Back to school. Pt 1.

1 of 2
Let me start this two part blog by telling you a little bit of my story when it comes to school... I left school at the age of 16 where I went to a college to do a 2 year Construction course. At about the age of 15/16 I decided that I wanted to work in construction, working on the side of building management and building surveying, more the theory side of building. Before this I had never really settled on a dream or career, it was always changing, from physio, to flouriest to something in IT... So off I went at 16 to follow my dream of learning about the construction world. About two months into the course I realised that it was not very academically stimulating for me. I was even teaching the Maths class as my fellow class mates understood me better than our teacher. This started to drain on my and I realised that maybe construction wasn't where I wanted to be. I met some very cool people and learnt some skills that still pop up every now and then but my heart wasn't in it and I was feeling the desire to be stretched more academically. I left this college about 4 months after starting in pursuit of more general classes that will be more challenging. I decided that I would be attending a 6th Form college the following September to study Maths, Information Communication Technology, Accounts and Geography. But I still had 7 months before the course started, so off I went and started working in a supermarket as a cashier, very quickly I was looking after the CDs, DVDs and Videos sales and also the Newspaper and Magazine sales. I was also helping to train new (and old) cashiers on how to use the cash registers, etc... It was work... I was bored and eager to get back to school.

September finally came and I started at college. Within two weeks I realised that perhaps Maths was too challenging so it was agreed that I would drop that class, I continued with the 3 remaining classes. First year was up. I had failed Accounts and had done average in the other two. Accounts was also dropped so I started the second year with picking up a new class in Business Studies. I enjoyed my time at college, mostly because it was right next to a river! I also had good friends there and enjoyed socialising... maybe too much... I had no idea still what career I wanted as the final exams were approaching, I had lost interest in the subjects I was studying. It eventually came to me just before my exams that I had a heart for people, so this lead me to the decision to pursue a nursing career. By this time it was too late to apply for university so I was going to have to wait a year until I could go to university. After finishing my exams and doing ok... I started working at a Hospital as a Health Care Assistant/Nursing Assistant. I enjoyed this work. It paid enough for what I needed and I enjoyed spending time with patients and I was fast learning some very useful skills. Also I was working with closely with nurses and really realising that it was a career I wanted. I had chosen to attend a university up north where at the time my girlfriend was studying. Unfortunately we broke up and I realised that I really actually was only going there for her... But again by this time it was too late to apply for another university. I withdrew my application and decided to keep working in the hospital and re-apply to a university that I actually wanted to go to. So I did. I applied to attend the University of Southampton, one of the best nursing schools in the UK, in a great area. I was so excited. But deep down I was unhappy. In September 2008 I decided that I needed to dedicate a "year to God" so I started with reducing my hospital work to only part-time hours (about 20 hours a week) and then I started volunteering at a Christian Drug rehab centre two days a week. So my time was taken up with hospital 3-4 days and at the rehab center 2 days a week. This was a great time of learning and I really gained some great life experiences here. I also decided as part of my "year for God" that I would do a DTS with YWAM at Holmsted Manor starting in January 2009. So I quit my hospital job, and my rehab position and went off to YWAM having paid for the lecture phase but with very little money left.

-12 weeks of lecture phase
-10 weeks in India

you've heard me tell the story. if not then ask.

I sent back to staff at Holmsted Manor and I staffed a DTS that started in September 2009 as part of that lead an outreach team to Vancouver for the winter Olympics and time before. Left, realised I loved it and was being called back. In September 2010 I moved back and now I am here.

I write all this because I wanted to set the foundations for what my education and schooling life has looked like in the past as I now look to what God has for me.

This is the background. Read Pt 2 (to follow) for the present thoughts....