Very, very cold

Cold

Snow on frozen snow

Another week gone by.  Sorry to keep harping on about the cold, but it really is...very! Although yesterday (Saturday) it warmed up considerably to plus 2 or 3 degrees C.  Myself and Kiki walked into town in full Arctic regalia realising too late that we were overdressed and much too hot - particularly carring bags full of shopping back.  Having learned our lesson, we went out in the evening much more lightly dressed only to freeze as the temperature had dropped to minus 8 again.

I am sure this will be lovely come Spring

I think I forgot to mention that the radiators in the club don't work properly.  We have a two bar electric fire and a small fan heater.  By the end of the day things feel a bit chilly.  Hopefully all the radiators need is a good bleed.  The other day (a really cold day) the hospital water stopped completely - frozen we assume.  


Club stuff

Side view of the psychiatric wing
it goes back quite some way.

This week saw Corina (check earlier posts for who is who) revert to 3 days per week which meant that Kiki and I were on our own for Monday and Tuesday.  Biggest issue being that our Romanian language skills aren't quite up to scratch yet.  However, we managed to collect patients from the ward and take them back without getting too lost.  One of the male patients was called away during one of the club sessions to help with some manual work.  Rather than just him returning, the nursing staff send everyone from the work party back and we had a very full and chaotic club for a while - great fun.  We have tried to explain the British concept of 'organised chaos' and how we actually enjoy the creative atmosphere it creats - there is definately a cultural difference regarding this concept.

View out of the club window
we are in a semi-basement

We had a few new patients this week which was good.  As part of the Ward Round (which we do each Wednesday) Corina identifies new patients and then discusses them at the Friday meeting we have with the Nursing Heads.  I rather naively assumed that patients would be more than pleased to get off the ward and have some time in the club.  I completely underestimate what Goffman refers to as the 'total institution' and the effect it has on people.  New patients are simply fitted into the relentless schedule and initially coming down to the club is simply another very unwelcome change that is being forced upon them.  However, once they have been in the club room for a bit and had things explained, it is really nice to see the level of distress and agitation reduce significantly.

The person who did this has true
creative genius and only one hour
per week to express it.

Visiting the wards continues to be an emotional and professional struggle.  It has also become a personal one for both Kiki and myself.  It actually gets harder as we are starting to develop really lovely relationships with people during the club sessions and have started to understand their likes, dislikes, sense of humour, fears, anxieties - and everything else that makes them a normal (apart from a psychiatric label) and valued human being.  It is so difficult to then meet up with them and see them in their 'non-person', 'non-valued' environment. 


Money


I forgot to add the charity website link in the last blog, it is;
www.vfmh.org.uk

A close up of the bridge mentioned last
week.  Although it is dangerously high above
the water, at least the water is very shallow
with plenty of sharp rocks to break your fall.

The deal is that volunteers doing a 6 month placement (IE myself and Kiki at the moment) get our flights over here paid by the charity.  We also get free use of the 'volunteer house'.  We pay for our other expenses; food, travel, chocolate (lots of it in Kiki's case - none in mine) and all the other normal living costs.  Also as part of the 'package', volunteers raise 500 pounds (can't find the pound sign on this keyboard) for the charity before setting off.  That doesn't nearly cover things, so the charity is always looking to raise more funding.  Particularly important are regular monthly donations which will allow VfMH to plan into the longer term future.  If you want to feel particularly good about yourself today, go straight onto the link above and fill out a regular donation form.


No, seriously..do it now.  No don't make a cup of tea first. Seriously, it won't take long.  Brilliant. That's better.  Thank you! 


Assorted

If you look carefully at the top left
of this picture, you can see 'someone'
stealing a roast potato, unaware that
I was taking a photograph.

I have one slight complaint since I have been here.  I was told that pretty much all volunteers lose weight over their placement - something I would like to do.  I just don't see how that is possible.  Food here is both good and cheap.  One speciality which I occassionaly buy on the way to work is a type of deep fried cheese donut (it actually tastes just as good as it sounds).  Also, the house kitchen is quite well appointed so it is tempting to try out some more adventurous meals.  Kiki and I are taking it in turns to do Sunday lunch which is turning into a bit of a competition (with winning points measured in calories - lots of them).  Today I did chicken stuffed with garlic cream wrapped in italian bacon accompanied by roast potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, Peas and Broccoli. - Because of all this Kiki has joined the local Gym and I intend to start running as soon as the snow dissapears. 

I hope this clears up the confusion
caused by last week's photo

Anyway.  No time to write about the smoking controversy, the forthcoming staff party (that we have been invited to), the handbag fight in the middle of the highstreet,  Being refused a seat (in a nightclub) at a table not marked reserved and then allowed to sit at a table marked reserved, seeing a black Mercedes doing over 100 mph down the end of the street, etc etc.






See you soon


Paul