How has this year gone so fast already?! It's been a pretty good year actually. Of course there have been ups and downs but definitely been a good year and I reckon it will get a lot better towards the end of it! Thought I'd give you a life update of what my year has been like, considering I've only just started blogging properly. I know my blog is dedicated to travelling and a bit of photography but I follow so many lifestyle bloggers and I enjoy reading them all so much, surely it can't be that hard right? Hopefully I'll have a stab at it and see whether it suits me or not..
JANUARY - EXAM RESULTS AND CELEBRATIONS
Starting the New Year off partying it up in Cardiff, I was so grateful to welcome the year with my favourite people. Unfortunately I didn't have much time at home after New Years before heading back to university, but I was excited to see all my housemates and catch up with them after a few weeks off. It was my friend Alex's birthday in early January so we had a night out in Manchester to look forward to. We went to 2 clubs, both of which had great vibes, one which was video game themed! The rest of January was quite busy with work (when is it not?) as I had a few exams and presentations to prepare for. I managed to make a surprise trip home for my Grandma's 80th birthday and it's fair to say she was quite shocked to see me.
FEBRUARY - TRAVEL PLANNING
February was a pretty hectic month as me and my friend Toya had a lot of planning and booking to do for our trip to China in Easter. In December we were very lucky to have been granted a travel bursary for a trip to China. We had created a day-to-day itinerary, just had to start booking everything. I was very close to being forced to cancel the trip and I stupidly forgot my passport ran out in a months time but luckily the process was very quick, as well as applying for a visa (I got it 9 days before we were leaving!!) I also took another trip home during February for a week (it was a "reading" week) as I knew I wouldn't be able to come home until the end of the university year.
MARCH - ESCAPING TO CHINA
The month has arrived and the countdown began to the days before we left. Everyday me and Toya saw each other we kept getting more and more excited. On the day, I was slightly nervous and I have no idea why. Another thing I forgot to mention is that my sister was already out in China on her year abroad. On that date, we hadn't seen each other for about 6 months and if you know how close we are, it was a big struggle for both of us. Knowing that I would see her as soon as we got out of Pudong Airport was getting me full of excitement.
APRIL - DEALING WITH JET LAG AND DEADLINES
We got back from China on the 3rd and were starting back at university on the 4th. It's fair to say that jet lag was a pain and I was struggling for a good 2 weeks. The day we arrived back I thought I was fine, until I fell asleep at 11am and woke up thinking it was midday, whereas it was actually 9pm..woops!
MAY - FINISHED 3RD YEAR?!
I started packing up my room as I was heading back down south in a few weeks time. Before thinking about heading home, I had a list of exams to get through. Nobody enjoys May because it is full of constant revision and no free time. I spent many days and nights in the library and hardly any time spent at home, my housemates thought I had disappeared I was never at home.
JUNE - REUNITED WITH FAMILY IN AMERICA
The whole of June was spent in America travelling with my best friend and seeing my family out there in Colorado. To read more, I have day-to-day blogs about my journey so go and have a read :)
JULY - WORK, WORK AND WORK
I think my whole family was waiting for this month because my sister was arriving back after 10 months spent in China. Many tears and big hugs, we were glad to have her back!
I spent the whole of July mainly working (as a lifeguard) as we have Summer School for 4 weeks. It is a lot of fun but it very tiring as well. I got to catch up with old friends and enjoy lots of good food (the best part about my job). I also got to see all my best friends one night who I hadn't seen for a good 7 months, you notice how close you are when you see your friends after a long time and it's like no time has passed by.
AUGUST - PREPARING FOR CHINA
Pretty good start to the month as Summer School had finished so work wasn't so hectic anymore. Time to start preparing everything for China...where to begin? August is always a busy month as I have a lot of birthdays to celebrate, including mine!! My best friends birthday is 15 days before me so on one Monday we headed off to London with her family. Having only heard of it a few times, we booked to go up to the Sky Garden at the Walkie Talkie, and then watched the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall that evening. All in all, it was the perfect day. Me and a group of friends set off to the Newbury Races for Ladies Day which was a ball of fun.
Finally, before I set off, I had a leaving do at my house with all my favourite people which was lovely. Was emotional but on to the next chapter of my life!!
How has your year been so far? Let me know in the comments :)
