient department and it seems like I will once again have an amazing placement. I wonder if I will ever find an area of nursing I'll hate.
This weekend Connor has been up here in Stirling. It has been amazing being just the two of us with no deadlines, essays or exams ruining our time together. Over the weekend we finished watching Firefly, went up to the Wallace monument, went to the pub with Stephanie and slept and ate tons. It was a lazy and really nice weekend. I am really looking forward to Connor being on his summer holiday so I don't have to share his attention with Heriot Watt University.

In other news; on the 8th of May it is not only is it Connors 21st, it is also approximately 3 years since we started dating. So that calls for a wee holiday to Paris. Hotel and flights are all booked and now all I am waiting for is my current placement to finish to we can get going! It is going to be mine and Connor's first ever holiday together where it is just the two of us and this makes me even more excited. Last time I was in Paris was with my sister in 2010. She got me a holiday for my 18th and I cannot describe how amazing it was. I really hope I'll have an equally as awesome experience with Connor. Here are some (of the many) pictures from last time I went

We are staying at a hotel called Hotel 19 Lepic for four nights. It has good reviews and was fairly cheap. Not that the hotel matters much as I am assuming we'll spend most of our time exploring the city. The hotel is located in the center of old Montmartre, so the location is brilliant. If I'm not completely wrong me and my sister didn't stay very far away from Montmartre last time.

Ready for another placement

My bag is packed; my uniform is ironed; my alarm is set; my lunch is made. I am very excited to start my placement with The Diabetic Specialist Nurse Team tomorrow! Now it would be great if I could actually sleep. In my last blog post I wrote about my elective placement in semester 8. I might actually have found somewhere to go and I've just started applying. So fingers crossed I can scrape together the money to go. I'll share a bit more information about this later. Not much has happened since my last blog post. The most exciting thing that has happened is me buying myself a brand new bike. It might even be the most exciting thing to have happened in 2013 so far!
I better get back to trying to get some sleep before placement tomorrow, I might actually manage to fall asleep now =)

Anywhere in the world

Today I went by the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Edinburgh to pick up my new passport. The Consulate is in Rutland Square and is TINY! I wound never have been able to find it if it was not for Google maps and the Norwegian flag hanging outside the door. It felt strange Speaking Norwegian with a stranger in the center of Edinburgh just like that. Today has been an absolutely beautiful day; so beautiful I actually bought a McFlurry, laid down in Princes gardens and soaked up the sun. I really feel like I need to make the best of the few sunny days we have here in Scotland. My mum has always said "you know you're getting old when you actually start looking like your passport photo"; however my passport photo ended up being a lot nicer looking than I expected. This made me incredible happy as I'm supposed to have this passport for 10 years (I'm not even going to show yous my previous one, ugh).

This week is pretty much a full on study week. We were in for half a day on Monday for a skill session and apart from that we're "off". Next Monday we have a group presentation and then the week after that we start placement. I am really looking forward to my placement. I was on the phone yesterday and they seem really nice! In the skill session we were to care for "Terry" who was supposed to be a 45 year old man that had had abdominal surgery 3 days ago. Terry is (as you can probably see) not a real person. I personally find it really awkward caring for a robot. I can't take it seriously and I forget to treat him as a real patient (probably because he's not..)

In semester 8 we have something called an elective placement. That means that we can choose where we want to go. This means pretty much anywhere in the world. I have been trying to get a placement at the A&E in Oslo, where my mum works, but they don't have the capacity to accept any more students than the ones they already have. So now I'm sitting here and thinking; I can go anywhere in the whole world! I'm not sure where I would go, or how I'd manage to arrange it, but I could if I wanted to go anywhere. To be honest, I will probably end up just doing the placement in Norway or in Scotland, but it's always nice to dream =)

Back to School.

