Freedom Friday - I made it to the end

Oh well!  Friday (25th September) is now here and I have successfully made it through the first part of Fresher's Week.  I went to see if I had any post at the Student Union building this morning.  My Disabled Persons Railcard has arrived-yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!  This means I can now travel for a 3rd less than it would usually cost me and a companion can travel for the same price.

I was going to take my camera in to the centre to take some photos on the way to the station but it is overcast today, so I haven't bothered.  After a nice cuppa, I headed off for home.  I don't need to be back in whilst Monday morning so can travel back whenever it takes my fancy on Sunday.

All in all, the week hasn't been too bad I suppose.  The canteen is shut at weekends, the food is expensive but I have found a way to get a free dinner-haha!  I have started to talk to people, especially staff.  I have bought a guitar to keep me occupied and I eventually made it to the bar.  Perhaps the newness of University doesn't seem so bad after all.

I also discovered that the Student Union shop is pretty reasonably priced.  A ream of paper in the city centre (from a shop that used to be quite good under its previous branding) is £5.49.  A better quality ream from the SU shop is only £4.50 - result!!!!  I did find a ream in the city for £3.99 from a huge named chain, but you have to walk further to get it for that price-haha!!!

I am looking forward to starting my lectures on Monday and getting to know the other students on my course.  As you may (or may not) know, my memory is terrible.  It may be easier to start making friends with the people on my course first rather than trying to jump in the big pool.

Talent Thursday

Thursday (24th September) started off strange.  I set the alarm clock for 7:30 in the belief that I had a session at 9:00.  After breakfast, I sat waiting for the Support Worker..............but nobody came.  After speaking to Wendy, I learnt that my session wasn't until 10:00-haha!

This session was to establish who are Accademic Tutors were.  My AT is a guy called David Jones, who is a practising counsellor that works part time at the University (I think I have that right).  We were then split up in to our accademic groups and were asked to discuss what we expected from our AT.  Our group decided that we should have guidance, support, money, hugs and chocolate-haha!

We then had to write a letter to ourselves explaining how we felt and how what we expected to achieve in 3 years time.  The letter was sealed in an envelope and given to the AT's for presentation in 3 years, so we could look back and reflect upon what we will have achieved.

After the session, we went for a coffee and then I wandered in to town.........again!  As I was approaching Monk Bar (or whatever it is called), I saw a shop that sells second hand and new stuff.  They sell everything I think, even musical instruments.  I wandered in an took a fancy to a semi accoustic guitar.  It turns out (I later found out in a music shop in the city) that the guitar was only an inexpensive make (rather like Encore).

After wandering around aimlessley for a few hours, I wandered back to the shop and had another look at the guitars (I had set my mind on buying one at this point, as I was bored in my room without a computer).  I got the manageress to help me look and came across a Tanglewood electro accoustic at £179.99.  I got it down and played a bit and it sounded really nice.  The strings were a bit shitty compared to what I am used to, but it was ok..................So I bought it and got a second hand padded case for free.  My neighbours will be pleased-haha!

Later that evening, I ventured in to the Student Union Bar (Archie's) for the very first time.  They were holding a St John's Got Talent night so I thought I would have a go.  I sang 'The Summer Walkers' by Runrig and got a free drink just for entering.............how cool is that?  The judges (President and 2 Vice Presidents) said I had confidence and talent to pull off a song without music and I did well to engage the audience too (which made me go all shy).  The best part of the evening was getting Koppaberg Pear Cider for £2.85 a bottle - come on!!!!

Welcome Wednesday - The fresher's fair

I awoke early on Wednesday (23rd September) in order to get back to University for the Fresher's Fair.  I arrived in plenty of time for the 10am opening and went in through the open fire doors to the sports hall.  I can't say I was overly impressed really, the freebie clothes were too small for me and the rest was just junk (badges, pens and shit like that).

As I was leaving (back through the fire doors), I noticed a queue at the bottom.  Turns out that I should have been in that as the event hadn't opened yet-haha!  I went to drop my additional case (with more tee shirts) off and then wandered in to the city centre to look around the shops.


