TVE (The Volunteer Experience) - Tanzania, Africa

As mentioned in my previous post about this topic, visiting Africa was always a dream of mine. Signing up for the volunteer programme made the visit more worthwhile, affordable and eye-opening. Although I have kept my updates on my GoFundMe page- https://www.gofundme.com/2dsrxhtk, here is a little video of my time and where the donations went.

Holiday OOTD: The Orange and Off-Shoulder

Orange is a colour that most people seem to be put off; me being one of them. But when I spotted this top in Forever 21, thought I would give it ago as I love the off-shoulder loose look. Pairing a loose crop top with a this denim skater skirt(mine's from ASOS, which you may recognise from many bloggers) looks super cute, keeps you from feeling self-conscious as it is not figure hugging and it's is comfortable in the hot weather.

Top and Bag: Forever 21
Skirt: ASOS
Sandals: H&M

Holiday OOTD: White top and White Walls

White top and White Walls! 
An Instagrammer's dream 

If you saw my last blog post, you will see that I was away in Fuerteventura and so I took advantage of my beautiful surroundings to snap some OOTD's! 

I fell in love with this white floral crop top. Crop tops are a difficult one for me due to confidence issues and it's something I am working on but pairing them with high waisted jeans/shorts/skirts work a treat!

Hat: Newlook
White Crop Top: Forever 21
Black A Line Denim Skirt: Asos

I can't help the hella awkward smile/pose

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Fuerteventura ft. GoPro

Fuerteventura is one of the 7 Canary Islands, it is part of Spain but is actually off the coast of Africa; this means SUN. We went to Corralejo which is the largest resort on the Island for a weeks holiday and it was perfect. Besides drinking cocktails by the pool, we got up to so much!

After wanting one for nearly a year and many bids on Ebay, I finally bagged myself a GoPro 3+. Although GoPro have discontinued this one to make way for the 4, the older one is everything I wanted. Here's the video of our holiday and the GoPro in action :)

sun, sea and feeling free!
This was taken on Flag Beach, the biggest beach in the area we were staying. There were tonnes to do; kite surfing, surfing, sun bathing and beach bars!

Another beautiful beach. In the distance you can see the Isle of Lobos; a beautiful volcanic island that was once habituated, however it now has the population of 0.

Views on the Isle of Lobos.

Testing the GoPro underwater!

First time jumping into the Sea! Best experience, wanted to over and over again!

So many fish!

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RSU SUMMER BALL - ootd

Outfit of the Day

My university's annual summer ball has two parts; day and evening...it is also a time that all the students like to show off what they wear! Here is what I wore during the day. I am definitely not a fashionista and definitely not the slimmest of people but on this particular day, Asos had just delivered me the skirt I am wearing after 3 weeks of being out of stock and I was beyond happy :D

Forever 21: Bag, Kimono
Boohoo: White Body
Asos: Denim Skirt
Converse

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One day adventure in COPENHAGEN

Me and my best friend spontaneously booked a day trip to the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Through shear luck, we bagged incredibly cheap air fare as well! Off we went on our little adventure. Landing in Copenhagen, the first thing you notice is the unbelievable amount of bikes. Bikes everywhere. The main transportation for the residents (and tourists) is cycling; which makes sense as to why everyone is so much healthier there. Comparing the air to London, you can actually feel how much cleaner it is. Me and Cindy had neither ridden a bike in years and yet we rented one for the time we were there in order to fit in; it was an experience to say the least. I may be smiling, but on the inside I was terrified haha.

We spent the day riding around, exploring the shops, stumbling upon Nyhavn and even took a canal ride. Nyhavn harbour dates back to the 17th century and is stunning; I imagine in the summer it would be lovely to sit at a restaurant, watching the sunset. We went just at the end of Winter so this was not possible, next time! We also parked our bikes up and took a stroll in the Royal Botanical Gardens. Once again, it would be much nicer in the summer when the flowers are booming, but it was still lovely. 

Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark

We ended the day back at the hostel which was very cool by the way. We stayed in Copenhagen Downtown Hostel and I would highly recommend this if you're travelling on a budget, want something 'hip' or just want to meet travellers. After dinner, the hostel bar holds different events like music nights, parties etc. On the night we stayed, there wasn't a specific event, but there was music, a bar and card games and free iPad rental! Met some real cool people from all over the world but sadly had to say goodbye as our flight left early in the morning :( . One downside was that at the end of the day it is a hostel and so our beds weren't the comfiest, but that is expected.

Overall, we had the best time on our one day adventure, my wanderlust increases with every trip. I will be back again Copenhagen! Unfortunately I lost my memory card with all my snazzy photos so my iPhone will have to do.

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Summer has Begun

My second year of university just flew by and the summer holidays are finally here. James' sister has just had her wedding,  we're off on holiday to Fuertuventura on Tuesday, there are festivals to dance at and then my biggest solo adventure to date- volunteering in Tanzania.

One of my favourite things to do when the weather gets warmer is going on little nature-filled adventures! (some may call them country side walks..). I love getting lost in wanders this world has to offer and exploring unknown places. Recently, we stumbled upon a beautiful route right outside my small town; there's no need to travel to the ancient pyramids to see wanders, we just have to open our eyes a little.

What are you up to this summer and your favourite things to do?

Volunteering in Africa

In August, for 3 Weeks, I will be travelling to Tanzania in Africa to volunteer on the childcare project. When I was 16 I went on a missionary with my church at the time and it was one of the greatest experiences.  However, my dream has always been to travel to Africa to help those in need. Due to logistical and financial reasons, I never thought this dream could be possible, until I discovered International Volunteer HQ.

