Untold Truths About the UK

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Untold Truths About the UK So many untold truths about what really happens in the UK, just someone sharing personal experiences

13/04/2024

Dear Diary 13 April 2024

Driving in the UK 😅

Drivers do is spend time on UK driving channels on YouTube etc before you come or invest in driving school in uk first before you drive here, penalties are real here,for the slightest mistakes. These traffic ⭕ circles that are in the middle of the motorway ma one đŸ˜©đŸ˜‚.

Can anyone share and tips and guides on driving in the UK


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08/02/2024

Dear Diary 8 February 2024
Please excuse my silence l have been going through the most, UP and Down.

We have been blessed yet again to see another year. My prayer for you all this year is for all your dreams to come true this year. Let’s keep pushing Team, zvichanaka chete. We keep praying for better days and for God to be our strength.

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21/12/2023

Dear Diary 21 December 2023 time 01:49am
Off late l just don’t have the energy to think about the things that are happening to me.
Modern Day Slavery;
“modern day slavery” working 5-6days per week 13-14hr shifts. Hmmmm not by choice, also tax will deal with you.

My tired is tired l am extremely exhausted and fatigued but employer will not hear any it. She says “isn’t when you were at home you people said you are willing to take and take up overtime” but not when it’s being shaved down your throat like, this is it healthy. God help us
Today l have nothing good to share, l will try again tomorrow guys.

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23/11/2023

Dear Diary

23/11/23, the Time is 22:43pm

COS curse or blessing hmmm,just come prepared and amourned to conquer. From my experience thus far as a carer in the UK. The journey is not for the faint hearted ,l considered myself tough at home but my strength is tested here. Some people end up doing 2/3jobs just to balance ma bills, l personally am too fatigued and zero energy due to exhaustion to work 2 jobs. I miss home, ini hangu l used to stay in SA
. l miss my family and friends but this is a better way to provide for my children. I miss the sunshine and heat. The work is paying but it is extremely overwhelming and hard I pretend as if all is well emotionally, but deep down inside l am really wishing this place was in Africa, where you could just do your work and drive home to family, but then again you remember that your children cant study in the dark because the power has gone out again (load shedding coupled with faults).

Advise to people wishing to relocate as carers is you need to be emotionally ready to face the work here, some are lucky with good working conditions and some are very unlucky. I have witnessed people including myself fall into depression, l have seen people get into bad debt, l have seen peoples marriages break. Ramba makashinga hama dzangu.

We ultimately looking at the bigger picture in this. Time wasn’t built in a day, we working harder towards our end goal.

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21/11/2023

Dear Diary
Today 20/11/23 l am working LD (Long Day)
Shifts starts na 8am and the days is as follows;
Get to work at around 7:40 for handover at 7:45am. After handover we find out if anything is of concern with the residents, incidents etc and how many people are still in bed that we need to get up for breakfast by 9am. Today it was 14pax still in bed which consisted of singles and doubles. Out shift had one senior on duty and four carers. We then split the residents accordingly 2singles and then 1 double. But l ended up doing 2more doubles in the day making total for washing today 2singles and 3doubles. (Ini care home randinoshanda pane ma locals ma british ) and one thing about them they don’t like to work and they push the work to you and one can’t even complain. After breakfast l was on tea trolley duty.
The day chores are as follows,
-tea trolley 11am / or 3pm
-towels
-laundry
-menus
-tables
Tea trolley is when you move around the Care Home giving the residents tea, after that for the rest of the day it was just toileting, toileting and more toileting of the residents. On Monday’s in our care home we are also required to change the linen on all beds and clean the mattresses. We also follow around and the residents that have dementia that keep wandering about. Today was a fairly quiet day in the care home l don’t know why l am exhausted. The above seems like haaa it was an easy day but l kid you not, washing 5 people is not easy and just doing lots of things in between I think my body has adjusted to the hard work here, kuma first days l remember going to the chemist crying ne back ache. Kuma first days l remember not being able to eat the whole day after toileting people đŸ€ŁđŸ˜‚ Manje haa it is what is is.
We are also required to entertain the residents with playing games and activities, scrabble, painting and colouring in. Then at lunch time it’s the same routine daily we start by serving in the dining hall then we do the rooms and lastly we do the feedings. After lunch more toileting for the rest of the afternoon until supper time. Then after supper it’s putting the residents to bed before shift ends at 8pm.