So I went back to uni ages ago. There has been a lot to do and nothing interesting to write about; so I simply didn't write anything. I have been on a few nights out that has made my wallet hemorrhage money; I have also been shopping a bit with the same results on my financial status as my nights out. My sister and I had made plans for her to come over and visit me; that did not work out like planned and I decided to go home to Norway for a weekend instead. I passed my semester 4 essay resit and my semester 5 exam. It's safe to say that I am extremely happy about that! The last few days my wisdom teeth have been bugging me a lot. The only good thing about it is that now I actually booked an appointment with the dentist who I am going back to on the 26th of February, hopefully then they will be able to give some more info on what to do with these painful teeth of mine. So far semester 5 is going really well. I have a lot of work to do but I am feeling very optimistic. For my placement this semester I have a split one; something that means I'll spend 4 weeks with the Diabetic Specialist Nurse Team and 4 weeks with the Urology Out Patients. I am really excited about this. My weekend home in Norway was amazing. I didn't do much apart from hang out with my family, but there is truly no better way of spending my time <3

Adventures in Morocco

On Friday we got back from a week in Marrakesh and oh my it felt good to be home in Scotland again. I loved being home in Norway and I loved our holiday to Morocco, but there is nothing quite like coming back and getting ready to work again. Had my first day of semester 5 today and our lecturers did a great job scaring us half to death! We have tons to do and not all that much time to do it on. However this is going to be a great semester, I can just feel it in my bones.
Back to Morocco; I had a great time while being there and seeing a culture that is very different from ours (both British and Norwegian). I suddenly also realized why it takes a generation or two to adapt to our culture. I guess you can say it opened my eyes in a way. Marrakesh was more or less exactly what I had imagined it to be; some beautiful buildings and really cool markets but still had a lot of poverty all over. We spent most of our days in the Medina and saw most of the things worth seeing. I didn't know much about Morocco at all before I went and I really regret not spending more time researching the city before I got there. Jack had a bad reaction to some of the food and that made me reluctant to try anything new. I was going to try a camel tagine though, but they were currently sold out. Words can not describe my disappointment. It was an exciting city to be in, but a week was a bit long. A long weekend or 5 days would have been enough. We went to a square called Djemaa El-Fna where during the day there were snake charmers there who scared the crap out of me (I hate snakes) and people with monkeys in a chain for you to take a picture with. Before I went to Morocco I was told by the person who gave me my vaccines to NOT touch any of the cute (or not so cute) animals, as they tend to carry quite a few nasty bugs about. I kept this in the back of my mind and stayed clear of any monkeys. During the night there was a lot of interesting shows on. However, it just didn't feel safe. Some thing was just not quite right and when I guy was arrested tings got really uncomfortable and I was dead sure a riot was going to break out, so we stayed clear of that place after dark.

Also in the Medina there was the Souks. This was like a huge market. It was very magical the first time we went there, but we would never have found our way out of there is it wasn't for Connor's map on his phone. The place was huge. The sales men in there were very pushy and always tried to rip us off. Being a foreigner there pretty much meant that they would offer you things at British prices. Luckily my mum used to take me to flea markets as a kid and bargaining is my thing. Even when I ended up paying one tenth of their original price they seemed pretty satisfied when I left. I bought tons of earrings and a tagine plus some souvenirs for my family. They sold the strangest of things there and I really wish I had taken the time to buy a camel leather bag, just because that would be awesome.

Everything was in French (just like you'd expect from a previously french colony). Luckily Connor and Jack both did french in School and we could kinda make out what most things meant. It made ordering things in restaurants a bit harder though. We stayed in hotel Hotel Assounfou which was really nice. They say they have a pool, but was empty the whole time we were there and did not really seem worth going to. There was also only wifi in the reception area. It made my bragging on facebook quite limited. Everywhere we went there were orange trees and so much sun! I loved the holidays despite it's flaws. New experiences are always welcome and I am already looking forward to going somewhere else and explore the rest of the world!

Oh sweet Christmas

On the 16th of December Connor and I went to Norway. On the flight we met Heidrun who I've not seen since I moved home to Norway after my exchange year. It was great seeing her again. Our flight was 50 minutes late and Heidrun missed her train to Drammen and ended up spending the night at my house in Oslo. To add salt in the wound someone also took her luggage and it took ages before we actually got out and managed to get to bed at home. She left early in the morning to catch her flight to Tromsø. On the 17th Connor, Tobias and I went to see the Hobbit. We had a spare ticket so we phoned Sandra and forced her to join.

