My Favourite Places

I have always been in awe of the world (it’s this fascination that is actually one of the main reasons for my faith in God). I love to look at the stars, I love to see sunsets and sunrises, I love to walk through a forest at any time of day or night, I love the set line of a horizon over the sea.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel quite a bit for my age, thanks to my dad’s job and his obsession with holiday-booking. I’d like to share with you my favourite places, and if you’d like to then please feel free to share yours with me! They could be in your house, in your country, or anywhere else in the world.

Goa, India

To kickstart this list, I’d like to share with you an experience that truly changed my life. It introduced me to Christianity, charity work, and the rich/poor divide, which was shown to me more clearly then than I had ever seen before, and have ever seen it since.
I won the trip of a lifetime to visit Goa, India in a business competition run by Faith and Football, a Christian charity. My team of 5 friends had to create a product, market it, and sell it to the public. We also had to create a business plan, which we put so much effort into that it won us the competition. The prize was a week in Goa to relax and see the sights, but more importantly to help the charity and try to spread some love and happiness. We visited old people’s homes and met some incredible people, who had nothing but were so content. The whole trip will stick with me forever, but the one highlighted memory for me was our last night in India, when we visited the orphanage we had been getting to know the boys from. Words can genuinely not even begin to express the emotions that filled the air that night. One man even spoke in tongues (which, honestly, is absolutely terrifying if you don’t know what it is) which was incredible looking back on it now, but very frightening for a bunch of 14 year olds who had no connection whatsoever to the Holy Spirit. Goa is such a beautiful place, and I so strongly urge anyone who has the chance to go there to do so. However, it’s also a very unequal place. There are rich people and rich areas of India, and then there are the poorest. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground, which is also true of many other Asian countries and African countries. This level of inequality is one that we are very lucky not to have in England (although I’m definitely not saying that England has true equality, that’s for sure) and that needs to change so that everyone has a chance to not just survive, but thrive.

The Cows

Another of my favourite places is one a little closer to home. On my road, there’s only houses on one side, and on the other there is a big green area. It’s a sort of combination between forest and grassy space, and occasionally there’s horses grazing on the spaces. I love to take my guitar or a book or some song lyrics and just sit and be in the space, surrounded by trees and horses and fresh air. It’s like going to the country but without the smells. My family calls this space ‘The Cows’ because one time, roughly 18 years ago, there were a few cows grazing there when my mum took my brothers up to it. There haven’t been any cows there since, but I have always (and probably always will) see(n) this place as ‘The Cows’.

Orlando, Florida

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My final favourite place of this list is one which I am very, very excited about. I’m excited because in April I’ll be lucky enough to visit once again! When I was a child, my parents took me and my two brothers to Florida relatively frequently, because we were so infatuated with princesses (me), Winnie the Pooh (my brother), and the magic of Disneyworld. I reckon Mickey Mouse has this magic about him that whenever someone sees him, internally they’re instantly seven years old again. But that’s just a theory. When I look back on the old times in Disney, the most prevalent memory is of eating at the Princess Castle, where you would be having dinner and look up to see Jasmine chatting to your mum, or Ariel hugging the kid next to you. It’s moments like these that I’ll remember forever, and even though now I’m a lot older (but no taller. Thanks puberty.) I still cannot wait to wear the Minnie Mouse ears and go on the rides and just experience the magic that (I believe) can only be found at Disney. Also, what can a vegan eat at Disney world? EDIT I’ve actually found a website with a BUNCH of food options for vegans at Disneyworld, if anyone’s interested (I sure am)!

The Versatile Blogger Award

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Today's post is a little out of the ordinary: The Versatile Blogger Award. I was tagged by the lovely Anna (who actually got me into blogging!) so go and check out her version of this post! The idea is to give your readers 7 facts about yourself, so here goes!


1) Bring on fact number 1: I love to write! As in, physically write (pen and paper). For college and to save time, I usually type, however there's something about the glide of a pen forming the curves and harsh lines of letters that really gets me. Because of time constraints and practicality, the only time I actually write write is in my journal, in my Bible, or occasionally when writing poetry. When was the last time you old-school wrote? Is it a regular occurrence for you? I'm going to try and make it one for me.

