Training day 1

7:01 AM

I'm writing this portion of my entry from the lounge outside the gate I'll be boarding. I called the cab for 4:00, which gave us plenty of time to arrive at the airport. It's always a bit ridiculous, because they insist we arrive three hours in advance of travelling anywhere international, but when we get there, there's a ton of waiting and I'm always told I've arrived "a bit too early". Oh well, the one day I arrive late or on time is going to be the one day when there's a huge back-up at the airport, right?

All the people I've encountered at the airport who know where I'm going are so excited for me, which feels great. I'm incredibly exhausted at the moment, so I apologize for the lack of clarity in this entry. I'll update more when there's actually something to say.

9:09 AM

I'm in the air now, over god knows what part of which country or body of water. Maybe we don't even fly over a body of water; my geography is so abysmal. I'm pretty sure we can fly over water, but that it's not necessary or anything. Let's go with that. I'm starving, but it seems that the days of complimentary meals on airplanes are a relic of the past. All I can get for free on this flight is water, so I took advantage of that. It's 9:00 in the morning, and they're charging around selling chicken wraps. Whatever works, I guess. I'm having a really hard time staying awake, but every time I'm about to tip over into actual sleep, I hear one of the many kids in the next row over begin to shout and shriek. I curse them silently, and instinctively clasp my knees together, lest a child pop out of my own body and start making hideous noises. Ok, I'll update when next something noteworthy happens.

Oooh, the captain just came on over the speaker to let us know where where' flying. I didn't get all of it, but I do know we're going to be passing by Omaha Nebraska, some place in Wyoming, passing by salt lake City, and will begin our dissent in Yosemite National Park. He also told us that SanFran is expecting a temperature of about 18 degrees Celsius today, which is basically freezing as far as I'm concerned. Good thing I wore long sleeves.

11:04 AM (West coast time, anyway...have to adjust the time on my computer!).

I'm in the gDB van! My flight was largely uneventful, unless you want to count my ultimately failed attempts at sleeping, as it seemed that an entire pre-school was riding in the row behind us. Kids don't have any sort of volume-control on them, so I think the solution is for them to just not fly until they're like, ten.

When we landed in sanfransisco, I was escorted to the door of the plane, where I was met by a woman who muttered something under her breath, and then thrust a wheelchair at me.

"She can sit in this." she said to the flight attendant walking with me.

"Um, I think I'll be ok without that." I said. "Wrong disability!"

"Well what do I do with this wheelchair, then?" the woman wined.

Perplexed, I tried to think of something she could do with it. "Maybe give it to someone who needs it? maybe there's a wheelchair shortage in the sanFran area we didn't know about?"

"No, I'll just take it with us in case you change your mind."

Fine. So we walked along, pushing the abandoned wheelchair in front of us.

"If it'd be easier for you," I said, "Maybe we could leave your chair with a friend?"

"This is the airline's fault." she said. I gave up at that point. she wasn't outright hostile or anything, but she was very wedded to her wheelchair and there was really nothing I could do or say to get her mind off it. We made it to baggage claim, where I was quickly met by one of my class instructors! That's when it finally sank in: that I was headed to gDB for sure, and that I couldn't just, you know, make off with some random guy in sanfransisco and go swimming in the ocean or something equally irresponsible. She's been very friendly so far, and I'm now just sitting in the van, and have thankfully been given a bagged lunch provided by the dorm staff. I had the option of purchasing food on the plane, but one sandwich was going to cost like, 12 dollars so I opted for temporary starvation. It paid off though, I think. We're just waiting for one more girl who's flying in from L.A., and then we're heading to gDB. I asked the instructor if I was going to be in a class with people who were all 95 years old, and she laughed. She said there was a good mix of ages, but that there were definitely some people in their 30's. I have nothing against being in class with elderly people, but I have to admit I'm glad there are people sort of close to my age to socialize with as well. And who knows--I'll probably learn a thing or ten from the older folks!

Ok, I'm going to stop writing now, gulp back the sanfransisco air (which isn't as romantic as it sounds because it seems I'm surrounded by trucks), and eat this lunch before I get asked to star in a World Vision commercial for starving children. This is actually happening to me, guys!

1:08 Pm

I'm now at the inn Marin. The ride back to Marin county actually passed by really quickly, because one of my other classmates Melissa (hi, Melissa!) was riding back with us. She was the one flying in from fancy shmancy L.A. to join us. She, the instructor and I instantly got to talking, and we all hit it off immediately. I can't tell you how much of a relief that was for me, because one of my fears was that the various members of my class wouldn't have strong social connections. It certainly isn't necessary (as training with a dog is such an individual journey), but having supportive, fun, and understanding classmates can really make or break your experience, in my opinion. We found out that we'll both be working with the same instructor (the one who was driving us actually--I'm not yet sure if I'm allowed to use her name), and so we're all delighted to be getting on so well so quickly.

"So," I said during a rare moment of silence, "Do you know which dogs we'll be getting?"

"Yes!...and that's all I'll say! don't even try to get more out of me!"