The rest of the day didn't involve much really, just eating and sleeping really-haha!

Tired Tuesday

After another restless night, I was feeling somewhat tired.  Nonetheless, I met my Support Worker after breakfast and then went to the morning session.  This session was an introduction to the schedule of modules and elective modules coverd in the course.  We have to select our elective module online.  In fact, more or less everything at St John is done online.

After the morning session, my Support Worker and I went to check that I had enrolled fully before going for a coffee.  He is a top bloke and a good laugh.  I quickly felt comfortable with him and am going to Wendy if I could possible have him as one of my permanent Support Workers.

I came home for the appointment I had with the DWP Medical Centre.  I was a bit anxious about it but had not included the benefit in any University plans I had made.  On the way to the Medical Centre, I popped to see my friend on the fat man's stall (as I call it, because it does larger sizes) on the market.  I ended up buying another 3 tees and she let me have another for free.  She is a lovely lady :).  I don't want to tempt fate by analysing how the assessment went, so I will leave it there.

After grabbing a sandwich and a pasty, I then went home to enjoy the rest of the day and evening in the comfort of my own surroundings.

Fresher's Week - It all starts here!

Monday 21st September was the first real day of Fresher's Week (which is actually a fortnight).  Unfortunately, I awoke at around 6:45am after a somewhat restless, but quiet, night.  After getting dressed, I made a nice cup of tea and ventured outside.  I ended up sitting at the traffic lights at the junction of Lord Mayor's Walk/Gillygate and watched the early morning traffic go by.

By 7:50am I was becoming rather bored and dreaded to think how much breakfast would be in the grossly overpriced canteen, so I wandered in to the city centre and found myself a nice, big, freshly made bacon sandwich and cup of tea.

After spending an hour or so in the town, watching them set up the market etc, I wandered back to Uni'.  One of the Disability Support Team recognised me and talked to me for a few minutes.  It was nice to see someone I recognised and felt comfortable with.

I then went to enrol and confirm my financial status so that I could get my ID card and be fully registered as a student in order to receive funding from Student Finance England.  I was supposed to do this session on Tuesday afternoon, but I have to return home for an appointment after the morning session.

Later that day, I met my allocated Support Worker and we went for a coffee and a chat before going to my first compulsory session.  He is a really nice guy and gave me lots of tips and guidance.  He used to be a student at York St John himself but has been working with the Disability Services Team for 4 years now.

In the first session, I experienced what it was going to be like on the Counselling Degree and we took part in some ice-breaker exercises.  It seemed a bit much to take in and I can hardly remember all of it, but I do have the notes to look back on.

Again, I couldn't bring myself to go to the bar or follow the students on to a nighclub so spent the evening in my room.  I did get really bored at one stage and ventured out in search of  Sainsbury's, but counldn't find it.  I did find a Morrisons, but it had just shut.  I then ventured through the city centre, round the Minster and up Gillygate back to the Uni'.  I did find a pizza shop on Gillygate, so endulged to make myself feel a bit better.

The Day of Reckoning - The move to university

It wass Sunday 20th September and today was the day I finally wnt to University.  I felt quite comfortable and confident, surprisingly. However, this was just a false sense of security though and my true feelings were revealed to me at University.

I had packed all the stuff I though I would need (enough to get me by anywho) and was just waiting for one of my mates to come pick me up.  As I had been allocated a checking in time of between 12pm and 2pm, I left it to my mate to decide when he wanted to pick me up.

It took us just over an hour to drive from Doncaster to York.  After checking in and getting my key, we unloaded the car and I showed my mate the room that was to be my home the next 12 months (at least).  All in all it is a pretty good sized room (between 9 and 11 foot I'd say).  We just dumped my stuff and then we went for a drink.

As we were sat having a drink in on of the coffee shops, someone who added me as facebook friend recognised me and came to say hello.  That was a really nice feeling and took courage to do.  Courage which I had not found yet.  It was really nice to meet for the first time :).

