Adulthood is scary, which is why I am thoroughly enjoying watching my 18 year old friends flail about whilst I stay on the 'dancing queen young and sweet only 17' boat. Yes I know, being 17 really sucks because you can't go out with your friends or have any legal fun or vote but at least I can still behave like an idiot and say "hey I'm 17. it's okay".
Anyway, it's getting closer and closer until my birthday (less than a month now!!) and I've been thinking about the future and stuff. Mainly my gap year.
I decided to take a gap last year with one of my best friends. Since then, my plans have re-jigged quite a lot. I'm now heading off to New Zealand, on October 23rd (via Hong Kong), alone!
So I've made a quick Q/A based on what I usually get asked (as a protest to people who ask me this, and to be nice and open to y'all).
Why NZ, I hear you cry? I'm not quite sure. Part of it is that my family approve (which shouldn't be factor I know), I have contacts over thanks to my Gran's past family tree finding antics, and also kind of because my ex used to talk about going, so I guess that initially planted the idea in my brain.
Really? Alone? Yup.
What are you gonna do over there? I'm getting a working holiday visa, so that is exactly what I'll be doing. I'll work my arse off, and travel around NZ 'cause it's really lovely.
Where are you going to stay? Who knows?! I'll find out when I'm over there. It's an adventure!
Aren't you scared? I'm absolutely terrified. I've never really traveled on my own, so this is a huge step. But, I'm hoping that the group flight with BUNAC will help me make some friends who are in the same position as me.
And so your parents are paying for it? Not that it's any of your business but no, not all of it. My parents have always given me an allowance but I saved a hell of a lot of money when I was younger (me aged 8-10 was an obsessive saver), and that should cover some travel costs. And I have a full-time job as a waitress.
You probably won't come back, I knew blah blah and they went on a gap year and never came back. Okay so I've already applied to university and (subject to my grades) I will be attending in 2015. I am absolutely desperate to go to uni and train to be a nurse, but I want to grow up and be free for a little bit.
That is sooo brave of you! I don't see why? I'm not seeing this as brave, I see it as running away. I'm so sick and tired of my life in England and all I want to do is get away. I've felt this for a long time, and I really didn't want to use university as an escape because my chosen course is so demanding- it shouldn't be an escape, but a happy and healthy choice.
I hope you've found this update.... interesting. If you are thinking about taking a gap year, pop back to my previous blog post which provides you with loads of really good advice and sites to use. I can personally definitely recommend STA Travel and BUNAC at the moment, as they're organizing my trip and have been super fab.
And if you're doing any exams at the moment like me, keep going.
Thanks for reading,
Kitty x
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happiness. Show all posts
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Monday, 5 May 2014
The Key To Happiness
I've been thinking about happiness a lot lately, and what it feels like to be truly happy. It's been a really tough past couple of months, and so any moments in which I feel happy are treasured. However there are very few moments that I can still re-live the feeling of pure joy for life, and they remind me to smile even when I'm sad.
It's a pretty rough time for anyone at the moment I feel, so I'm encouraging both you and myself to think about the happier times to get us through the darker times. So, here are my most treasured moments of happiness within the past year.
8th August - Yasmin (one of my best friends) and I went to Cardiff to visit the 'Doctor Who Experience'. It was my first trip which was without parents that I had organized and it felt good. I was starting to buzz with the idea of leaving home and, as you may remember, this was the trip where the Gap Year idea started. My favourite memory from this trip, however, was when we visited the Tardis set in the BBC studios. We were so unbelievably excited and could barely contain ourselves; which made our fellow tour-takers smile a lot. We ran around the set like hyper children, joining in with the jokes that the tour guides made and enthusiastically answering jolly quiz questions. It makes me smile about how excited we were, and the way it felt to be a little bit more carefree in a new city.
15 or 16th or something August 2013- Results day. My stomach was churning, my hands shaking and my dress sense was fabulous (dressing nicely calms me down). I had every second of the morning planned out, even the playlist for the car on the way to collect them. After the usual 'wait, how do you say your name' fiasco, I collected that ugly brown envelope. And I opened it. And I cried a bucket load of happy, 'thank god that's over' tears. I hadn't failed Human Biology which, as someone who wants to apply for nursing, is pretty essential. I stood, still shaking, having to mop up my face with my Dad's handkerchief. It was a really weird day, because a lot of people close to me were pretty upset but the relief that swept over me was unbelievable. Plus it was because of that day that I got the motivation to work for Year 13.
25th-29th October- The Berlin history trip was probably the happiest I have ever been (or that I can remember), and that was largely due to the fact that I was really really unhappy and yet I managed to let that go and enjoy myself with my best friend Darcy. The whole trip was totally amazing, but there was one moment that really stuck out. And this story will be told in great detail, so bear with me.
Darcy and I were having a pretty rough day, as many of our fellow classmates were being a bit insensitive when it came to a memorial. We eventually found a Dunkin' Donuts in the Sony Center to relax in and had a gorgeous lunch (both in terms of food and conversation) in which we shared a lot of stuff and became even closer. On our way to meet the rest of the group, we noticed a large red carpet being set up, and the Thor 2 film being advertised. One of our classmates told us that it was the Berlin premiere for the film that night but we refused to believe him. It was confirmed soon after that, but we dismissed the idea that we could turn up as we were on a school trip. Luckily, one of the attending teachers was a big Marvel fan and agreed to let us return in time to see the actors arriving. We madly fantasized about being able to see the actors and worked ourselves up into a frenzy of excitement. When the time came, our teachers said meet back at 9 and gave us free reign. Darcy and I immediately ran off into the crowd, shouting excuse me in poor German as we went, and got an okay space to see the red carpet. Chris Hemsworth passed right by us and we screamed with happiness, still amazed that we were here. Somehow, I'll never know how, we managed to get to the front of our section of barriers. We waited patiently until Tom Hiddleston arrived and screamed with happiness when he did. He spent a small amount of time signing stuff on the other side of the carpet and then went off to be interviewed. By chance, he quickly returned to the hoards of people and started signing again. His agent was keen to move him on, and by this point our barrier started screaming for him to come over.