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12/11/2023

Dear Diary
The time is 02:46am l am on night shift again today. I am particularly tired today l think l am just fatigued as well. We have finished our chores around midnight at the Care Home now just attending to the bell đŸ›Žïž calls. So talking about chores, we are allocated what chores to do during the night after we have put the residents to bed and they are sleeping.
*Hoovering
*Kitchen - washing dishes (my word l must tell you about kitchen one day a story for another day)
*Equipment
*Tables
*Mopping
Talking-chores l am just thinking how l never used to like to clean or do any domestic chores when l was in back home in Africa. All my life from when l was a child growing up to my adult life we always had a helper at home. I honestly never knew my strength until l came to the UK. Let me also be honest l had never done care work before, l remember saying “what can be so difficult about caring for someone” you never really understand the depth until you experience it first hand. Also l am in my feels today, wallowing in a bit of self pity. It has only been 5months since l came to the UK it’s like l am a machine with a programmed routine. When lm not on shift at times l am stuck here at work as it is very remote so the bus system is bad in this area. There are only 3buses a day that go to the city centre at weird times too. I do have family in another town but l haven’t been to see them in 2weeks as my shift days have been scattered making it impossible for me to travel. I now fully understand why some people end up giving up and going back home, this place can make you really miserable. Everyday when l wake up l have to motivate myself and remind myself why l am doing this, why l am in this country, why l am working so hard. I look at the mirror and l can’t even recognise myself anymore. I know l have withdrawn from talking to people as tend not to respond to messages, l am not feeling very social at the moment. I am even scared of sharing with my family and inner circle how actually unhappy l am imagine since Sept 2022 when l started the UK journey all they have been hearing is me me me l feel like l am burdening them too much and l must act like all is okay and you know once you make a decision to come kwa Charisi you stick it out. I have my okay days and l have days like this l know l will be fine eventually. Well these are some of the things that l am going through in the midst of everything else that’s happening. But it is well tomorrow is another day let’s see what the day brings.

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09/11/2023

Continued::
As Promised, number 2 Petra.
Petra had a stroke about a year ago making her wheelchair bound.
The time is 6:30am and l walk into her room “Good Morning Petra, are you ready to get up yet”she grins and mumbles yes. I start by taking out her clothes from the wardrobe “would you like these pants with this top?” Whatever is okay with me she answers. I then push the stand aid into her room next to her bed, (A stand aid is a patient lifting device. It is specifically designed to assist those who have difficulty rising from a seated position to standing. An active standing hoist is used by people with limited or reduced mobility) for those that don’t know yet what it is
. “l have popped đŸ’© my pants” she says. Don’t worry l say we will get you cleaned up in a bit, do you still want to use the commode l ask her, no she says l have finished. By the way when you do training they will tell you you need 2 people to use a standing aid, this is for the patient’s safety as well as yours. But alas we are here my employer knows this fully well and we all use the standing aids alone which is not right at all. I am always aware of the risk and l am extremely careful all the time l do it against my better judgement but here l am transferring Petra to the standing aid alone. Petra is a big woman almost twice my size she’s a bit overweight. I transfer her to the shower stool l start to wash her with a flannel and shower gel. I dry her with a big drying towel as l am applying zero on her there is a weird smell and l think nothing of it since l haven’t cleaned her bottom. I get her clothes and l dress her starting with her top and jersey being extra careful as her one hand is not mobile, l wheel her out of the bathroom to do her legs and transfer to the standing aid so l can clean her bum, taa daaaa p**p on the floor my goodness l just asked this lady if she needed the commode and she said no, so she chose to p**p on the floor than in the commode lm so upset l ask her “Petra you said you didn’t need the commode but you have popped on the floor, please do say when you need the toilet so that l can take you”, l pay lots of money for you to take care of me she says, at this stage 😂😂😂 lm like Jesus take the wheel. I compose myself l clean the floor and transfer her to the standing aid clean her bottom apply barrier cream, put a pad and cream her legs then transfer her to her wheelchair. She’s done for the morning, l then do the standard procedure strip the bed, clean sheets etc and l wheel her to the lounge area and l start to prep for number 3.

Nhai friends how do you deal with difficult clients, it can be really draining.

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08/11/2023

Dear Diary
The time is 12:41 on my way home from night shift. I knocked off at 11am after night shift. We have this 14hr shift going on at my work place.

