... but such is not the case for bus drivers in Lima. This past Monday I was on a bus that did not have a conductor. So the driver was making people pay him as soon as they hopped on the bus. Now, how dangerous and reckless is that -- dealing with money and giving tickets to passengers whilst driving a vehicle!! Not an unusual sight in this city, however.
It is impossible to sit on a bus, enjoy a pleasant journey home or to work and relax. You just can't do it here. Why, might you ask? Because a) the driver may be playing music and it can be a bit loud and it may not be what you want to listen to b) Both driver and conductor are loud and rude. More so the conductor c) The horn is always unnecessarily honked by every driver on the road d) Because these buses are trying to get as many passengers as they can, they will drive recklessly. To add to this nightmare, traffic rules are never obeyed. Buses stop just about everywhere to pick up and drop off passengers. There are some signs along the sidewalks saying it is prohibited for a bus to stop there, but it's just a suggestion. They will stop when the light's green to get people to get on the bus, but then, when the light's red, they will run it.
People complain that bus drivers do not do their job right. Passengers treat them like dirt and they are quite rude in return. Much to my astonishment, this driver was actually doing his job the way it should be done. He wouldn't stop at every bloody corner to pick up a 50-cent passenger and he wouldn't drop anyone off wherever they wanted. He was also encouraging people to get on and off the bus at bus stops and he wasn't being rude or sarcastic. He was clearly and politely telling people he could be fined if caught by the police. I could hardly believe it. I had to pinch myself. I wasn't dreaming.
It was good to see this man was trying to make a difference. Yet, his passengers started hurling insults and being absolutely heinous at him. I will not even begin to mention the score of nasty things he was told. It is going to take years for the public transport in Lima to become decent. And if the people do not cooperate to change this chaos into order and civilisation, then it's going to take even longer. I may not be around to see it, and I still got a long way to go... or so I think.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Back home.
I know it has been a good while since I updated my blog. Life just became quite busy when I was in the UK and I completely forgot I had a blog where I explain/talk/rant/bitch about life in general. I will try to get back into the habit of writing.
I am now back home in Peru after spending 13 months in the British Isles where I supported people with learning disabilities to live as independently as possible. If, 5 years ago, anyone had told me I'd spend such a long time in a northern European island helping the mentally disabled, I would have wet my knickers laughing. I love helping people when I can but, 5 years ago, I would not have seen myself as the type of person who would go out of his way for a whole year and a month to help the mentally handicapped in a foreign land. I just wouldn't see it happening. However, the time came when I felt I was really ready to leave Peru for a while and experience life abroad. I looked into several options but I could not find anything that took my fancy. Nor could I find something where I met the criteria. After months of searching and a really annoying itch to get out of the country, I met a bloke who was getting ready to go to Scotland to do voluntary work. At first I wasn't too keen on the idea of volunteering but I thought it could be an experience. And so it was a year later that I decided I would do voluntary work in the UK.
Initially, I was going to spend a year in Edinburgh helping the socially unhinged but I could not get a visa due to a piece of documentation the charity failed to submit. So much for that. I did not stay downhearted for too long, however. I got another job offer from a charity in London. The rest is history. The rest was amazing. The rest taught me so much about myself. The rest is something I will never forget. Supporting people with disabilities was a challenge at times, and yet it was so humbling and rewarding at the same time.
Now I am back home. It is good to be back but I have to re-adjust to life here, even if I was only gone for about 400 days. I want to thank, once again, all of you who came into my life this past year and those who followed me throughout my journey. What's next? You'll have to read my blog...
