Two Steps Ahead

Once again, I find myself in need to explain my absence and owe you (and myself) an apology for not reporting the events for the weeks that have passed. I have kept up with the events in writing, however my camera ran out of batteries so I didn't have any photos to back up my story. Nevertheless, here's what has been happening:

Friday 14th was the most prominent day of my week, better still my year, as I had my very first (official) driving lesson. I've had a couple of lessons with my mum last year in Finland but that was obviously off the record (and illegal). So it turns out that I am getting to grips with my moving off and stopping and I am starting to understand the meaning of the clutch and not hating it so much anymore. I did however have a problem with my steering, of all things. Although I can steer in a straight line and round a corner, I wasn't very good at driving in the lane. I tended to drive in the middle of the road because I have no point of reference to tell me where I am except for the middle lines (which I couldn't see anyway). Another factor affecting my driving was stopping at a junction. I stopped three meters away from it, and my instructor even told me I was half a car away from where I was supposed to stop. We got that cleared up in the end and I managed to park perfectly into a bay next to another car, the owner of which was hesitantly watching me...

I haven't given much thought on my dieting, as it is pretty much non-existent at the moment. However, I have started to do some ab workouts everyday for the past 3 weeks now (2 pack coming along) and am trying to clear out foods that give me stomach flab. Some other exciting news is the 10k run that I conquered last Sunday (23rd), which I was initially really scared for. After all the preparation at the gym on the treadmill I was a little anxious that I might give up. All the support from random strangers on the run was extremely motivating for me. Although I collapsed on passing the finish line, the feeling of finishing, receiving a medal, and going to the pub for a celebratory drink on a nice day more than compensated for the agony of the run.

This week I have been finishing an assignment, and on Thursday and Friday I had 2 more driving lessons. My lesson on Thursday was a surprising progress since the first lesson, as my instructor allowed me to drive all the way home from the car park, going all the way to 4th gear on the main road, and squeezing through the buildings in the centre of town. On Fridays, lesson we didn't even go to the car park, but I drove immediately from outside my house and into the country side and up lots of hills. It was slightly scary/embarrassing when I stalled twice in a row on a roundabout and causing a lot of traffic, but my instructor told me the importance of relaxing and not rushing (which I then found out is absolutely true). By the end of the lesson, he told me that my level of driving was way above average, considering it was only my third lesson and I am driving all over town, up hills and at high speeds.

My medal and running number (which I put on my chest)

my driving progress sheet and some homework for next lesson

Going The Distance

Last week I ran out of space to write the events of the following days after my trip to Cardiff, so I thought I would write about it in this week's blog post. Last Wednesday I woke up at 5am and got ready for another 3 hour bus journey, to Bangor. I thought it was about time to visit my brother Tim who's in his last year at university there. Tim and I are very close and we share a variety of similar interests. When I got there I was welcomed by his flatmates and was made pancakes followed by a much needed nap. In the evening we planned to go to the cinema but since the train was delayed stayed home and spent a few hours playing the Sims 3. On the Thursday, we had a lie in and while Tim went to the gym and I played the Sims 3 again. In the evening some of Tim's friends came over and we all went to the cinema (again) to watch The Lego Movie. I loved the film and I think that the unlikeable yet prejudiced remarks I have heard upon on the film were somewhat justified, only in that the trailer did not do the film justice. It was a sweet, light-hearted comedy that was funny for both young and older audiences.

The following day Tim and I went to the high street and I did some shopping in H&M where I bought a gorgeous blue blouse and a black skirt. Tim headed over to the gym soon after and I played the Sims once again. That evening, Tim's friends came over and played board games, while I was on the computer. The following morning Tim took me to the bus station and I headed back to Aberystwyth. In the evening I went over to Izzy's and gave her her birthday present - twister. While everyone left at midnight, I stayed in since I have given up alcohol for lent. The following days I spent doing my assignment.

On Tuesday, I met Chloe, Toby, Izzy, Tom, Rachel and Milly at South Beach in Aberystwyth at around 4 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, so I brought my camera out with me to share some of the gems I took. Listening to music, drinking a smarties milkshake, throwing pebbles into the sea, playing badminton and baseball, burying Toby in the sand, it was definitely a good day.

All waiting for me

burying Toby

Beautiful sunset

Stand up paddle surfing

Into The West

This week has certainly been both an improvement and a change of attitude for me. I gave myself a break during the weekend, so I spent the time watching a lot, and I mean a lot, of movies. Since this week is reading week, I would normally have the week off to do what I wanted. This year however, they have given us a module enrichment day which is compulsory attend and usually takes up the entire day. For my module 'cultural diversity in education' we had the opportunity to go to cardiff by coach and visit a synagogue and a mosque, respectively.

We left from the university at 7:30am on Tuesday morning and made our way toward Cardiff, which in the end took 3.5 hours. We arrived at the synagogue and we were given a very insightful lecture on judaism from a rabbi. I learned a lot of interesting facts about the religion that I had not known before and I developed a newfound respect for their traditions and livelihood. We made our way back on the coach and headed towards the mosque only to arrive too early. In the meantime I headed over to Cardiff Bay and took lots of photos of the lovely view. At around 1pm, we went to the mosque and were asked to take our shoes off and headed into their prayer room. We had another interesting talk on what we already knew about islam and what we wanted to know. I learned a lot about the religion and understood the peacefulness of their intentions and how the media does not portray islam in a particularly favourable light.

We were then given a few hours to ourselves in the city, in which case I went shopping for some new trousers from Zara. I also went to M&S to buy some food for the journey home. At 5pm we left Cardiff and made our way back to Aberystwyth. Sitting on the left hand side of the coach, I had the pleasure of watching the sunset in the west which was an absolutely beautiful view. We arrived back in Aberystwyth at 8.30pm and I had a quick meal and went straight to bed.

Sunrise on the trip to Cardiff

Bute Street, Cardiff

View of Cardiff

Cardiff Bay

The Roald Dahl Plass and Wales Millenium Centre

Doing some last minute shopping on Queen Street

The breathtaking sunset on our way back to Aberystwyth

Opportunity Is Everything

Hello all. I remember mentioning something about blogging once a week, but again, have found myself lost for enthusiasm and ideas. I've spent the past two weeks going to lectures and going to the gym/swimming pool to train for the 10km run for Sport Relief.

This week I've mostly spent my time looking for things to actually help me get a life, for example jobs, work experience and driving. I have booked my first driving lesson for the 14th of March and since I have not had any experience of driving in the past, the instructor has allowed me to have a two hour lesson for the price of one. In terms of jobs, there are countless jobs that I have found but have later been disappointed with upon inspection as they will require either being able to speak welsh or having previous experience which I lack. I have although had some good news which is that I have found an opportunity to teach English in a South African primary school where I will have teacher training as well as amazing excursions to do in my free time. The duration of the trip is either 4 or 6 weeks long and is from the beginning of August to mid-September. I have contacted the volunteer company and they have guaranteed a place for me should I choose to go.

The company name

The Southern Drakensberg, the area of the volunteering