After my mate left, I started to feel a bit lonely and empty.  Boredom quickly set in too as I have not got a PC in my room yet (due to the slowness of Student Finance).  Just then, like a saviour, the Disability Services Manager appeared to see how I was settling in and to inform me that she had arranged for a Support Worker to be with me during the compulsory sessions of Fresher's Week.

I then did venture out to have a late dinner but was shocked to discover that I had to pay extra (above the allocated £5 a day included in the rent) for a pork lunch and a bottle of Oasis.  The total cost was £6.45. 

At 7pm that evening, we (grouped by halls of rresidence) went to one of the larger (if not the largest) lecture halls to be formally welcomed, introduced to the Students Union Sabatical Officers and to discover the accommodation rules, regs' and health and safety.  I did get an opportunity to speak with the Education and Welfare Officer of the SU, and expressed my concerns over the cost of the food and under-allocation of meal vouchers.  She said that it had been brought to her attention and that she had made it a top priority.  After the session, most students went to their first experience of the SU bar.  Still being anxious though, I decided to go back to my room.

The Final Day - An afternoon of refreshment

Yesterday (Saturday 18th September 2009), I had pre-arranged to meet a good friend for some heavy refreshment in The Salutatation in Doncaster.  The Salutation is a real ale pub that is close enough to the town centre without having the intrusion of the people who just want to get trollied  that you get in town on a regular evening.

I met my buddy at 12 noon and we started supping our regular, Koppaberg Pear Cider.  However, this soon ran out and we had to move on to Magners Pear Cider.  Now there is only so much Magners you can drink before you float away from all the gas, so we moved on to Black Bushmills.

During the course of the afternoon, my Sister dropped in to give me a 'good luck' card, which was really nice and totally unexpected.  It was lovely to see and chat to her.  We are a pretty close family (unless we are falling out-haha).  She stayed for a couple of drinks before she went shopping, but she left a tenner for a round-waayhaay!!!!

The day was lovely.  A bit of cloud, but the sun was shining and it was warm.  After my mate departed in the early evening, I had a couple more Bushmills, a couple of pints of Hobgoblin and a chat with one of the regulars before going home in a somewhat slightly inibriated condition-haha!  A good day in all and a memorable final day in Doncaster.  Cheers to all, slainte!

Going to University - York St. John

After successfully gaining a place at York St. John, the time has now come to move on to another part of the quest to satisfy my thirst for knowledge.  I move to York on Sunday (19th September 2009).  I have packed my case with everthing I need, have replenished my stocks of stationery and am ready to embark on the next leg.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't feeling anxious about this new step in my life.  However, after all I have achieved so far, I would be a fool to allow these feelings to rule me.  I will move forward with the skills I have gained from Northern College, the confidence and positivity I have worked so hard for in the last 2 years and the passion, desire and hunger to learn more.

I 'will' succeed for myself, for Northern College and for my friends.  Most importantly, I will succeed for those people who I could potential help with the new found skills of a Counselling degree.

Personal Statement - Preapring to move on

I volunteered for a disabled people’s charity and was coaxed into contacting John Rowley – Additional Support Officer – at Northern College. I attended college in January 2008 to partake confidence building and assertiveness course, which proved very fruitful in my personal development. From that day onwards, I found that I longed to pursue inner fulfilment and found the desire to discover more about the way my thought processes work, how I react, how my actions affect others and how their actions affect me. Since January 2008, I have completed numerous self-development and academic short courses at Northern College and have enrolled on an access to higher education diploma in social sciences.

I am enthusiastic and passionate about the Counselling & Helping Skills module on the diploma programme. It’s a subject that is close to my heart and there is a lot I could learn more about. I have a natural ability to help and support people, and I get a sense of joy when I do so. I would like to further my knowledge to benefit not only myself, but to benefit others also.

Studying IT Essentials offered me the opportunity to maintain, repair and diagnose my own computer and provided me with skills necessary to help others. The Social Sciences diploma has extended my knowledge in the field of helping and supporting people. Academic skills sessions have helped me learn academic conventions and standards for creating notes, essay plans and essays and provided me with the knowledge to structure an essay that is informative and interesting to the reader. It has also provided me with the skills needed to undertake a successful research project to aid in accomplishing requirements set down by my tutors.

