The view from flu is coming to an end....

Well, I've got a feeling when I get home this experience is going to seem very surreal.

It's coming to the end of day 10, which means tomorrow morning I leave quarantine, and that's it, done. Tomorrow morning is standard procedure, and then we are discharged from quarantine at 11.00. We then go to the clinic area next door, have a shower and get given our spare change of clothes (the uncontaminated ones) that we left with them before we entered the quarantine unit. Unless i need a repeat blood test, I am then free to go! Yesterday I started taking tamiflu (not sure if that's the correct spelling), which is an anti-virus drug, twice a day, to get rid of any traces of flu that might still be in my system. I'm not sure how long I've got to take it for, but I believe it can have some side-effects. They advise you not to drink too much   alcohol when you leave because it's not certain how mixing the drugs and alcohol can affect each other. But obviously I'm going to have a few bevvies!!!!


All I can think about now is leaving here, breathing in the fresh air, getting back to New Cross and seeing my flat mates......and conveniently,  it's halloween tomorrow, which is even more of an excuse to PARTAAAAAAY. Excited doesn't even justify how I'm feeling right now!

Being confined to a room for 11 days makes you appreciate and look forward to all the simple pleasures! I'm expecting it to be pretty overwhelming tomorrow when I step out of here. It's going to seem so busy and chaotic, which it is anyway, but taking into consideration the environment I've been in, even more so!!!

The experience I have had in the past 10 days has really emphasized how important it is for me to step back, slow down and spend time in my own company. Itt allows me to think, reflect and appreciate everything. I think it's really important that you understand the value of spending time alone and being able to gather your thoughts. It's always go go go and constantly doing one thing to the next, I love being this way and wouldn't change it for the world, however, it's only when you stop that you realize how exhausted you are which is why having this time has done me the world of good.

Taking part in flu camp has been beneficial to my studies in allowing me the time to read a lot, but also in the way the nature of the experience informs the areas I learn about on my course such as psychology, sociology, cultural studies and anthropology.

Day 10 Video: Sorry it's a bit blurry!

 

My mum moved house yesterday from my hometown where she's lived since the 80's when her and my Dad moved from Worcester. So it's a pretty big deal! It's a whole new exciting chapter for her and her new life in Shrewsbury. All my mums side of the family live there so it's going to be great having them just round the corner. Even though I couldn't be there to help her move in, she shared her happiness with me when I spoke to her on the phone last night, I was overjoyed to hear how at home she was feeling and how well the big day had gone. We couldn't contain our excitement about seeing each other next week! So it's been very odd being here while this really significant thing has happened!

So I thought it would be nice to show you some of the cards I made for her! Recently I found a card I made for my mum when I was 9, I'm going to give her that along with these. I tried to paint a really childish picture of my mum outside her house (the green thing in her hand is a watering can haha).

These are the two covers I've made to go on the mix CD's I've made for her.

So tomorrow it's back to normal life and out of this bubble I've been living in. It's on to the next with a job interview pretty much as soon as I leave tomorrow afternoon, Halloween celebrations of epic proportions, and two of my best friends coming down for the weekend. No rest for the wicked. 

On reflection I've felt very emotionally secure throughout the entirety of the experience, maybe that's because there is a set routine to every day and you know what to expect. I'm sort of surprised and sort of not that I've not felt anxious at any point. I think the environment just makes you feel very safe and comfortable and therefore there's nothing to feel anxious about. The fact that you are doing everything at your own accord and not to please anyone else also probably has a massive thing to with it, you can just get on with what you need to do without any disruption. Have I got what I wanted from the experience? It's more of a case of the fact that I've accomplished the things I planned to do, which is really satisfying! 

In my opinion, it doesn't matter what age you are or what you do, this experience can be beneficial to everyone mentally and emotionally, it just depends on how you approach it and what you feel you can gain from it. If you approach it positively and see it as a life experience, then you're going to gain a lot from it.

Thank you for reading my blog and sharing this experience with me, it's been really encouraging getting everyone's feedback from it and I appreciate all the support so much. And to those of you who are planning to do Flucamp - enjoy!!!

Lots of love 

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