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2) Mentioning the Bible previously, this leads on nicely to fact number 2: I am a Christian. I've mentioned it before on here but I still haven't done The Big Christian Post :P. The change in belief is something that's happened relatively recently and quickly to me; I felt a change happening for a long time, but I admitted to myself what was actually happening in maybe summer of this year? Was raised in what I'd describe as an atheist family with strong emphasis on science, so choosing what to believe for myself was (and is) a huge deal for me. Honestly, I couldn't be happier that this change has happened inside me. That being said, I still have a long way to go before I'm totally comfortable in my faith. This journey is being helped massively by my family (who are so much less judgemental than I thought they'd be), my friends (ditto), and the other Christians I know (in particular Isaac and Zulobia, who 100% will not be reading this but still). If you ever have any questions about religion, please please please contact me! I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have (or to pass them on to someone more qualified to answer!), or to pray for you or a loved one.

3) The topic of Christianity sets up this fact: My inspiration in life is Rachel Joy Scott. Again, I haven't done The Big Rachel Post, but I'll try and sum it up here. She was born in 1981 and lived a short life that was filled to the brim with spirituality and compassion. She lived not only for God, but for others. She always put her own needs last, which inspires me to do the same. My aim is to be as full of compassion and righteousness as she was. Her relationship with Jesus was so unique and powerful that 11 months prior to her death, she predicted it. Unfortunately, she was shot and killed in the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, leaving only her memory, journals, and Rachel's Challenge as a legacy.

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4) To get off the topic of religion: I currently have a weird obsession with the piano. I cant play it, never have and probably never will, but there's something about it that I cant get enough of. In fact, right now I'm listening to Beethoven's "Moonlight" by Valentina Lisitsa (who is one of THE MOST talented pianists out there, in my opinion). I have no urge to play the piano myself, but for some unknown reason I am soothed and yet riled up by it's delicate passion. I'm also kind of getting into violin at the moment (again listening, not playing), but the piano is really special to me right now. My favourite pieces are probably Beethoven's "Moonlight", as mentioned before, Karl Jenkins' "Palladio" by Mark Klett, and the incredibly moving "Elegy for the Victims of the Tsunami" by Nobuyuki Tsujii.

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5) Staying on the subject of music: This is the first Christmas in 6 years in which I did not perform at my school's Christmas concert. It feels weird, I don't like it. I went to see this year's concert (which was so fabulous btw, congrats if you're reading this Mr Lawrenson/Veale) and I couldn't help but feel such a sense of longing to be back on stage. Unfortunately, because of the subjects I chose to do at college I am unable to perform at any point in my college years, which is kind of a bummer. Still, the concert was lovely and festive and filled with talent, but I still couldn't help wishing that I was a part of it again!

6) Onto number 6: I LOVE to travel, and my favourite ever place to go is South Africa. I first visited in the Summer of 2012, and I was lucky enough to go back to the beautiful country this Summer. I have a passion for wildlife, so a safari holiday is perfect for me, and there's something so special about seeing wild animals where they're supposed to be, as opposed to in a cage. We had a couple of close encounters with elephants, most prevalently at 3am when I was alone in an unlocked cabin with 3 huge elephants eating from the thatched roof. But still, the thrill and adrenaline made the fear worth it's while. I would relish the chance to go back, should I ever be lucky enough.

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7) And finally, number 7: I adore A Very Potter Musical (and Sequel) by Starkid. Like really, really adore it. Not a day goes by where I don't quote it somehow, be that in song or speech, and I happen to be lucky enough that a few of my friends also love it, so they understand my quotes! The humour, the talent, the Potterness! It honestly warms my heart and never fails to cheer me up. Many a free have I spent at college watching a re-watching both AVPM and AVPS (Joe Walker marry me please), and I can't think of a single more productive way of spending a few dozen frees.

I hope you enjoyed 7 facts about me, and maybe learned something! For the award I tag Minerva (mainly because of the super cool name!). I look forward to reading your post! :)

Achievable Aspirations: 'Travel'

Hi guys! Another Wednesday, another Achievable Aspiration. This week's is to visit a place you've never been to!
Now, a common yet not easily attainable resolution is to 'travel more'. This resolution is vague and difficult to see whether or not you've actually achieve it. However, if your resolution is simply to visit one new place, this is far easier to log.
This place doesn't have to be another country, or even another city. It could be the museum in your town, or that gorgeous campsite down the road, or even just that new café that recently opened.
Your resolutions don't have to massively change your life, but they can easily change your day.
So get out, and visit that museum; learn something new! Have a weekend camping with your friends/family/partner and get back to nature! Try a new type of hot drink (Although we all know a simple black americano is the only good hot drink)!
So get out there, and 'travel'. It doesn't have to be far.