What cracked me up was getting to my seat only to see what looked like a prosthetic nose & mouth on my seat. Yup folks, I had my very own rubber nose & mouth to use for CPR. Gone are the unhygienic days from my youth where everyone had to "do CPR" on the same grotty mannequin in order to get your first aid badge for Brownies.
It would make a pretty good part of any Halloween costume, don't you think? I thought we'd get to keep them, but sadly they all had to be returned at the end of our course (so they could be disinfected, heat-blasted and dried for the next lot of First-Aiders, so we were told).
Behind the nose was a little nozzle that you basically plugged into the mannequin's face. Seriously. This is what the nose-less/ mouthless mannequin looked like.
There were 18 of us in the class, and we had 9 mannequins. I mean, torsos. It was quite a sight!
So yes, now I can do CPR, work a defribillator (but still not sure sure how to spell the word), apply bandages, make a sling, care for you when you're in shock/ having a heart attack/ having a stroke/ having an epileptic fit/ just been stung by a blue-bottle, bee, wasp/ just been bitten by a spider, snake... (though I still can't tell what's most poisonous. I mean, I'm living in the country with the most dangerous snakes & spiders)... but all this is of course while we're waiting for Secondary Aid to come. Which, in First Aid speak is "the ambos" (the guys in the ambulance).
Not bad for a weekend's work huh.
And the reason why I went to all this trouble? ...well, now that life has started to ease into a routine here and I'm a lot more grounded and comfy with what I'm doing with the rest of my life, I feel ready to teach yoga again!! (Duh, all roads lead back to yoga, didn't you know).
And most studios here require all yoga teachers to have current insurance (check) and First Aid certification (check). So... I've just been inquiring with a few studios here and let's just see where the Universe leads me to. :)
In other news, SHARATH'S WORKSHOP BEGINS TOMORROW! I've just packed my bag and I'm ready to go. Was so excited I had trouble falling asleep last night. I'll try to give (almost) daily reports if I can, so watch this space. YEEHARR!
I can never pronounce defibrillator, I just call it an 'AED', it simpler! I was just re-certified for my first aid a couple weeks ago. I did the recert with a class of aspiring chefs. There was a huge emphasis on treatment of burns and knife wounds. lol! Have fun at Sharath's workshop :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Kai! It's interesting the motley crew of people at a First Aid course innit? I had a Pilates teacher, a motorbike instructor, a Korean social worker (who came with his own interpretor who was typing out translations during the class coz he didn't speak much English), a lady whose father was prone to fainting... and that's about as far as I'd asked the people around me. (I kept wondering how snake bites would apply in a yoga class. LOL!)
ReplyDeleteI've just posted my thoughts on Sharath Day 1. Check it out! xxx
ha ha!!! Creepy photos!! I love them. Glad you had your own face! ha!
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