Just because

Sat on my bed in what can only be described as a not-brilliant mood (kind of upset, kind of annoyed), I've spent a lot of time deliberating over whether or not I should actually write this post because I'm not the sort of person who enjoys going off on a rant. I promise I'm going to keep it as far away from that as I possibly can but I do have some annoyances to express.

We seem to live in a world where we need to justify every decision we make to just about anyone who wants to hear it and I just don't think that's right.

People are nosey, I get it. But when 'I'm sorry but this makes me feel uncomfortable' needs to be replaced with 'I'm sorry but this makes me feel uncomfortable because a long time ago I had this experience where.....' surely it becomes a violation of privacy. And if one day you're not feeling 100% yourself, you have to come up with a full justification because you're just tired/had an argument with someone close/can't be fully cheery every second of every day, then maybe you're just not spending your time with the right people.

But do you know what's even worse? When you have to justify how you react to certain situations. When someone treats you badly and you have to explain exactly which parts of your mistreatment made you feel a little bit rubbish. I'm really sorry, but maybe re-living those moments is just like pushing the knife further in.

And even worse than that, when you give a perfectly good justification but the person quizzing you simply can't take your answer as they've got preconceived ideas that your answers simply don't live up to. Especially when these brilliant preconceived ideas are in support of the person doing you wrong. Yes, I simply love making lies up, it's my favourite hobby. Just for future reference, that's sarcasm. I cannot lie for toffee; the only lie I tell semi-convincingly (well, that's debatable) is 'I'm fine' on occasions when I may not be.

And don't get me wrong, I really appreciate people asking slightly intrusive questions if they have genuine concerns AND want to help but if it's just plain nosiness and gossiping, then they really need to start appreciating your privacy.

From a young age, children are taught to accept 'just because' as an answer to life's tougher questions, so at which point was it that this stopped?

Sorry for the slightly ranty post, I can assure you that I'll back to my normal bubbly self by the time I next post but as I'm sure you've gathered, I'm just not feeling quite 100% right now. No justification needed.

Keep smiling,
Kathryn x

Liebster award

I didn't really think that a blog award was something I'd ever be nominated for but guess what, it happened!! 

Firstly, I'm going to thank the lovely Megan (http://megangoodier.blogspot.co.uk) for nominating me! We both started blogging at almost exactly the same time and we've been reading each others blogs from the start. She really is brilliant and I think you should all go and check her out!
Now for the questions...

1. What's the inspiration behind the name of your blog?
I've always enjoyed writing, but not being told what to write so I'd spent a lot of time thinking about starting a log. One day I was sat down thinking 'Imagine how great it would be to have a space of my own to just write. Imagine that Kathryn. ImagineKathryn. BINGO!' And I never looked back.

2. If you could be one of the Seven Dwarfs, which one would you be and why?
Happy because how fab would it be to be happy all of the time, or Dopey because I have my dopey moments. Fun fact, did you know that all of the dwarfs have the same eyebrows except for Happy

3. Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram, always. I've never been a fan of Twitter but got it recently purely for JCR banter at university and, for me, that is it's only use.

4. Who is your favourite music artist/band?
I have such a varied taste in music and it makes this really difficult to answer, but right now I'm really enjoying TwentyOnePilots

5. Describe yourself using only 3 words
Altruistic, organised and good-crazy

6. If you could have a dinner party with three celebrity guests (dead or alive) who would you choose?
The Mad-Hatter, and if that couldn't be done, Johnny Depp. Elizabeth Blackwell, she was the first female doctor and Marie Curie

7. If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Everyone knows I love travelling, everywhere and anywhere but somewhere I've not been before. I'd be very keen to visit Australia, New Zealand or to tour Asia. America would definitely have been top of the list until we booked our summer holiday

8. What is your favourite film?
It varies from time to time but right now I'd have to choose Lilo and Stitch. It's definitely my favourite for revision procrastination

9. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Golly, I'll be 29. I'll (hopefully) have a degree, will probably have seen a lot more of the world through travelling, I'll definitely have a job and hopefully it will be one I enjoy. It's scary

10. Name three of your favourite blogs to read
Easy.
My favourite Nutmeg http://megangoodier.blogspot.co.uk/
Amelia and Grace http://www.mandevillesisters.com/
Carrie Hope Fletcher http://carriehopefletcher.com/

Hope you've learned some new things about me!