 

To be honest apart from one wine night with Sandra and one night out with some friends from High School it was mostly family parties and nights spent on the sofa. It was freezing outside so most of the time we tried to stay indoors. I'm not going to bore you all with long stories so I'll just add the pictures =D

I now see the point of updating my blog everyday. That would really help when it comes to the end of the holiday and I wont have to try and remember everything that has happened and then writing it all out.

Pre-Norway

I am back in Edinburgh after a lovely time at home in Norway. Connor and I went to Oslo on the 16th and spent a great few days there. Connor was introduced to my dads side of the family and has now officially met all my cousins and aunts and uncles on my dads side. There is a lot of tings to write about and not a lot of time doing it on! Tomorrow we're heading to Morocco and tonight I need to sleep. Well, I guess I better start where I last left yous; my last day of placement. After my last day I had a lot of things to get organized. Worst of those things was the packing. Trying to balance between winter clothes for Norway and summer clothes for Morocco and not dying because you have too heavy bags was very hard. I ended up thinking fuck it, I'll just suffer with heavy bags. and oh man did I suffer! It's strange how I just never learn. The day before we went to Norway Connor kidnapped me and took me to the German market in Edinburgh. After about a ton of hot chocolate and sweets we went home and finished packing (for me more like repacking, but oh well)

and then we went to Norway =D

Half way there

Today was my last day of semester 4's placement. I am now half way through my education. It feels very strange knowing in one and a half year I'll be a fully qualified nurse. My placement at Alva Medical center was great. I had so much fun with the staff and I feel like I have learned a lot. It's been great being there and I am really going to miss the staff and a lot of my patients as well. It's always sad leaving a placement, but it also feels really good knowing that another step is over with. Tomorrow I'm going up the university to get my vaccines for going to Morocco after Christmas, then I'm heading off to Edinburgh for a few days. On Sunday Connor and I will get our asses on a plane and go to Norway, where we'll stay over Christmas. I have so much to look forward to (apart from the -20 degrees at my parents house in Norway). Life is really good and filled with blessings at the moment

December loving

The worst thing about having a boyfriend is that I now have two families to buy Christmas presents for. I realized what this actually meant yesterday when I went out to do my seasonal shopping. It not only took twice the time, it also cost me twice as much. Luckily for me, a boyfriend also means twice the presents and twice the love and attention! 1st of December really sneaked up on me this year. Only reason why I even noticed was because of the Cleanliness Champions online deadline I had to do by 12pm on the 30th of November.
The Christmas lights are up in Stirling and yesterday the city looked really beautiful. I got up early to go shopping (like my mum taught me to do as a kid) to avoid the chaos that comes with thousands of people also wanting to shop. Two thumbs up for mum. I went to the thistle center at 10am and by the time I was done around 3pm the place was so packed it took me 10 minutes to leave. The only people left on my list that I've not got present for yet is Connor and mum. A non-christmas-present-present for mum of course. Today is wrapping day, and hopefully some inspiration on what to get for Connor and mum will fall into my lap as I am doing so.
I've also used up all my storage space for this blog so you'll have to settle for one picture for now.

Countdowns

It's a little bit funny how I always count down to something. Some of the countdowns are stressful like exams and others are great like hanging out with Connor or going home to Norway. I always imagine that the moment I reach that specific point in the future, I'll be completely chilled out. My most resent experience with this was the essay that was due on the 20th of November. The moment it was handed it I felt more like a deflated balloon and was ready to cry than chilled out and relieved. It is pretty ridiculous. I guess it has something to do with holding all the stress in for that long and than all of a sudden it's over. My countdowns at the moment is for the 16th of December, when Connor and I go home to Norway for Christmas. A very happy countdown indeed! My second countdown is also very exciting: Morocco the 28th of December. Only 32 days. Life is good. November is always a great month. My sister and my best friend's birthdays and all the Christmas decorations are coming up in all the shops. The Christmas lights have been put up in Stirling and it is truly beautiful. I'm excited to walk on Karl Johan (main street in Oslo) and see the lights there. That is one of the things that gives me a true Christmas feeling.
I took a few pictures of the decorations in Stirling, but none of them turned out all that nice so I'm talking this one of a website