So my typical morning goes like this, from 5:30am we start washing the residents that are up and getting them prepared for the day. We are a 40bed Residential Home (meaning we have 40residents) about 10 of them are independent this means for those that don’t know they are able to wash and dress themselves and need help periodically here and there. The other 30 consist of vane dementia and vari bed ridden they use stand aids and double hoists. Night staff we are usually 4people and three knock off at 8am then one knocks off at 11am to help morning staff with the breakfasts and washing etc. Today l was on split shift that ends at 11am. Okay where was l, this morning l started by washing hmmm l will call her “Cecee”. I went to her room at 5:40am and she was already awake in bed. Cecee ane high dementia and little mental capacity so we just get her up without asking her if she wants to get up. As usual she had removed her pad and her bed was soaking wet. Getting her up from the bed is always a mission as she refuses to stand up “you pig you, little piggy go away” is her favourite morning saying with such aggression. She smacks and kicks and with a smile l talk to her “ Cecee darling don’t be upset you soaking wet let’s get you washed up” but it literally goes through one ear to the other. I then manage to get out of the bed, this woman is so heavy 😂 my poor back as she stands up and balances on me she walks to the toilet still screaming and shouting. I tell her to sit on the toilet seat, remove her soaking night dress and socks, wash her and apply zero base cream on her body. I quickly dress her then l stand her up to wash her bottom (bum) and apply some barrier cream. I go back to her bed and strip the wet bed and clean mattress and de-sanitize the mattress and put clean sheets and blanket. Pick up the wet damp pad from the floor and take the wet clothes to the laundry room. Cecee is done, she has taken me 45mins now l move to the next one. We must each wash at least 3/4people by 8am so that by the time the day staff comes in they carry on with whoever is left. I’m about to drop off my bus now l shall tell you about number 2 l shall call her “Petra”
To be continued:::

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08/11/2023

8 November 2023
Dear Diary today l am working night shift. The time is 00:08 started doing my checks at
23:30pm and l have just sat down to do the recordings. I am still not used to working nights but l honestly prefer them as they are not too busy compared to the day shift. I work in a Residential Care Home by the way.
Basically we do some cleaning around the Home when the residents are in bed and 2hourly checks. Pads changes at midnight and 4am. Today l am on midnight check and thank goodness there was no p**p yet, usually some of the clients would have messed themselves up immensely and we would need to clean the room and as well as them while doing the checks what a lucky break for me today.

Guys please can we tell the people the differences between a Residential Care Home and a Nursing Home so that our friends who are starting this journey can make informed decisions, we are just helping them with information we now know since coming kwa Charisi

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07/11/2023

Visa Application
I got my COS in January this year and l was very excited, l waited 3 long months because it been delayed and l was starting to lose hope.
I was based in South Africa so l travelled to Harare for Biometrics and started making plans about quitting my job in SA, and when my family would join me in the UK đŸ„Č😂 yooh but the Lord had other plans for me.
After 3weeks of submitting my passport for bio’s l got that generic email that says application is not straightforward, a day later got an email to say l must send proof that sponsor will maintain. On my COS maintenance was ticked NO and l had submitted my bank statements as proof of funds.I prayed then I asked my employer for letter just to say she will accommodate me just for 1month so that ndiwane visa and she agreed.
I then sent the additional information required thinking anytime visa rino buda wow, week 9 no visa no update “still at DMC” l did paid enquiries phone calls and emails every 3rd day and all l got was your application is at consideration stage.
I was drained mentally and emotionally, l didn’t know whether l was coming or going. The group of ladies that l had applied same time with ma visa had even travelled and started working, ini still at DMC.
One of the ladies l had applied with gave me an email address to follow up on and l emailed them, immediately after a few hours they responded saying application at consideration stage but this lady suggested that l email daily till l get an outcome at this stage l was now unsure about the UK all l wanted was my passport back imagine this was week 11 of passport in. I continued to email them daily then on week 12 their response was different “a decision has been made” l hadn’t received any emails from them prior to this and l emailed back to say what is the decision as l have been waiting for 12weeks and need to update my employer and they sent attachment to that says visa application successful with the BRP info l was over the moon but scared. It had been 12 weeks since l applied and it dawned on me that now that it’s out l have to follow through and go ku chando 🇬🇧
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