9 days....

And now there are no more double digits, England is just nine sleeps away..... Where did the time go. In my mind I know what lies ahead but I feel as though I still haven't completely come to terms with what 2014 holds for me, with so many happy memories and unforgettable moments in 2013 I have given up on trying to predict what the future holds and instead.... I'm just gonna roll with it!!

So with my suitcase fully packed (bursting at the seams) my boots stuffed with underwear and socks to make room for that extra, potentially unnecessary blazer, I am almost ready to say goodbye, but not quite. Everyone says it and yes it is true, goodbyes suck. Especially when you are leaving behind the people that have stood beside you for your entire life to date. Being an adult means that you need to learn how to stand on your own two feet without the comfort of your family, somewhere where they cannot catch you, a place where you need to be prepared to fall and get back up without them. A very scary prospect, but a part of life that we all need to experience when we are ready. 

I am ready.

In my last post I gave my first five must do's for the year...... I think it's about time that I let everyone in on my last five. 

NUMBER 6: go to Ireland and spend the day walking through the countryside before venturing to a local pub for a pint or two.

NUMBER 7: go to Paris, have a glass of wine and a croissant before enjoying the classic landmarks.... The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Tuileries Gardens to name a few. We all know Paris is supposed to be the city of love.... Perhaps Harry will be French. 

NUMBER 8: of course seeing as many sights as possible is my ultimate goal so, in my six week summer holiday my aim is to experience as much of Europe as I possibly can, the scenery, the history, the food, the culture, the music, the people and to embrace and appreciate the growth that these experiences will allow me.

NUMBER 9: go on a date with an Englishman, or an Irishman, maybe he's Scottish...... Embrace the romance of a gap year. 'Just roll with it'. 

NUMBER 10: my final goal for 2014...... What is it going to be......

You know what. I don't know yet. Number 10 is reserved for the moment or experience that is unexpected, unpredictable and completely spontaneous. The event that will make me catch my breath. 

Not all things in life can be planned. In fact, most of the time life takes us in directions that we never expected. England is about accepting that I don't know and I cannot control what is going to happen. It's what makes it all the more exciting. 

The beginning of a grand journey

With only a few weeks left of November it's hard to believe that 2013 has almost come to a close..... what a year it has been. Perhaps the biggest life lesson that I have come to understand is that despite what you plan, the logic you use and your awareness of what is good or bad for you, people and moments come in and out of your life and sometimes its best not to try to understand them.

I never really believed in the saying... everything happens for a reason... but now I realise that its the best way to embrace and view your life. If it is meant to be it will be, it's true....you do find things when you are not looking for them, impulsive decisions can turn out the be the best moments you experience, overthinking and overanalysing will not get you anywhere..... If people are supposed to be in your future then they will be there but those that are meant for the past are usually there for a very good reason. My impulsive decision to apply for a voluntary teaching position in England just two weeks before the application deadline was my 2013 leap of faith....

Now, its 48 days until I relocate. In less than two months my life is going to change completely and I have never felt so ready for anything in my life, that's how I know that it's all going to be ok.

So...... with the time flying by I have began to seriously think about the top 10 things I would like to do/achieve in the UK, so far I have come up with 5 major goals....

1. Visit all of the film locations for the 2005 production of Pride and Prejudice. (Berkshire, Derbyshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Wiltshire). Yes I am obsessed and no I am not a freak...

2. Go to Jane Austen's house in the village of Chawton, in Alton. (My love of Jane is perfectly rational...)

3. Explore the Lake District.... & pop into Hill Top House. (Beatrix Potter's home in Hawkshead). 

4. Play air guitar in a boat in Eastbourne. (Afterwards announce to the massive crowd "Thankyou and goodnight Eastbourne!!".

5. Enter every Nandos I come across.... For Narg. (The One Direction gang, especially Nial....love their Nandos, so I'll do a quick but thorough scope of the room for the 1D bois in the hope of finding one of them.... or all of them at some stage). This particular goal is for my youngest sister, who insisted that a visit to every Nandos in England when the opportunity arises is ESSENTIAL.

And there we have it! My first five goals for UK 2014! Wish me luck....

It's the final countdown

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS.....

It's hard to believe that in exactly 56 days I will be boarding a plane and flying to the other side of the world..... on my own..... to live in a place that I have never been or seen before..... with people that I don't know..... for a whole year. Sometimes I actually have to remind myself that it is actually happening and that the dream of a European adventure is right at my fingertips.

If you asked me what I thought I would be doing in 2014, living in England would have been the last thought to cross my mind, but here I am, with my flights all booked, my suitcase eagerly waiting under my bed and a few pairs of newly purchased boots just itching to be stomped through the snow!

At the moment the excitement factor is definitely outweighing the fear factor..... (there have been no tears....yet) but I know that this will be the most testing, but ultimately the most rewarding year of my life. I thought that writing a blog would be a great way to keep my family informed of my whereabouts and day to day life (not so sure if its a really smart or really stupid idea), but basically for their own sanity. I also wanted to create a place where all of my beautiful friends can check in and read all of my embarrassing stories.... of which there are bound to be many and hopefully become inspired to do some travelling of their own! I cant promise that this blog is going to be highly intelligent, or informative, but I can promise that there will be lots of laughter and lots of love.

Happy reading xx