Happy times

Life is truly good. Placement is educational and I am getting along well with the staff, my laptop is back in business and I have caught up on all my work for university (apart from the essay due on Tuesday). With 28 days before I go back home to Norway there is nothing in my life that can bring me down. Not even that 3000 word essay that is due on Tuesday. Last weekend I was in Edinburgh having a quiet weekend like I usually do. Connor fixed my screen like a true hero and now it's as good as new. That we went out for James' 20th and it was a great night out. It was mostly his friends from college and there was a huge age variety there. Connor and I left early when the group went to Tranent for a karaoke bar. We grabbed a Chinese and went home around 12.

The whole week I've been stressed out by the thought of my upcoming essay. Not that I have actually tried to do anything about it. To not gross everybody out I wont go into further details than that my essay will be about necrotic toes and diabetes. Connor came up to Stirling yesterday and we went to see the new James Bond movie Skyfall. I loved it. It had stepped away from the really serious James Bond that we saw in Quantum of Solace and more back to the old James Bond that gets a girl or two or three during the movie and jokes about a lot more. They did this without making the movie cheesy and making the fighting scenes horrible. The best thing about it was that when I left the cinema I wanted to go home and watch the old ones again. After our 007 adventure we went back to my flat and made Chiken curry. We ruined the rice but the rest was lovely. Connor took the last train back to Edinburgh and now I need to get this essay on a roll. Fingers crossed I don't fail! 

(Smashed computer; Connor fixing it; how it looks like now)

One born every minute

On Saturday morning I walked to the train after my last night shift on the labour ward. It has been quite an adventure and so far it's been the most exciting placement I've had. While I was on the maternity unit I got to see a lot of stuff. My favorite part was witnessing a birth. I have truly never seen something so wonderful before in my life. My dream has always been to become a midwife and after my first shift on the labour ward I was sure that was what I'd end up doing after finishing my nursing degree. However after 3 weeks I've realized that it's not the direction I want to take in life and I am very relieved. So far I've loved everything the university has taught me and all areas of care I've been sent to has had something about it I loved. All of those are still on my list of things I would like to specialize within. It's good to know that I can cross midwifery off the list. Don't get me wrong though, if I get the chance to, I'll definitely take another shift on the labour ward. While I was there I got to see 5 births. I cried at every one of them. It was very emotional and I am so happy I got the chance to see that. Words can't really describe what it is like to see a human being entering the world and being put to it's mothers chest. I could not be happier. It has been the most inspirational 3 weeks of my training so far. One thing I will not miss though, is the very early mornings and very late nights

On Monday I started my first shift at Alva Medical Centre. When I phoned up my mentor from my first placement picked up the phone and I was so relieved. It is always easier when you know someone there. Unfortunately I managed to smash my laptop screen (well, actually it was my phone that had superpowers and got jealous of all the attention my laptop has been getting lately and decided to "get rid of it" by flying at the speed of light into the screen and by doing so becoming my only source of entertainment), so I had to go down to Edinburgh and pick up my old laptop, Mr. Craptop, and leave my new one there. Luckily for me I am going out with the future Tony Stark or Bill Gates (as long as it's something to do with technology and he'll make a lot of money I'm good) and he can fix it for me. He also made my old laptop not as terrible as it used to be, but his resources are limited and he doesn't preform miracles so it's still terrible compared to my new one. I am suffering my way though this blog post with a slightly broken keyboard and no enthusiasm to look over my spelling as that only makes me depressed. My new placement is great and it good to be able to refresh the skills I learned on my first placement only now I actually know why we are doing the things we are doing and I can contribute a lot more!