Planning Ahead.

At the beginning of April I booked my Interrail Trip around Europe and I have never done anything like this before, so the bundle of excitement/nerves has got be planning every detail already.

I am due to leave for my trip on the 30th August and I can honestly say that I've pretty much planned out every detail already! I've done the budget for each day, timetable for each city (there are 7 cities I'm visiting altogether) and I have also found the best train times for each day I am travelling. Now I know that's very excessive and quick, but I would prefer to plan now than too close to the time.n

This got me thinking, in life generally people like myself like to "plan ahead" too. When we are at school we are told to start planning for our futures at such young ages so that we don't make any mistakes and stay on track to success. I remember being told at 13 that my GCSE choices would determine if my life will be successful or a failure. This state of mind has clearly stayed with me which is why I tend to plan ahead way earlier than needed. 

However, sometimes we have dreams which we plan to achieve and this gets us excited and therefore leads to planning years of days ahead of the dream we have. Nevertheless, many of these dreams don't leave the drawing table and all our plans fall off the mountain. 

I definitely have had plans which have never met reality, being a journalist was one which I so desperately wanted to come true. However my exam results didn't meet the requirements needed to make the dream a reality and so I let my plans drift away. Should I have let go of my dreams that quickly? I don't know. What I do know is that plans change and that's ok. Because of that one dream to become a journalist, I decided to create a blog to do what I love without the stress of exams getting in my way. Writing is somethings love and I may not be the best or have any success in this blog, but one thing is for sure and that is that I love it. 

Luckily my Interrail is set in stone and I'm so excited to write about my experiences on here and to test myself at looking after myself abroad and take risks. And see what new dreams form from this once in a lifetime opportunity I planned myself. 

My April 2016

Each month is different in its own right. We see different people, have different opportunities and sometimes are different people each month of the year. Some months are more significant than others for many reasons. This month has been significant to me due to the fact that I turned 19 on April 22 this year. So I thought I would write about what I have done this month so that I have a permanent reminder on what an amazing month this has been for me personally.

Right at the start of the month, me and my boyfriend, James booked our Interrail tickets which will take us around Europe for 3 weeks starting on the 30th August 2016. Now if this isn't something significant in my life I have no idea what is. I am so excited to start planning this trip as its something new and very out of my comfort zone, in a good way that is. I've wanted to do this Interrail trip since I was 13 and my parents told me about the time they did it in the late 80s. I love european culture and its history fascinates me, so to be able to see monuments and castles which I had only previously read about in textbooks and see on documentaries would be a dream come true. I am very much a history "nerd" if you would use that terminology. Europe was the centre of power for many centuries and has influenced so much in good and bad ways that it seemed silly for me not to explore its current culture and see its remains of a super power gone by.

 This month I also had the opportunity to go to London to see the amazingly talented Mathew Perry star in his own play called "The End of Longing". This play expressed so many issues and emotions which made you look at ourselves in other ways. Would we change our faults to save a relationship? Or put aside anxieties to give something/someone a chance. The play in my opinion was a 7.8/10 due to its comedy element and realism but I would say needed a bit more information on the characters in some points. 

I also in London visited some sights and museums which was lovely and enjoyed just walking around London markets and the streets just admiring the bustling city on a nice weekend right before the Queen's 90th Birthday Celebrations began across the city and beyond.

This month was also my 19th Birthday which I celebrated over the course of 3 days. I first went to Clarks Village with my lovely Mum near Bridgewater, Somerset on the 21st April (day before). I had a nice late morning shop around buying a few things here and there. Then later on I met up with some friends for some drinks and stayed out very late as you do when you are young...(drink responsibly.)

Then on my actual birthday (22nd April) I had a lazy morning spent with my boyfriend and family opening presents etc. Then went out for an amazing meal in Bristol at a restaurant called the "Glass Boat" which faced out onto the Bristol Docks and had a 3 course meal there right before I went to see Mamma Mia at the Bristol Hippodrome with my boyfriend.


The following day my brother Amrik came home from London to see me and our family went out for another meal at Nonna's restaurant in Bath which is a lovely little Italian place very near the famous Royal Crescent in Bath.

Now... I do want to mention that while at this restaurant this very annoying couple sat next to our table kept making unneeded remarks and looks at my sister who is autistic and I would like to mention how rude and obnoxious that makes you. I also would like to say that you ruined my birthday meal for me and my family and made it uncomfortable for everyone around you. I would like you to know that not everyone is the same and thats okay. My sister has special needs and doesn't deal very well with situations like going to a new restaurant all that well. I was proud of her making the effort to go to my birthday meal and people like you make her feel anxious and scared to try new things which may seem simple to you but to her is very scary. So take a lesson and learn that not everyone is like you. Most people are nice and do not stare and make comments.

So that was my April 2016. A very adventurous month and also the start of an amazing Spring/Summer for me to enjoy documenting for the next coming months leading up to my amazing expedition around Europe.