I am now back home in Peru after spending 13 months in the British Isles where I supported people with learning disabilities to live as independently as possible. If, 5 years ago, anyone had told me I'd spend such a long time in a northern European island helping the mentally disabled, I would have wet my knickers laughing. I love helping people when I can but, 5 years ago, I would not have seen myself as the type of person who would go out of his way for a whole year and a month to help the mentally handicapped in a foreign land. I just wouldn't see it happening. However, the time came when I felt I was really ready to leave Peru for a while and experience life abroad. I looked into several options but I could not find anything that took my fancy. Nor could I find something where I met the criteria. After months of searching and a really annoying itch to get out of the country, I met a bloke who was getting ready to go to Scotland to do voluntary work. At first I wasn't too keen on the idea of volunteering but I thought it could be an experience. And so it was a year later that I decided I would do voluntary work in the UK.
Initially, I was going to spend a year in Edinburgh helping the socially unhinged but I could not get a visa due to a piece of documentation the charity failed to submit. So much for that. I did not stay downhearted for too long, however. I got another job offer from a charity in London. The rest is history. The rest was amazing. The rest taught me so much about myself. The rest is something I will never forget. Supporting people with disabilities was a challenge at times, and yet it was so humbling and rewarding at the same time.
Now I am back home. It is good to be back but I have to re-adjust to life here, even if I was only gone for about 400 days. I want to thank, once again, all of you who came into my life this past year and those who followed me throughout my journey. What's next? You'll have to read my blog...
Monday, April 12, 2010
A visit to ZSL London Zoo.
I went to the zoo with one of my service users for the second time today as we didn't get to see all of it the first time we went there. You could spend an entire day at that zoo and probably not see all of it!
Getting to London Zoo can be a bit of a lengthy trip if you don't live around the area, but it is certainly worth a visit. I was a bit dissapointed that there weren't any elephants and panda bears, but there were meerkats, otters, okapis, insects, reptiles, camels, bearded pigs, lots of birds, gorillas, and llamas!!! A zoo is never complete without llamas.
So my service user and I visited the bits we didn't see the last time and we also took a short stroll around some of the areas we'd been before. I was telling him what the animals were called, what sort of family they belong to and what skills they have. All that info I read off the walls and signs at the zoo, of course! So I'm telling my service users that tigers and lions pounce on their preys and bite their necks, monkeys like to climb trees, llamas spit if you get too close to them, camels molt in the spring, spiders spin webs, etc.
On the way to the bus stop I asked my service user what he saw in zoo. I was hoping I had done a good job at explaining what the animals were and what they did, and I must have been great because his enthusiastic response was:
"I saw lots of different animals!"
:/
Getting to London Zoo can be a bit of a lengthy trip if you don't live around the area, but it is certainly worth a visit. I was a bit dissapointed that there weren't any elephants and panda bears, but there were meerkats, otters, okapis, insects, reptiles, camels, bearded pigs, lots of birds, gorillas, and llamas!!! A zoo is never complete without llamas.
So my service user and I visited the bits we didn't see the last time and we also took a short stroll around some of the areas we'd been before. I was telling him what the animals were called, what sort of family they belong to and what skills they have. All that info I read off the walls and signs at the zoo, of course! So I'm telling my service users that tigers and lions pounce on their preys and bite their necks, monkeys like to climb trees, llamas spit if you get too close to them, camels molt in the spring, spiders spin webs, etc.
On the way to the bus stop I asked my service user what he saw in zoo. I was hoping I had done a good job at explaining what the animals were and what they did, and I must have been great because his enthusiastic response was:
"I saw lots of different animals!"
:/
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Making use of my NHS benefits in the UK.
As a temporary worker in the United Kingdom, I am entitled to NHS (National Health Services), which means I don't have to pay for medical care. And I'm certainly making good use of it -- this is the second time in 4 and a half months that I make a trip to the Accident & Emergency unit!!
After walking home in the snow for around 20 minutes, nature called and I needed to use the loo, as it is called here. So I opened the bathroom door and, because I'm smart and cautious, I put my left hand on the hinges and shut the door with my right hand, thus getting my left index finger caught in the door. The pain was excrutiating and there was blood coming out of my fingernail, which started to become purple. I stood there for a while trying to breathe deeply but blood kept coming out and it started to make me a bit dizzy and my head started buzzing. Still, I had business to take care of in the bathroom, so after getting that out of the way I ran downstairs to take some paracetamol. The pain was still strong and I could not move my finger or my hand at all without wincing. I put a band aid around my bleeding fingernail and went out in the snow again to catch the bus to the local hospital located in the most ghetto and dodgy part of Hackney.
