Woke up early at 6.30am to prepare for the First Aid and CPR course starting at 9am. It was a very gloomy day; rained for most of it. But we were indoors till 6.30pm anyway.. Yes, it was that long.

The first part of it was very boring. I couldn't help but get a shut eye for a moment. Just theoretical stuffs about medical conditions, the cause, symptoms and treatment in case of emergency. After lunch, there were more theory. Then, we finally went on with the CPR/AR/choking/shock practical exercises with the weird-looking dummies, both adult- and infant-size. Many were repetitive motions of breathing, pumping, checking, etc.. It was fun to a certain extent, but it got draggy as many of the maneuvers were similar.

Many of us were laughing as we carried out the exercises, but I suppose in real-life scenarios, I would crap my pants and be at a loss if I were put in charge to administer first aid. Especially since it isn't an everyday skill. In fact, I would most probably not be the first to volunteer to do so, partly due to bystander apathy, unless the situation is really dire.

I don't think I would ever require to put to use the stuffs I've learnt today in my daily job, since I'm in Conservation Bio. Unless animals require similar kind of resuscitation.. Otherwise, I signed up for this course (and paid CA$70) just because I was idle, I would obtain an official certification, and I think it will be good to have the basic first-aid knowledge..