VanCity

I have been putting this off; in constant denial that my year abroad is over. I have been home just a week and there are already so many things I miss about Vancouver. However it seems like yesterday I was leaving my parents at the airport, awkwardly sobbing to myself whilst listening to Shep sing me her own rendition of Take That’s ‘I Want You Back….Brooooke’. I was leaving everything I had known for a year and it was one of the most daunting experiences of my life but by far the most rewarding.  Now 8 and a half months later I am, again, awkwardly sobbing to myself in an airport that had become my familiar, saying bye to life long friends that a year ago I didn’t even know. That to me just seems crazy. In a year I have managed to make so many amazing friends, from all over the world that I would never ever have even spoken to if I had continued my degree in Manchester and not had a year abroad. WOW. I am so grateful and proud to have been offered the opportunity to even take this course, if not; not only my life but I would be mind blowingly different to how I am now.

I thought moving to university taught you so much, but moving 5000 miles away from friends and family to a completely new country where everything is unfamiliar taught me so so much more and I grew up quicker in this year than I have in the last two. How can one year completely change your outlook on life? As you can tell it kind of freaks me out but they are lessons I needed to learn and definitely ones I will take with me for not just this next year but forever.

Vancouver really is the most beautiful, most liveable city in the world and I wouldn’t have wished to have my exchange anywhere else. It has everything you would ever need; beautiful views, mountains, beaches, nightlife, culture, amazing restaurants and most importantly such friendly amazing people. Something about this city inspires you to do so much more with life and every one of you reading this needs to visit at least once.

However as one door closes another one swings wide open and I am far too excited to get back to my norm. This summer is already about to be the best one yet; France, Croatia, Ibiza, festivals, 21st’s..& wherever else the sun takes me, not to mention another year in Manchester. 3 years is definitely not long enough to finish a degree so one more can’t hurt surely?

Coachella ella ella ella…

 

I have been so poor at updating this of late and I am sure I will regret it when I look back but I guess I have just been too busy (I know-what a tough life hey?). I am the happiest girl alive to have been able to tick off such a huge bucket list entry recently, COACHELLA! I have wanted to go for so long and I figured if I don’t go when I am living on this side of the pond when will I? (Un)fortunately I will be making the trip to Palm Springs again as this was simply the greatest festival I have ever been to and I just cannot wait to do it again (it is more than worth the 9 hour flight!) The weather was incredible, if just a little TOO incredible, with a high of 45 degrees it was most definitely one of the hottest/sweatiest festivals I have ever been to (it was no Parklife!). The ultimate highlight of the weekend was just that, The Weeknd-front row, he was incredible and now I am even more addicted to his stuff than I was. Swedish House Mafia, Afrojack, Guetta, Kaskade, Ingrosso, Florence & the Machine, Frank Ocean all came a close second and I definitely think the line-up this year was one of the greatest and will be hard to beat next year. 2014 I aim to be back there making only one change; you HAVE to get a hotel-yeah yeah we had the full experience but there’s a little difference between camping in rain and camping in sweltering heat where the latest you can lie in is 6am (surprisingly the former is much easier to handle). Apart from that I wouldn’t change a thing-it was a huge highlight of my year and being able to finish off in LA for a couple days was a huge cherry on top of the whole trip.