After checking in and seeing the triage nurse, the most fun part of going to the hospital came. Waiting for a doctor to call your name. One of the doctors made an announcement that because of adverse weather conditions -- in other words, a couple of inches of snow -- the A&E was short on staff and we needed to be patient. So I sat there listening in on other people's conversations. A woman who slipped in the ice and injured her wrist was talking about how it took her two hours to get to the hospital and she'd already been waiting for a doctor for an hour. Another woman brought her pregnant friend in because she fell on her back. So I guess a bleeding nail was not all that bad. After 2 hours, a doctor called my name and we went into one of the cubicles. By this time, my nail had stopped bleeding and I had a huge scab. The doc ordered x-rays to make sure I didn't fracture the bone. After getting the x-rays done the doc and one of his colleagues suggested that I could either take painkillers to treat the nail, or they could poke my nail with a needle to get the blood out from under my nail.
I asked if the needle would hurt and they said it wouldn't because nails don't have any nerves. However, because the hematoma was at the base of the needle (where the needle grows) poking a needle in it might not be all that necessary. In the end the doctor decided to do that. A nurse and a med student popped in to watch the action. I should not be scared of needles but I am. I was told it wouldn't hurt but it did. As the English would say, BASTARDS! I was told to keep still, so I did until I screamed for the whole hospital to hear. Another doctor came in and I begged them to not do the needle again.
In the end, they decided it would not work as the hematoma was too close to where the nail grows and the painkillers should do just fine. Now I have a hole in my fingernail. BASTARDS! I was given an anti-inflammatory and paracetamol and I got my fingernail wrapped in dressing. Next time I'm not putting my hand on the hinges before closing a door or walking in front of a motorcycle.
After walking home in the snow for around 20 minutes, nature called and I needed to use the loo, as it is called here. So I opened the bathroom door and, because I'm smart and cautious, I put my left hand on the hinges and shut the door with my right hand, thus getting my left index finger caught in the door. The pain was excrutiating and there was blood coming out of my fingernail, which started to become purple. I stood there for a while trying to breathe deeply but blood kept coming out and it started to make me a bit dizzy and my head started buzzing. Still, I had business to take care of in the bathroom, so after getting that out of the way I ran downstairs to take some paracetamol. The pain was still strong and I could not move my finger or my hand at all without wincing. I put a band aid around my bleeding fingernail and went out in the snow again to catch the bus to the local hospital located in the most ghetto and dodgy part of Hackney.
After checking in and seeing the triage nurse, the most fun part of going to the hospital came. Waiting for a doctor to call your name. One of the doctors made an announcement that because of adverse weather conditions -- in other words, a couple of inches of snow -- the A&E was short on staff and we needed to be patient. So I sat there listening in on other people's conversations. A woman who slipped in the ice and injured her wrist was talking about how it took her two hours to get to the hospital and she'd already been waiting for a doctor for an hour. Another woman brought her pregnant friend in because she fell on her back. So I guess a bleeding nail was not all that bad. After 2 hours, a doctor called my name and we went into one of the cubicles. By this time, my nail had stopped bleeding and I had a huge scab. The doc ordered x-rays to make sure I didn't fracture the bone. After getting the x-rays done the doc and one of his colleagues suggested that I could either take painkillers to treat the nail, or they could poke my nail with a needle to get the blood out from under my nail.
I asked if the needle would hurt and they said it wouldn't because nails don't have any nerves. However, because the hematoma was at the base of the needle (where the needle grows) poking a needle in it might not be all that necessary. In the end the doctor decided to do that. A nurse and a med student popped in to watch the action. I should not be scared of needles but I am. I was told it wouldn't hurt but it did. As the English would say, BASTARDS! I was told to keep still, so I did until I screamed for the whole hospital to hear. Another doctor came in and I begged them to not do the needle again.
