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)!
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