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

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!

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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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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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.

Cabin in the Woods

I held my phone in the air, frantically searching for signal and some way of connecting to the world I had once known; yes, I had made it to the country. 2 hours down the M4 from London, The Cotswolds is one of the perfect places for us city kids to escape from our hectic lives and taste the fresh rural airs. I soon forgot I even owned a mobile phone. The Cotswolds is known for being ‘typically British’ and I could see why.

It is a rural area of south central England covering parts of 6 counties, notably Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Everywhere we turned there were ancient churches and historic houses. We had entered a fairy-tale land of rolling hills, horses and pretty little stone villages made in the 18^th century. 

Blenheim Gardens
-The Birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill

Bourton-on-the-Water

Despite the weather, it is such a lovely part of the UK to escape to. We stayed in Bluewood Lodges and they were perfect. Hot Tub and Sauna completed the trip! http://www.bluewoodlodges.com/



-the weather was mostly gloomy as this was in November and I haven't edited the photos at all, hence the gloom.

City Break: When in Rome

Reaching one year with your partner is an important milestone in a relationship and what better way to celebrate than a few days away in the city of Roma. I have created a little itinerary of all the very tourist break we had. It was James and I's first time away together as a couple and although things did not go as smoothly as we hoped, it was amazing.

Our hotel was quite a distance from the center of Rome, it was not exactly the greatest of areas but our room was quite snazzy and had an incredible shower which made up for it. We went back in July and the heat was nearly unbearable. We timed ourselves well and went out in the morning, came back to the hotel around midday and napped until it got a bit cooler- which most people do in warmer climates. We had prepped ourselves well, learning important Italian phrases and sun cream for my very pale boyfriend.

We arrived there in the evening, settled in and went to the cute Italian restaurant up the street. The restaurant looked like it belonged to a cowboy movie, it was very authentic. The food was all homemade, delicious and much cheaper that what you would find in the heart (which we later found out). 

Day 2: They are definitely not lying when they say that the Roman underground is mental because yes, yes it is. We are often complaining about London but the Roma Metro was 100    x hotter, crowded and smelly. We took the 30 min metro journey to visit the famous Colosseum, went home because of the heat and then went to the Roman Forum, The Pantheon, admired the Italian designer shops from the outside and (nearly) climbed the Spanish Steps. Barre the metro, we had the best day exploring!

One thing I was expecting but still did not know how to react to was the pushy sellers on the streets Everywhere you go, someone will always want you to purchase a selfie stick, or a picture of the pope. They lure you in by making conversation- and boy, I love conversation- and then ask for money. I do nottttt want a selfie stick; i bought one off of amazon before I arrived thank you very much.

Day 3: We left the air con on the whole night...and because of this we were feeling terrible the next morning. We had planned to visit Vatican City, however after breakfast at our hotel, we stayed in until later. We did more exploring this day, we walked through Rome's beautiful streets and witnessed the majestic Trevi Fountain...that was covered in renovation work. Have no fear, we still got to toss a coin and make a wish.

This evening was my favourite. Me and James made our way to Piazza Novana to find dinner. Piazza Novana has just got this lively, Italian atmosphere that I loved; music, painters selling paintings, the sounds of the 3 famous fountains! We sat outside with the view of the piazza and the waiter brought our food...and glass of prosecco; wonderful dining. We danced are way back on the metro and made the long journey back to our hotel.

Day 4: We had 5 hours to explore the places we did not see..or so we thought. Seeing as though we had tickets, we took a taxi to the Vatican City. St. Peter's square was beautiful, the Museums were full of stunning intricate art. The crowds pushed as they to get to the famous Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo's masterpiece; the Creation of Adam. 

That was it. We bought one last pizza and made our way to the hotel to head back home.

We had arrived at the airport with around 2 hours to spare HOWEVER our flight operator had not informed us of our airport change. We found out as we tried to check in...and the airport we were supposed to be flying home from was an hour drive away. Frantically panicking, trying to print out our boarding passes and find taxi money- I was almost in tears. Our taxi driver was mental; Italian drivers in general are, indeed, mental but this taxi driver was on a whole other level. If it was not for this mad man, we would not have made our flight. We made sure we tipped him well. I am so thankful for James keeping his cool the whole time while I was freaking the hell out.

When we finally did get to the airport, we just laughed. 'What is life?'