In the end, they decided it would not work as the hematoma was too close to where the nail grows and the painkillers should do just fine. Now I have a hole in my fingernail. BASTARDS! I was given an anti-inflammatory and paracetamol and I got my fingernail wrapped in dressing. Next time I'm not putting my hand on the hinges before closing a door or walking in front of a motorcycle.
Monday, November 16, 2009
In Britain...
- You don't walk on the sidewalk. You walk on the pavement.
- You don't watch your head when walking through a low door. You mind your head.
- You don't take the elevator. You take the lift.
- You don't watch TV. You watch telly.
- You don't get fired. You get sacked.
- Things don't get taken care of. They get sorted.
- You don't go out with your buddies. You go out with your mates.
- You don't eat cookies. You eat biscuits.
- You don't wear pants. You wear trousers.
- Actually you do wear pants instead of underwear.
- You don't wear sneakers. You wear trainers.
- You don't ask your friends how they are when you see them. You ask them if they are allright.
- You don't watch the gap between the train and the platform. You mind the gap.
- You don't get yelled at. You get told off.
- You don't get an attorney. You get a solicitor.
- You don't have a cell phone. You have a mobile.
- You don't ask your friends where they are. You ask them whereabouts you are.
- You don't use a stove. You use a cooker.
- The engine is not in the hood. It's in the bonnet.
- You don't put your luggage in the trunk. You put it in the boot.
*Feel free to add to this list!*
- You don't watch your head when walking through a low door. You mind your head.
- You don't take the elevator. You take the lift.
- You don't watch TV. You watch telly.
- You don't get fired. You get sacked.
- Things don't get taken care of. They get sorted.
- You don't go out with your buddies. You go out with your mates.
- You don't eat cookies. You eat biscuits.
- You don't wear pants. You wear trousers.
- Actually you do wear pants instead of underwear.
- You don't wear sneakers. You wear trainers.
- You don't ask your friends how they are when you see them. You ask them if they are allright.
- You don't watch the gap between the train and the platform. You mind the gap.
- You don't get yelled at. You get told off.
- You don't get an attorney. You get a solicitor.
- You don't have a cell phone. You have a mobile.
- You don't ask your friends where they are. You ask them whereabouts you are.
- You don't use a stove. You use a cooker.
- The engine is not in the hood. It's in the bonnet.
- You don't put your luggage in the trunk. You put it in the boot.
*Feel free to add to this list!*
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Watch out for the falling leaves.
My roomate has to be the funniest person on earth. Several weeks ago I wrote about my roomate asking me if I wash my ears when I shower after telling him that I had a cold and that it was making my throat and ears hurt. Here's another funny annecdote.
I have already stated numerous times how much I hate the weather in this island. Well, thanks to the horrible weather again, I have a bit of a cold. It's not as bad as the previous one but it's still annoying to have to blow my nose. So I was talking to my roomate about my cold and suddenly my eyes got a bit itchy and watery.
Me: Crap, not only do I have to blow my nose but now my eyes are feeling funny.
Roomate: You have to be careful when you're outisde because it's autum and the leaves are falling and they could hurt your eyes.
This time I nearly fell over and went PLOP like Condorito.
I have already stated numerous times how much I hate the weather in this island. Well, thanks to the horrible weather again, I have a bit of a cold. It's not as bad as the previous one but it's still annoying to have to blow my nose. So I was talking to my roomate about my cold and suddenly my eyes got a bit itchy and watery.
Me: Crap, not only do I have to blow my nose but now my eyes are feeling funny.
Roomate: You have to be careful when you're outisde because it's autum and the leaves are falling and they could hurt your eyes.
This time I nearly fell over and went PLOP like Condorito.
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