So You Wanna Be A Nurse?

Oh my goodness... I had almost forgotten we filmed this. I was chosen as the spokesperson for nursing at my university, and... well the video speaks for itself! Maybe I'll catch one or two of you Irish girls who are searching for the right university or the right course? And of course we get a lot of international students as well, so even if you're not from Ireland this may be of interest to you.

Or I guess you could just laugh at how nervous I am or how shiny my forehead is... :-P

10 Signs That I'm Growing Up

{1} My friends and I sometimes have to google phrases that younger people use because we are so out of the loop that we don't know what they mean. Things like 'totes awky mo-mo' (which apparently means 'totally awkward moment') and  'so weak in life' ('This is so funny!') aren't phrases we are 'young' enough to understand...

{2} I have to worry about things like paying the deposit for my apartment, and where I can buy the cheapest milk. Imagine!

{3} My dreams are finally coming true. I'm working as a nurse. :)

{4} Adult conversations no longer bore me. I don't know when this transition happened, but I now get a thrill from hearing about shopping for new curtains or certain current affairs. Huh??

{5} My friends and I recently went to Paris. All by ourselves. No adult supervision- we were the adults. What is going on?!

{6} Having friends over and just chatting over a cup of tea is one of my favourite past-times. :)

{7} I get such a kick out of learning new things. I want to go to lectures, and I love hearing what my friends are learning in their courses too.

{8} We are so excited about buying flowers and cushions for our apartment next year. And we talk about how we will organise cleaning and grocery shopping.

{9} I actually like the taste of wine.

{10} Having children is no longer way in the future. 2 of my close friends are already mothers. And it's not very scary either. :)

Of course, I am not fully grown up and I doubt I ever will be! I still love all things Disney, my friends and I still skip around in public, and we go crazy for playgrounds haha. :) But I'm not afraid to grow up a little either. It's exciting. :) 

January Love

Christmas has passed, and we are all slowly falling back into a routine. But I must admit that I say this with a hint of satisfaction. Now that I have left my school days behind and I've started college, I really love my routine. It was nice to get back to G-Town and start nursing again. Now, how about a good old love list? This January, I can't help but love...

1. My beautiful guitar. Her name is Harper, and together we make music and forget the rest of the world. 

2. Hot chocolate with the Laura & Kate. The 3 of us have been meeting for hot chocolate in the same little café in our hometown for 3 years now. And last year it became an important ritual for us to blow off steam as we studied for the dreaded Leaving Cert (horrible exams). This year, we're in college. Kate and I are together in the city, but we've been torn away from our 3rd Musketeer, Laura. But we have kept up our tradition, and *almost* every Friday when we come home from college, we meet in our little café for hot chocolate and a chat. And I have to say, it has become quite therapeutic. This is Laura. :)

3. Walking with my iPod. I spend most of my college days walking. Walking from the apartment to college to town to the hospital to the supermarket to the apartment, etc etc. And everywhere I walk, I have my trusted iPod to keep me company and to provide a feel-good soundtrack to my rainy/ windy walks (I live in Ireland!). 

4. Escaping to the world of books. Sometimes my life gets too busy, and I have to miss out on reading to make time for my music instead. But since our little trip to Kerry, I have reconnected with my books. Currently reading: Madeleine by Kate McCann

5. Nursing. I'm back in the hospital, and I'm enjoying every precious moment of it before my placement comes to an end. I'm getting to know and care for every patient, and I'm trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can from every experience. The immense pleasure I get from taking care of these people is just indescribable. I know that this is what I will spend my life doing, and I couldn't be happier. :)

This Is The Life

Song: 'This Is The Life' by Amy McDonald

College students are supposed to party all the time, care free and be high on life. I'm either high on coffee or sleep deprivation, or slumped in a chair somewhere physically holding my eyes open and trying to stay awake. Right now? The latter. The life of a student nurse! We were thinking of introducing a new hospital policy whereby student nurses have permission to receive caffeine intravenenously (a drip straight into your veins!) during lunch breaks, a great idea in my opinion. I am, of course, joking. ;) No, I really do love nursing! And we do get to experience some of college life, especially living in student accommodation! But for now, I think I will just have a little nap while standing upright.

Nap-Time Playlist

1. See You Soon by Coldplay
2. Mmm by Laura Izibor
3. Tied Together With A Smile by Taylor Swift
4. Make You Feel My Love by Adele
5. Lost by Michael Buble
6. I'll Be by Edwin McCain
7. Lullaby by Priscilla Ahn
8. Down by Jason Walker
9. Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg
10. Chasing Cars by Snowpatrol

I Said 'Remember This Moment'

From Song: 'Long Live' by Taylor Swift

Ever since I chose nursing as my career, I have been dreaming about the kind of nurse I would like to be. I want to be caring and gentle. I want to be the nurse that patients look forward to seeing. The kind of nurse who makes the time to care for the patient on an emotional level as well as a medical one. Now that I am working in the hospital, I see how difficult it is to be all of these things, and it just makes me even more determined to be this kind of nurse. The more difficult it is, the more I try to be patient and kind. I only have to look at the people suffering around me to see that I have it pretty easy. And that's all the encouragement I need to keep going. Maybe one day I will be that kind of nurse, and until then I will never stop trying. 

So... Why have I posted a photo of a box of chocolates? I have been working as a nurse for 2 weeks, and yesterday I was given this as a gift from a patient. My very first gift as a nurse. I was absolutely mortified and ecstatic at the same time! Something so small, but it has made me so happy. :) It's not the chocolates that have made me feel this way of course, but the sentiments behind them. If I never receive another gift, it won't matter, because I will never forget the elderly gentleman who gave me a box of Roses after 2 weeks of nursing. :) And of course, the chocolates were very much appreciated yesterday evening after I finished my 8 hour shift at the hospital, walked back to my apartment and then to the train station in the rain, and then the train broke down an hour into the journey. At that point, chocolate was very welcome!