Woowwwweee! Time is flying! In no time at all I will be making my way across the world to do my 3 week placement in Peru! I’ve had a request by another blogger to write a guest entry about organising my trip to Peru so I’m saving all my exclusive info for that particular blog which I am hoping to link here once it has been published on t’internet but I wanted to write something for myself on how I feel about my trip so that I can: a) vent b) clear my head c) have something in writing that I can reflect on once I come back from my mahooosive trip! d) keep you all wonderful (nosy) readers in the loop 😉 Anyone who knows me and knows me well will also know that I’m quite ballsy and that I’m not usually phased by the idea of travelling on my own, or in fact, doing anything on my own. I mean, I go to the cinema on my own sometimes and that’s seen by many as a quite the adventure! But I am starting to get nervous and I’m not very sure why! If I look at it rationally:
- It will not be my first time flying, I have flown so many times that I have probably lost count. In big planes, smalls ones and some only marginally bigger than my head.
- It is not the first time I have traveled alone. Sometimes I prefer it! Less arguments and no compromises needed 🙂
- It is also not the first time I have flown long haul..and no, 8 or 10 hours on a plane is not long haul for me. I’m talking about trips over the 15 hours mark.
- It is not the first time I have been to the Americas.
- I have traveled abroad for work many many times before (this is how I have managed to do all of the above).
- I speak the lingo. Plus I would also be quite happy talking to a wall so the thought of talking to strangers is not really that scary to me.
But, if i think about it:
- It will be only the second time that I will be flying super long haul (by that I mean over 24 hours flying) in economy. Ooooh the joys of being a student and not having company expenses to pay for the luxury of space!
- The furthest south I have been in the ‘Americas’ is Mexico or Cuba (whichever is furthest south) and I have never been to South America. This was sort of the point of going to Peru in the first place as I am a big fan of visiting new countries but still – it’s a big deal! I have got myself a Peru travel guide to give me a few tips and pointers before I travel!
- I speak Spain Spanish and not South American Spanish – which is really quite different. So I speak the language but I don’t. You could argue that I have a better chance at getting my point across than many others , you could also argue that I also have a better chance at putting my foot in it. I also have no idea what it will be like to speak ‘Nursing’ in South American Spanish. But….I have got myself a lovely book to help me along. I just need to actually sit down and read it now!
- It’s for ‘work’ (or elective placement if we want to be pedantic) but not work that I actually know how to do. When I used to travel for business I knew what I was doing for the most part. This is totally different. I am still learning and there is real people with real illnesses in a foreign country involved – that has to warrant a few nerves right?
- Although big things (like travelling for hours on my own) don’t phase me, the little ones (asking for directions, finding the bus stop, trying to figure out currency change) do make me feel a little unsettled. I don’t know why, it’s just one of those funny anxiety things that I have always lived with! So that will be fun.
- It will be autumn – everyone keeps saying “ooooh you will have a lovely tan when you get back” No, I won’t. Peru is in the southern hemisphere and it will be autumn. Cuzco is also at the edge of the Amazon and whilst I am not going in the rainy season, temperatures do drop to around 4 degrees at night (Celsius not Fahrenheit for non-metric readers)
- I also feel quite stressed at the timing of my placement. I will be away for 4 weeks in total, including travel time and a stop over to visit my lovely friend in Dallas. That probably doesn’t sound stressful but when I land home I have 3 days before I go on holiday with my other half. In those 3 days I will be getting ready for my bridesmaid duties at the wedding of the year, finishing a presentation for uni and packing for my holiday! Once I return from holiday I have my summative presentation all about Peru, my end of second year tutorial, and also, more packing for my trip to Spain to see my granny. The thought of all the packing and unpacking is making me want to cry.
So yeah…I’m getting a little nervous about it! I also still have so much to do!:
- Buy my luggage – I have a very specific type of bag in my head that I want to take with me. One that is kind of like a rucksack but on wheels.
- Decide whether to take iPad full of films and things or stick with simple Kindle and e-books.
- As above but iPhone vs simpler phone.
- Sort out a gift for my placement and host family.
- Make doctors appointment for my travel check – including vaccinations if I need any. I’m pretty sure I have everything I need.
- Book my Machu Picchu trip.
- Arrange meet and greet on Skype with host family and mentor.
- Pass placement here in the UK – otherwise I won’t be allowed to go to Peru – no pressure!
- Oh yeah, work my pants off so I have the moment to get most of the above!
- Read my guidebook and phrase book.
- Print out all my documents.
- Pack.
- Start my presentation so that I don’t have to do it all in those 3 days after I come back from Peru.
So much to do! So much to do! I better get on with some of it!
notanotherstudentnurse 