We all laughed. The anticipation is mounting. I wonder if I'll like it, like its name, its personality...

I just got called away by Helen, one of the nurses here at GDB. She just needed to get a copy of my health insurance information, and also told me about the optional yoga class that's offered here on Tuesday nights, as well as the massage therapist who comes in on Sundays. I'm betting I'll need both.

Next up, one of the gDB staff will be orienting us around the Inn Marin's grounds. There's an outdoor swimming pool here, along with a hot tub, a restaurant, grassy areas for walking and sitting, and trees with hammocks for the laziness that will likely abound. My room is pretty big and bright, and I think I'll really like it here. I'll likely update again after our orientation. I also need to get the wireless internet information so that I can actually get online, let people know I'm alive, etc.

3:51 pm

I have no idea how to adjust the time setting on my computer. I'm using jaws 12 and windows 7. Add to that that I'm pretty technologically impaired, and I may just be stuck with good old eastern time for pretty much the rest of my life.

Ok, I'm literally in tears at the moment. My class supervisor just came to my door to introduce himself. Like everyone else I've met here, he seems incredibly kind, and I'm really looking forward to working with him. It's kind of weird to be at a school where English is the first language; I think I might actually really like it. anyway, he came back not two minutes later and said he was bearing gifts. It was a package from one of the members of the gDB lounge (You know who you are, and the only reason I'm not publicizing your name to the entire internet is for your own privacy; I could shout it from the rooftops with joy, myself). Your first name starts with an L and your puppy-guide's name is very pretty and begins with an M. I cannot explain just how touched I am that you thought of me. It's really something else when you show up, and on your first day of training, receive a little something that someone deliberately planned on giving you to cheer you up and put a smile on your face (and some additional pounds on my hips, might I add!). The people in your life are very lucky to know you, and I appreciate the gesture so, so much)

I'll be heading out for the orientation soon. I napped a bit earlier, but was woken up by what I swear was the sound of someone blind trying to walk into my room using the door that connects the two rooms together. I'm pretty sure we can't actually stroll in to one another's rooms this way as it's locked, but this didn't stop them from trying. I knew it was a blind person because you know how you sort of hear them slide their hands along the door and look for a slot or a handle? anyway, I figured that it was likely one of my classmates just being experimental with all the doors they could fine. This is a pretty secure area, but it still made me laugh. I love blind people so much. Ok, I'll update next when I come back from the orientation.

7:29 Pm

Now that I've eaten what amounted to a very delicious meal (steak with veggies and rice, with a chocolate éclair for dessert), I can wind down today's entry.

The orientation session went well. I'm really impressed by how accessibly the Inn Marin's grounds are laid out--a lot of right-angle turns, or sidewalks edged with grass so you can follow along. There are also other clues and signals that tell you where you are, like strategically placed patio furniture, and a very bubbly and pleasant-sounding fountain. I also got to meet the rest of the people in my class, and there are indeed a variety of ages and backgrounds reflected in this group. We all get along well enough though, but it's not as if I'm going to be forming my next life-long clique or anything. I actually prefer it that way, as despite being happy in many social settings, I really want to be able to focus on my dog, and also to recharge alone after a long day's work. There's one guy in our class, and bless his heart, he's a bit awkward with a cane. we were all walking around as gracefully as possible given that we were a group of blind cane-users following a guide-dog user, and so when the people at the front of the group would stop, the people behind them would sort of inevitably drift forward and bump gently into them. every single time I stopped, he'd hit my leg with his cane, and then just keep walking forward. To be polite, I'd edge forward to just give both of us some much needed personal space. He followed suit--tapping me with his cane, and then just edging forward anyway. He seems like a really nice guy though, but it was kind of funny. Like there's no real use in having a cane if after locating an object with it, you just go plowing forward anyway haha. Anyway, like I said, very nice guy, so it should be a good class. We also met another of our class instructors, and she also seemed really nice. I know I'm not giving too  many unique descriptors for a lot of these people, but I haven't really had much of a chance to interact with them beyond the pleasantries of starting class and all that fun stuff. After dinner, we briefly went over the code of conduct (don't grope people, abuse your dog, or set anything on fire, basically), and were told about the role of the nursing staff. I think it's really good of gDB to have nursing staff be such an integral part of the training program, because medical issues are often unpredictable, and it's always better to be prepared than to just scramble around for a solution later.

Anyway, I booked it back to my room after all the lectures were done. I really need to catch up on sleep, and also make a few phone calls. So far, so good! I think we may be doing some juno work tomorrow, but noone's actually confirmed that.

Someone just came to my door. It was the resident advisor (who's a staff member at gDB who also happens to be a guide dog handler). She'll be doing a lot of the overnight stays with us. She came into bring me my dog's fleece matt, as well as a tie-down for it. The rug feels so soft, and I imagine it'd make quite a comfy spot for a puppy who's nervous about his or her first night in a new and strange place with a new and strange person. Alright guys, I'm out.

Goodnight everyone, and thanks again for your support, and for reading this or thinking of me.