Questions for my Nominees
1. Talk about the moment you decided to create a blog. Why did you decide to do it?
2. Quiet night in with a few friends or loud night out with lots of friends?
3. What is your favourite Disney film?
4. Do you have a place that brings back childhood memories?
5. What are you looking forward to most about summer?
6. What is the most challenging thing that you've ever done?
7. What was your first job and did you enjoy it?
8. You've got one day of freedom. No costs for travelling. Where would you go, with who and what would you do?
9. Would you ever start a YouTube channel
10. What is your favourite sport

The Rules:
Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
(Copy and paste the Liebster Award badge to your post)
-Nominate up to 10 new bloggers
-Answer the 10 questions the person who nominated you asked you
-Notify the bloggers you have nominated by leaving them a comment on their blog
-Create 10 new questions to ask the bloggers you nominate…

Keep smiling,
Kathryn x

Stressed...sorry

I'm afraid that there's not going to be any prizes for guessing the content of this post. It's going to be a little apology...

I've done that thing again. That one where I agree to a little bit too much, and I don't quite have enough time to do it all, and then the stress of exams just gets on top of me a little bit. So here I am, still working, with an exec report to write and revision to do at gone-midnight knowing that I have to be up by 6am to coach a rowing outing. Which is all fine, because things always work out the way that they're meant to in the end. But for now, I do have to be a lot more careful and aware of my time.

I'm still here to reply to comments, and I'm still working on a lot of content but that content is going to take a little while to appear because exams are only temporary but they have a lasting effect and that's where I need to focus all of my energy right now. In other news, I have a super exciting summer planned and can't wait to be free from all of this stress to share it all with you!

I hope you're all well and understand why I'm not here right now. I am sorry. I will definitely be back soon and in the meantime...

Keep smiling,
Kathryn x

Why I'm not on a gap year

If you know me, you probably know that I thrive on adventures and new experiences. I love to explore new places and see things I've never seen before. It then comes as a bit of a shock to people that I haven't taken a gap year. And that's quite understandable because I'd love to spend a year travelling and I'm pretty sure that I come across that way to others. So I thought I'd talk about my reasons for not taking a gap year, and just general travelling for a little while...

I've always know that I wanted to go to university to gain qualifications and life experience, to learn new things, and to have as good a chance as possible for my future. I was also pretty sure I wanted to study maths (whether or not that still stands is a different matter) and the very well respected universities that I was aiming for often overlook applicants for maths that take a year out due to a break in studying so that was also a major influencing factor. And this has worked out to be a good thing as my university offer to part fund travelling as part of personal development. Also, I'm not sure I was mentally ready to be in such unfamiliar surroundings and moving out has provided me with the confidence as well as helping me to gain skills that I couldn't at home.

Money. Do I really have to explain this? Being alive costs money, university costs money and the student loan doesn't cover very much for me. Not least, travelling costs money too, especially if I'm going to make the most of it. Leaving travelling for a few years means that I'll be able to have a couple of summers cramming in the hours at work for a more worthwhile trip.

When I went to Ghana, there were things I saw that were upsetting, things that I wanted to change. 

I saw children being beaten for tripping on uneven ground. I saw male teenagers with additional needs in Minnie Mouse shorts saturated in wee and staff that didn't care about it. I saw babies crying in cots because they didn't receive any attention; then when I picked on up to comfort her I was shouted at by the matron for showing care and compassion. 

I don't have to power or resources yet to do these things, returning now I wouldn't have the skills to make a lasting difference; only to make a difference while I'm there. So I've done research into educating the staff on health and social care, I'm trying to collect together books and equipment to teach them about various special needs. But I don't still don't think I have everything ready to do this. I want to gain experience and to take that experience to have the ability to make a larger difference to the world. 

So I've not written off travelling, in fact, quite the opposite. It's on my list of things I want to achieve in the next five years, (and yes, I am one of those control freaks with lists about lists). But for now, I'm gaining experience and saving up so that I can make the adventure as special and worthwhile as possible. 

Keep smiling,

Kathryn x

Things that make me happy: part 2

A while ago, I wrote a blog post called ‘Things that make me happy’ and I really enjoyed sitting down and thinking about exactly that. But the list I wrote then wasn’t exhaustive and I thought it would be nice to extend that list and write a part 2, because it’s important to think about the things you really enjoy doing yourself and making time to include these in your busy scheduele.

                Cute coffee dates with friends                                         Personal achievements

                                                                     New challenges

                               Travelling                                                                Long days    

                    

Blue and yellow (Prize for anyone that guesses the reason for this correctly down below)

                 Skyping long-distance friends                                Making other people happy

                                                           Late night herbal tea chats              

                              A handwritten letter                                                Scrapbooking

I’m pretty sure there’ll be a follow up to this post at some point, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear what’s on your list.

Keep smiling,

-Kathryn x