Ideally, I would like to gain employment in a support environment such as health, social work or counselling work. I have worked in environments where I have supported others. Most recently, this was as Administration Officer for a funded community regeneration partnership. Although my main role was administration, I had the opportunity to interact with members of the community at open days, drop-in sessions and door to door visits. I also had the opportunity to work with people on a higher level by attending Council meetings, events and training sessions. I took minutes for these meeting and was also asked to take minutes for external meetings because my minutes were of such a high standard and very informative without containing irrelevant information. I am a responsible person, but don’t take myself too seriously. I was given the responsibility of being a key holder for the organisation and I was the trained first aider.

I volunteer for a disabled person’s charity in Doncaster, where I interact with people on a daily basis both in person and over the telephone. I am the volunteer coordinator and it is my role to ensure that the volunteers are doing the job they are required to do whilst ensuring that they are happy and receiving the training they need. I hold regular chats with the volunteers to ensure that they are happy about the way I am managing them, they are happy about the work they are doing, they are happy about the organisation and to ask what suggestions they have to improve things or what training they would like.

The greatest achievement in my life has attaining a place on the diploma programme. The diploma programme itself has given me achievement opportunities; I have been able to socially interact successfully with fellow students and tutors, I have been able to request help and support when I need it and my confidence has increased immensely.

Other achievements I have accomplished include learning the basics of playing guitar, writing and composing some of my own songs and feeling a sense of satisfaction that friends and family have taken comfort in those songs.

I am visually impaired and need additional support. I am blind in my left eye and partially sighted in my right. I received exceptional support at northern college, and would not have made it this without it.

I still suffer from depression, on medication, but I’m confident, stronger and positive than I have ever been. The diploma programme has added to this.

My Learning Experience - Northern College

Before starting at northern college, I had been volunteering as a volunteer coordinator for a disabled people’s charity in Doncaster. I had undertaken a number of short courses at northern college and had been preparing myself for the diploma programme. 4 weeks ago (28th September 2008), I started the diploma programme with little expectation of what I wanted to achieve at the end of it, except that I am interested in working in a supportive environment. I was nervous but had spent so much time in building myself up for this; I was not going to let it hinder my chances of something better.

The first 4 weeks of the programme provided us with an opportunity to academically prepare for the course. We learnt how to take notes effectively, how to prepare an essay plan and how to write the essay. We also learnt how to reference properly and create a bibliography. We were also given the opportunity to develop, or gain, some IT skills and skills on how to effectively make use of the library and learning resource centre. All these skills play a vital part in the diploma programme and, although difficult to grasp, I am grateful that I have been taught them.

The first semester has now started and I already feel nervous. I had social policy on Monday morning and it has just blown me away. I had academic skills in the afternoon, which came like a breath of fresh air. In academic skills, we have to undertake some research around a specific project title, chose an appropriate topic to base it on and then present the findings and conclusion in a 5-8 minute long oral presentation. I have chosen the project of ‘The influences of popular culture of:’ and have chosen the topic ‘Runrig’s influence on either Gaelic or Scottish culture’.

I hope, as the course content broadens, that I am able to keep on top of the work and that I discover some kind of organisational system that suits me. I feel that I am at the stage where I can tackle the course content with some kind of academic approach, but I know that the support is there should I need to use it. As time goes on, it is hoped that I become more fluent in the academic style or writing, reading and note taking and can use these skills to produce quality work.

I would like to develop on all my skills, especially referencing and bibliography. My memory is atrocious and I need to be able to do something a few times before it begins to set in. I would also like to develop my skills on reading. Being visually impaired, I find it difficult to read at the best of times but am conscious of the fact that reading for essay content may also take a vast amount of time.

I would like to develop a method of reading using the equipment I have and advance on the knowledge I have picked up around note taking and essay skills. I am hoping that the additional workshops will allow me to pick up skills that I may have missed in the lectures and identify new methods of learning. Peer support is also vital to learning, and I hope that I can offer as much to fellow students as I can gain from them.