So… the flight went well, and to my HUGE relief, I felt nothing but joy when I landed at Sharm el Sheikh international airport, suddenly I felt like I had made the right decision in coming here, I had come home. Once I was checked into my room I got some water and incredibly boringly went to bed! I have only got three weeks now in which to get myself well and truly ready for the course.
Well today is the day. For some reason I am still feeling pretty anxious about the whole thing… just a little disturbing, I must say. But, hey there’s not a huge amount I can do about it at this precise moment. I have been given this opportunity and would be mad to pass it by. I guess if it all goes horribly wrong, I can always get a flight home. I have been getting this awful realisation of the incredible responsibility held by an instructor . As a dancer, if you mess up, no one is really likely to get badly hurt, whereas as a diving professional, you have a completely different kind of responsibility!
So… the funding came through! I got the final call on Monday and suddenly realised that not only had I not prepared physically for this, I had also not dared to prepare emotionally for this in anyway! Where I should have been cheering and dancing for joy, I sat numb with shock, suddenly very aware that my life was about to change quite dramatically. I knew in my heart of hearts that this would be a good change, however there was an inner fear of it all that kind of overtook any joyous feelings I should have been having. I could not work out whether this was my gut feeling telling me this was a bad thing to do, or whether it was just me being a big fat coward.
The original plan had been for me to fly today, however after getting the final decision, I realised that that would have been cutting things just a little fine. And with this being my birthday, maybe it would be a good thing to spend it with my family and friends. This also gave me a little breathing space to get the practicalities organised. Needless to say, I also have my course notes to finish for the Pop Academy work I am doing in September!Eeek!
Well so far I have only reached the study stage of preparation… reading chunks of “the best of the Undersea Journal” in conjunction with the “Candidate Workbook”. My Instructor Manual is beginning to look pretty well-thumbed now, which does make me wonder how it will fare once it is actually being used for my work!
I still don’t know for sure whether or not I will be able to join this summer’s IDC as I have applied for funding from a charity that helps dancers re-train in a second profession. Those of you who know me or who have looked below the surface on this site, will know that I have had a pretty lengthy career as a dancer and am finally about to swap jazz shoes for fins and jump into a whole new life-style.
Watch this space for the latest news on the funding front. I find out on the 13th May, so if you all keep your fingers crossed and think positive, I should be successful.
