I’ve always been one to challenge the status quo. At the age of 14 I threw myself into fundraising for a trip to volunteer in Ethiopia. I wrote to every contact in my mum’s address book to raise awareness of my cause and spoke about it to just about anyone that would listen. Soon enough I was inundated with donations. The moment the African sun touched my skin I knew then that my life would never be the same again. I hadn’t just been nipped by the travel bug I was completely devoured.
Fast forward a few years and there I was, stood on a stage in front of the big names in education in England. Glistening in my hand was the award for National BTEC Student of the Year 2014. I was proud of the work I’d put into my academic studies however I was itching to spread my wings. I applied as a chalet host and just a few weeks later I was off to the French Alps. That winter sparked an overseas career that lasted 5 years. Throughout my summer and winter seasons I lived and worked in Finland, Bulgaria, France, Austria, Spain, Andorra and Turkey. By the time I reached my 10th season I was completely burnt out. It was a full time job and a demanding lifestyle and I’ve never been one to live quietly. After too many late nights and far too much fun I was exhausted, malnourished and god knows what state my liver was left in. I left my last season abruptly and headed to the southern hemisphere with plans to backpack Australia and New Zealand for a much-needed change of pace. My one year plan was suddenly halted as I arrived into New Zealand just a few weeks before the 2020 lockdown. I remained “stuck” there for over 3 years living in the very definition of freedom. I brought a van and spent my days exploring the best of New Zealand’s hidden treasures. I fell in love with hiking and climbed every mountain I could find. I picked up jobs along the way, working on fruit farms and in bars. When I was 26 I moved to Australia in hopes of finally settling down. Yet instead of the wonder of a new country I was faced with a deep, gnawing emptiness. Traveling had lost it’s spark. I missed my family more than I could even begin to put into words. I felt lost and confused and in desperate need of recalibration. After plenty of tears I decided the time had come for me to put down my backpack and come back to my point 0. Home. Deep down I have always wanted to be a writer. Being able to articulate my thoughts and feelings into words and pour them onto the pages in front of me is what really sets my soul on fire. Call me a romantic but I really do long to turn my love affair with words into a career. So I started looking at universities and in the bar of a hostel in Cairns I hastily typed out my application for UCAS.
During my travels I have witnessed both spectrums of the light and darkness in this world. I have snorkeled in the crystal clear waters of the great barrier reef and stared in horror at the polluted filthy waters of Lebanon. I have seen people shovel food onto their already overflowing plates at the all-inclusive buffets in Spain whilst witnessing the starvation and suffering of children in Africa. I have swam alongside wild creatures free in the oceans yet witnessed the exploitation and abuse of innocent animals in cages for the sole benefit of human entertainment. The dark discoveries of my travels will be a constant source of motivation for me.
As I move towards my late 20’s I have started to focus on my own mental health and general wellness. Before I returned to the UK I stopped in Indonesia for a nervous system reset retreat. It was 7 days of serenity and brought about some truly life-changing moments for my consciousness. I am a keen reader of the work of Carl Jung and Eckhart Tolle and admire their unique philosophies of life and what it means to truly understand ourselves and our minds. The prevalence of suicide has affected so many people I have met on my travels. It is an aspiration of mine to create meaningful work that could bring positive change to a world that so desperately needs it. I have a deep appreciation for work where it feels like the author perfectly puts something you have been feeling into words. Maya Angelou’s quote “People will forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel” resonates deeply with me.
So now, here I am back in England. I have reached a new chapter of my life and I am excited for this whole new type of adventure. I thrive in quirky places and for me there is nowhere else I would rather study than back on the shores of Blightly in the eccentric, quirky, queer city that is Brighton. I am looking forward to immersing myself back into the culture and the energy of the UK. We are in the midst of a changing world and I am ready to be part of the new wave of light. Better days are always coming.