I'll never know why, but he did. He ran over to our barrier and, whilst nearly slipping, ran straight to me and Darcy. Over the screams of people around us, he said (and if this is wrong, Darcy, please correct me. It's a mad blur) "Here are tickets to my premiere tonight, come and see my film." Darcy grabbed the tickets and he had to run off.
Screams. We screamed, a lot. We had no idea what to do. After being told what to do (go on the red carpet!) by some lovely fans next to us, we eventually got onto the red carpet. Still star-struck and mega shocked, we made our way up the red carpet to see our other friends in the crowd; amazed.
I don't think I will ever be as happy as I was that day. It was totally amazing, and made me giddy with excitement whenever I think about it.
Here are some GIFs and pictures...
It's a pretty rough time for anyone at the moment I feel, so I'm encouraging both you and myself to think about the happier times to get us through the darker times. So, here are my most treasured moments of happiness within the past year.
8th August - Yasmin (one of my best friends) and I went to Cardiff to visit the 'Doctor Who Experience'. It was my first trip which was without parents that I had organized and it felt good. I was starting to buzz with the idea of leaving home and, as you may remember, this was the trip where the Gap Year idea started. My favourite memory from this trip, however, was when we visited the Tardis set in the BBC studios. We were so unbelievably excited and could barely contain ourselves; which made our fellow tour-takers smile a lot. We ran around the set like hyper children, joining in with the jokes that the tour guides made and enthusiastically answering jolly quiz questions. It makes me smile about how excited we were, and the way it felt to be a little bit more carefree in a new city.
15 or 16th or something August 2013- Results day. My stomach was churning, my hands shaking and my dress sense was fabulous (dressing nicely calms me down). I had every second of the morning planned out, even the playlist for the car on the way to collect them. After the usual 'wait, how do you say your name' fiasco, I collected that ugly brown envelope. And I opened it. And I cried a bucket load of happy, 'thank god that's over' tears. I hadn't failed Human Biology which, as someone who wants to apply for nursing, is pretty essential. I stood, still shaking, having to mop up my face with my Dad's handkerchief. It was a really weird day, because a lot of people close to me were pretty upset but the relief that swept over me was unbelievable. Plus it was because of that day that I got the motivation to work for Year 13.
25th-29th October- The Berlin history trip was probably the happiest I have ever been (or that I can remember), and that was largely due to the fact that I was really really unhappy and yet I managed to let that go and enjoy myself with my best friend Darcy. The whole trip was totally amazing, but there was one moment that really stuck out. And this story will be told in great detail, so bear with me.
Darcy and I were having a pretty rough day, as many of our fellow classmates were being a bit insensitive when it came to a memorial. We eventually found a Dunkin' Donuts in the Sony Center to relax in and had a gorgeous lunch (both in terms of food and conversation) in which we shared a lot of stuff and became even closer. On our way to meet the rest of the group, we noticed a large red carpet being set up, and the Thor 2 film being advertised. One of our classmates told us that it was the Berlin premiere for the film that night but we refused to believe him. It was confirmed soon after that, but we dismissed the idea that we could turn up as we were on a school trip. Luckily, one of the attending teachers was a big Marvel fan and agreed to let us return in time to see the actors arriving. We madly fantasized about being able to see the actors and worked ourselves up into a frenzy of excitement. When the time came, our teachers said meet back at 9 and gave us free reign. Darcy and I immediately ran off into the crowd, shouting excuse me in poor German as we went, and got an okay space to see the red carpet. Chris Hemsworth passed right by us and we screamed with happiness, still amazed that we were here. Somehow, I'll never know how, we managed to get to the front of our section of barriers. We waited patiently until Tom Hiddleston arrived and screamed with happiness when he did. He spent a small amount of time signing stuff on the other side of the carpet and then went off to be interviewed. By chance, he quickly returned to the hoards of people and started signing again. His agent was keen to move him on, and by this point our barrier started screaming for him to come over.
I'll never know why, but he did. He ran over to our barrier and, whilst nearly slipping, ran straight to me and Darcy. Over the screams of people around us, he said (and if this is wrong, Darcy, please correct me. It's a mad blur) "Here are tickets to my premiere tonight, come and see my film." Darcy grabbed the tickets and he had to run off.
Screams. We screamed, a lot. We had no idea what to do. After being told what to do (go on the red carpet!) by some lovely fans next to us, we eventually got onto the red carpet. Still star-struck and mega shocked, we made our way up the red carpet to see our other friends in the crowd; amazed.
I don't think I will ever be as happy as I was that day. It was totally amazing, and made me giddy with excitement whenever I think about it.
Here are some GIFs and pictures...
Anyway! Those were my happiest moments of this past year (yes I know we are in May of this year, but I can't top Berlin). I'm not kidding when I say I think of these when I'm sad, and it really does work. Remembering that Tom Hiddleston personally gave you tickets to his film premiere really gets the Serotonin levels rising.
If this blog post can tell you anything, it's that life can be really rubbish sometimes and it can suck when you feel you have nothing to be happy about. But that doesn't mean it always will be. One of the reasons why I had such a fantastic time in Berlin was because I was in such a dark place, and suddenly I was given a chance to relax and enjoy myself.
Even when things are going wrong, you can always have something to keep you going.
Thanks for reading,
Kitty x
Kitty x
p.s) this blog post is dedicated to Darcy, my best girl. I love you, keep going.
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