I am going to be a little cliche and use an idiom to start this post. At the beginning of summer, I reached the point in life where I turned the page.
The chapter in my life started in Osmington. I took the train from Manchester with my black suitcase and £25 to my name. I was excited but yet a little nervous to start life working by the sea. I was collected from a nearby station and met my roommate. She was a jolly person with dyed red hair, rosy cheeks and eyes that sparkled when she laughed. That first night her wispy Scottish accent cut through the darkness ''Isabel I think I am pregnant''. You could have imagined my surprise as she proceeded to tell me the events of her life, the pressures of getting into a redbrick university and wanting to convert to Islam for her best friend. To be honest I am surprised I found something to say in response. The fact that she trusted me with something that she had not told her parents yet was touching. (side note: months down the line everything worked out well for her so that is great).
Needless to say after such a first greeting we got on well as roommates. To be honest, I am so glad to have met her, she was very intelligent and a lot of fun to talk to.
I figure that the vigorous training that we undertook in Osmington was one of the best things that I have ever done. I made so many new life friends and it was rewarding when I passed the First Aid and the training course as a whole.
I then moved to Torquay, settled into my new room near a wooded area. Hilariously, I was woken up by a family of woodpeckers "singing" in the early hours of the morning. There Screeching and rhythmic melody was enough to drive anyone slightly crazy. I also saw a badger and a non-city fox which are big and I was terrified for my life.
Latvia was my next port of call. I spent some time with friends, making wonderful memories. Sad to leave I came back to the UK. My feelings changed very quickly to excitement as I was to start work as an AIGL. I took a week off work to graduate!
After a couple of weeks of being in Torquay, I was sent to work in the Valleys with three of my friends. We stayed in a country manor that was converted into a girls boarding school during the war. It still had the original foyer with the original electrics (not used) but so cool. The garden still had the fruit and berry trees that were planted all those years ago. The fruit was tasty. I know this because I would help myself (with permission) to plums, green gables, mulberries, apples etc. It was so delightful, there were four random chickens that roamed the grounds so I befriended them along with a hedgehog.
This summer has been a life-changing experience. It gave me a taste of a lifestyle that produces happiness and I experienced first hand the importance of having a work-life balance with a disability. I met people who were outgoing and active like me but also were not afraid to have a night in with a cup of tea and a ''family'' movie.
It was a truly amazing chapter that has come to a close and I am so excited for my next chapter.
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