Combo Post

Yesterday, March 30

I woke up yesterday morning to see snow falling outside my window! I was beyond surprised because I have experienced how the Irish react to snow, they are not used to this occurrence, and that was in February. Snow in late March, really? The thick, wet snow made for an interesting commute to work, but once I arrived and dried off, things fell back into the comfortable routine which I had grown accustomed.

First activity of the day: wheelchair fitting at SeatTech, a wheelchair production facility on the grounds of Sandymount. The Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, and a sort of rehab engineer all worked together to make adjustments for a new wheelchair for a little boy. Postural management studies are conducted on all the children, and the wheelchair is an integral part of that program. The mother was present at the meeting and I had a nice time talking to her throughout the process.

The rest of the day mainly consisted of odd jobs, paperwork and filing up until our Easter Potluck meal which replaced our usual lunch. Everyone brought in something different, and we all sat down together to enjoy the "gorgeous" meal, as everyone referred to it. The group dynamics of this facility are truly unique, and everyone always seems to be in a positive mood as they interact with each other.

I have been experiencing more and more "slagging" the longer I have been working. When asked where a certain coworker of mine had disappeared to, I answered "to the store." "STORE? What's a store?" was the response which was thrown in my face in a joking manner. I learned my lesson and will say "shop" from now on.

March 31

Today was the last day of work for the week seeing that Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are part of a scheduled annual leave for the therapists. I'm loving this schedule. The other day at lunch I learned that they each get somewhere around five weeks "holiday" throughout each year! Can you believe that?

I was told that this last day would be an easy one, with the upcoming holiday, yet it seemed rather busy for me and passed just as quickly as the others. I was able to help with two of the CoSMo groups, learning that functional evaluation for each child is important throughout life and is certainly not a once and done procedure. I was able to meet some new faces in a couple of interesting sessions and found I'm quickly becoming more comfortable in this type of therapeutic setting.

Fortunately, the sessions are not the only positive aspect of the day. I had to laugh as women of all ages were admiring "Mr. World" in the Metro Newspaper during tea time and was very grateful to have received my first Irish Easter egg from my supervisor at the end of the day. It was a delicious truffle egg and I could only hold off until the bus ride home. As I walked out of the office to energetic "have a great break" wishes and "goodbye"s, I couldn't help thinking how well things were going thus far.

With the next seven days off, I will embark on my next adventure: Barcelona. Tomorrow evening Melissa, Meghan, Jack, Trevor and I leave to spend the long Easter weekend in Spain. Look for updates when I return!