During my trip I will be placed in an orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania where I will help with the general running of the orphanage, teaching, cooking, cleaning, farm work, and caring for the children and babies. On the weekends I will be able to explore the culture and the many beautiful sites that the country has to offer, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, safaris, waterfalls, Zanzibar, etc. 

I hope to broaden my world view and come back home with new perspectives and unforgettable memories I will carry with me through my entire life. But most of all I hope to put a smile on those children's faces every day I am there and give them a feeling of love and comfort that they deserve - even if I am only there for a short time. The thought of travelling on an 18 hour journey alone is petrifying yet this is something I feel I really need to do.

Even though IVHQ has much more affordable prices compared to other programs, traveling abroad still comes at a high price. Thankfully I have money saved up and will continue to keep my part-time job while at Uni during studying which funds all my personal costs. However, if you are able to donate any amount of money to help for supplies, toys, games and clothes for the children I will be forever grateful. I will keep a diary and take snaps of where your money will go! 

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this message and for your support! I can’t even express how excited and grateful to have this opportunity in front of me. 

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something personal.

This was originally a post for my personal Facebook and after a huge response, I thought I would post it on my blog. I eventually deleted it off of my Facebook as it became too heavy but I still wanted it to be somewhere I could easily share again. 

I have a father who, as a child, experienced severe brain injury. He appears quite normal from the outside; it is a hidden disability. Although providing for me (and still does), brings laughter and love in my life, growing up there were times i completely disliked him. I have been told stories by my grandma and auntie and uncles about how he was as a child and about the accident itself. Yet, no one had ever helped me understand my dad's brain injury and the effects this had on his personality properly; to me this was just dad, nothing wrong with him, just dad. As I grew older there were times I blamed him for not acting like 'a real dad', blamed him for the stress and eventually blaming him for my mental health. Obviously brain injury effects everyone differently depending on what part of the brain has been injured. Executive Dysfuctions are a range of cognitive, emotional and behavioural difficulties that appear after injuries to the frontal lobe (like my dad).  Some of the main difficulties my dad has are impaired social skills, self-awareness, lack of attention and concentration, learning rules and controlling emotions and these effect him, those around him- mostly our family on a daily basis.

The reason I came to write this post was the other week I was in a conversation with someone who knows my dad and actually said to me 'why can't he just be nice?'. I was deeply offended but I realized I have lived with my dad all my life and still have difficulties understanding him myself, so how can I expect a stranger to understand? 

I think the main reason I wanted to post this was to make you more aware of these 'hidden disabilities' that anyone can have and not to judge before knowing their story.

This charity and website is brilliant and I encourage you all to visit. https://www.headway.org.uk 

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Brighton ft. Polaroid

I received the Fugifilm Instax Mini 8 for Christmas and it is my new favourite toy! We went on a little trip to Brighton which was the perfect opportunity to test this beautiful little camera.

Day 2

I am spending the next few days trying to cram a 3000 word uni assignment in 3 days; now this is a challenge. Another resolution that I failed to add to my post yesterday was time management. I am not bad and will always get things done right - but when it comes to the subjects I do not enjoy, my time can be all over the place. This year I will make sure I complete all my assignments at least a week before the deadline.

Make the days count.

2015: Anti Bucket List and New Years resolutions

After reading What Olivia Did's 'Anti Bucket List', I thought i'd join in and do my own 2015 in a list. This year has had a hell of a lot of downs but there were many many more ups.

• Made the decision to move back home from living at my university house after only 4 months; I am now a full time London commuter. Home sickness was affecting my work and although I would have got over it eventually, it was the best move for me,
• Passing my first year at University with a 2:1 and also starting my second year on good grounds.
• Celebrated a whole year with my boyfriend back in July-  I am incredibly lucky to have him in my life and to have him by my side through all the good and the bad.
• Bought my first car! 
• Visited my friends at their uni's- Bournemouth, Portsmouth. It was nice to see how they were settling down into this new life as students.
• Seeing Gabrielle Aplin at the Village Underground..my favourite venue.
• Experiencing my first loss of a family member
• Distanced myself from people who were bringing me down and making me feel like worse than I already did. Sometimes you feel like your obliged to have specific people in your life; whether it be your family, old friends etc. I felt like it was the healthier option for me to do so. 
• Starting a part-time job, and forever regretting the decision. 
• Travelling to Rome- experiencing the history...and the heat!
• Travelling to Portugal with my 2 girls- seeing the home of one of my close friends and her background.
• Roadtrip to the country
• Being crazily stressed for most of the year-
• Gaining 8lbs because of this.
• Saw Imagine Dragons- one of our favourite bands at the O2
• Celebrating my 20th Birthday with both new and old friends.
• Finally, university and my part-time job have pretty much taken up my entire life but I've managed to keep in touch with my closest friends and made time for my beautiful family (not enough) and I am so blessed to have them all to keep me going. 

Resolutions

•  As a second year university with a part-time job, finding time to blog is extremely difficult however, my new years resolution is to blog at least once everyday for the whole year- whether it be documenting my day, what I ate for lunch or even a quote.
• Post more regularly on Instagram ( beckylaurenm )
• I say this every year and this year will probably be no different but cleaner eating and beginning a fitness regime. 2015 has been a constant battle with my body- but this year I am hoping this will change. Losing the 8lbs I've gained will be the beginning.
• Find myself an internship and/or work experience.
• Achieve 2:1 or higher in my second year.
• TRAVEL
• Quit my job and find a weekend job that I enjoy.
• Keep a positive attitude and surround myself with positive people. 
• Become an all-round healthier person.
• Read more.
• Be more grateful of what I have in life.