Hello! In order to not lose people’s interest in my endeavours, I have decided to try and write something here every month. That should be a fine balance between me not stressing out but also keeping people informed, entertained and interested!
Current driving hour total: Officially zero (the first week doesn’t count!)
TL;DR: Spent time researching, passed IT Functional Skills, did a presentation, released to depot, did pride stuff, attended a wedding.
Achievements in July:
- I spent more time at home than I’d like to admit, thanks to… issues.
- I passed the Functional Skills IT assessment, required because of the fact I am technically an apprentice, and all apprentices in the UK must hold either the equivalent of a GCSE in English, Maths and IT, or pass the relevant Functional Skills assessment. I had English and Maths, but no IT. So… I have that now. Yay! (The irony of asking someone who worked in IT for nearly a decade, as well as specialising in Cybersecurity for a year is not lost on me…)
- As our last bit at the training academy, we all had to do research into a specific route-risk and give a presentation based on our findings. The topic I picked out of a hat was “Train Dispatch (using CCTV and Mirrors)”. I hate presenting in front of people, but managed to stumble on through, meaning…
- Finally released to depot, to meet my DI! On the first day together, we walked through the yard. Highlighted particular risks, and got to know each other. Day two, we spent the day in a test train. DI drove, I watched. Day three, I drove an ECS movement, while watching and learning more around that. Day four… I drove for most of the turn, and focused so much I had a headache by the end of the day, so my DI covered the last bit of the duty.
- Thursday! SUCH A GOOD DAY! Greater Anglia’s first pride train. Oh my gosh, I am so, so proud of this. (if you haven’t seen the brief interview I gave for GA, here it is: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJbAWChK/)
- I attended my friend’s wedding up north in Yorkshire. It made me sad that I am alone, but also… I got to see some friends I haven’t seen so far this year. I miss them, and was so grateful to see them. And, y’know… eventually I’ll have a big wedding and be happy.
Expect something similar for August. And by then, I’ll have official driving hours under my belt. (Spoiler: I have 20 minutes under my belt officially already after today!)