We had a quiz in the second day which I got 12 out of 15. 80%. The passing mark for the course was 70%. So I was confident that I would be alright at the end. Then the topic of the day sounded very interesting to me. I was participating as much as I could. With fondness in the game(!) and the good percentage I had gotten from the first quiz, I went to Day 2 quiz which was held on the third day. The result was given, as before, after the lunch break: 11 out of 20! Only 55%! Now we have one more day of the class left and there is the final exam on the day four. Things do not look so good! There's so much shit to cover and every day I go back to the hotel, study a little bit and we go out for a crap food in the nearby establishments and then again go back to the hotel room and study as much as I can. The problem is the volume of the material to cover, as well as lack of sleep. I can't sleep well because I sit on my butt all day long. So, I'm not tired. Then there's the damn bed! It's mattress, pillow, sheets, pillowcase and blanket are all uncomfortable! I brought my pillowcase because I don't want to rest my head on a pillow that I don't know who has used it. But how about the damn sheet and blanket?! The only good thing was that it was not cold.
Now it's day 4 of the training and I know people have not done very well, mostly. Here're the people in the class: A Chinese guy who constantly nods like a bubble-head! He wore a baseball cap and was laughing at every stupid thing anybody said, which was mostly himself and the instructor, no offence! He also liked to show his big yellow pearls, often! He told me that it was his third time attending the course. I don't know if he was pulling my leg or he thought it was funny but he was the first one who handed his Answer Sheet, every time. Then there was this distinguishing, rude, silly Indian guy. He was the worst and I'm not saying because he was an (East) Indian. My best friends have always been (East) Indians. He was talking awkwardly, jumping in. Asking unclear and stupid questions and then apologizing! He was wearing a big winter jacket and toque in the classroom and in a nutshell he was a repulsive jerk! I shushed him twice! Once he was asking if I would take any course after that. The second time I was in a nearby business with my work buddy and he greeted me. I gave him a dirty look and that shut him up! There were a number of Canadian guys, who comprised the majority of the students, A Hispanic fat fella and eventually my work buddy, BigHead, who was a nervous rack after we got Quiz 1's result since he had done it poorly!
Now it is Fri. and the forth day. We went through Quiz 3 and 4 quickly but they were not for marking and then he reviewed the entire course and gave us a lunch break.
Final exam was held after the lunch. 35 questions. While seemed easy, it was completely different from all the quiz and the assignment we had done! For me it was not an issue because there were lots of Welding questions and I finished quickly but stayed a little longer to review. Now we were ready to leave for home and BigHead is upset and refuses to eat. He actually had something for lunch. He ate like a pig the entire time we were there just for the sake of eating but when I asked him for a Subway so we can celebrate(!) our accomplishment, he was not very happy but he did it. I eventually ended up in a Buster Juice and got myself a Very Berry and Chicken Pesto Panini. Now we're on the road, heading south towards home, he's playing with his damn phone and all of a sudden he goes: " Good news " And shows me his phone! The idiot doesn't understand that it's not easy for me to look at the tiny screen of the phone while driving on a busy highway! What he wanted me to see was the result of the exam! He got 74% which is a pass mark but he does not believe it! He calls it a miracle because he did so poorly in Quiz 1 and 2 but now it is over.
I dropped him at his door and now I'm nervous and at the same time I really badly need to go to bathroom! I'm almost 10 minutes from the workplace but I don't want to go there before I know my grade! I go to a nearby McDonald's and being Fri. and bad economy(!) the place is packed with people who are entertaining themselves with cheap food! What else can the majority of people do these days? I get myself into the bathroom after waiting a bit since there was a line and then set up the work laptop which I had brought. I am having difficulty navigating through the website because these guys have both my personal and work e-mail address. I go to my work e-mail address and there's nothing there and then find their e-mail which gives me the direction to where the grade is indicated! I go there and I'm nervous and it's not because I doubted that I would pass. I'm think that now that BigHead, who has no background in welding or anything material silence-related, has passed the course, what would everyone, including the guy who hired me would thing, if I failed! That would be a total and complete humiliation, particularly because I had requested to waive this course on the account of the 3-credit course which I passed 20 something years ago!
I finally reach the part of the damn website where it is indicated that I can see my grade but not before doing a survey! At this point I recall what GigHead told me on the car after he got his grade: Maybe I got a little bit extra from them after I did the positive review! I start the review and I try to be realistic and positive at the same time and then here is my grade: I got 77.7%. It's a pass alright but it's mainly because of Quiz 2. I would have gotten over 85%, otherwise. Now I'm relieved at both ends(!) I head to work while I could simply go home! It was around 15:30. I see my boss there he engages in a conversation regarding the next step which will be another course!
While I have not much issues with CINDE, the institution which held the course, now I can say it, there were a few mentioning in the course which was incorrect but I didn't want to cause a problem with the old instructor who was knowledgeable on almost all topics. I just recommended to the manager to allow us to register for the course at SAIT next time, not that I believe SAIT is a topnotch school! It's because I don't have to stay in a cheap hotel and eat damn junk food! I think he was convinced that despite the fact that SAIT's program is held in early 2024, we could hold off until then but he said he would discuss it on Tue.
I'm willing to do the course but my preference is clear. Who wouldn't want to stay in a hotel, get paid, eat for free and get a certificate which helps them in the career at the end? It's just the fact that staying in a nice hotel and having good food cost a lot. This time, no matter where I go, I would not spend any money on any damn fast food. I know what to do this time!
(Photo: A scene in the final moment of movie Training Day. Without spoiling the movie for the one they haven't watched it I must say that our training days were really disturbing and for BigHead probably very stressful but probably not as bad as what Hawke's character in the movie experienced!)
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