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

Quick update and exciting news

A few of you may or may not be aware that I'm going away this afternoon for quite a while. I'm travelling to Ghana in Africa with a couple of other people from college and I will be staying there for two weeks! It's something that I'm extremely excited for because I know that it's something not everyone gets the chance to do and it will be fantastic to be able to help out people who are less fortunate than I am.

I'm only arriving in Ghana on Friday and while I'm there I should have some internet access but it won't be reliable. I'll try to post an update whenever possible but I'm sure I'll be back with plenty of news soon!

Keep smiling!

Kathryn x

Journeying

Guess who got to fly first class to Ghana? Correct. I did! Though I should probably start this one at the beginning...

We left from England at around 4pm Wednesday afternoon after a busy morning of last-minute packing. At first I was feeling quite anxious to be leaving as two weeks is a long time to be away from my family and I really don't fly well. I often find the experience quite stressful especially as you are in a strange, confined atmosphere with lots of strangers and there's no way to leave if I need to. However, I was certain that this was the right time to maybe not get over my fear of flying but work towards it. We boarded the plane and took off exactly to schedule with no issues which put my mind at ease a little bit. 

Four hours later, we arrived safely in Istanbul where we spent the night in a very posh looking hotel. I woke up well rested in the morning and enjoyed a fantastic smoothie for breakfast before sightseeing in Istanbul Old Town. Obviously this was an opportunity to take photos so I'll try to upload some of those later.

At 1pm we returned to the airport to board for our second flight; Istanbul to Accara. After a small lunch at the airport we boarded the plane but as we were boarding, my friend Amber and I were taken to first class by an air steward as there wasn't enough room for everyone's hand luggage in economy class. We also took one of our teachers with us who managed to bring the other but we left Rob behind. I felt so bad! It was a great experience though. There seemed to be a constant supply of food which became a little bit annoying but having four times as much leg room was brilliant! Also, we each had our own TV that came out of an arm rest! It was a fantastic experience. 

We arrived at Accara quite late and spent over an hour at passport control followed by a similar amount of time discussing lost baggage but then travelled around ten minutes to a house where we would be staying the night. From the minute my head hit the pillow I was asleep; travelling tires you out a lot! We woke up quite early and bought digestive biscuits for breakfast (healthy, of course) then got onto a coach for a five hour ride to the house where we will be staying for two weeks.

We arrived at around 2:30pm all very excited for our two weeks of volunteering!

Keep smiling

Kathryn x

(P.s. I hope you didn't find this post too boring, just wanted to keep you all up to date with the things I'm doing over summer)