Moody Monday's Volume 24: Summer update!

Hello Lovely Readers

Sorry I haven't posted recently I have been extremely busy! Time to update you.

Since I lasted posted I have been on the most amazing holiday to Lanzarote. It was beautiful and much needed. I can't wait to go back. Hotel Las Costas upgraded us to a fab suite with a sea view and it had a fabulous comfy bed. When going on holiday you seem to forget all the stresses that surrounded me at that time. It was a shame to have to come back to less than perfect weather! 

Beautiful view from the beach cafe

Sea view from our balcony

After our holiday together Scott and I wanted to do more work on the house. This included painting and sorting the garden. Of course the weather seemed to put a halt to all of that. I have plans though to get it finished as soon as I can. Housework can be tiring, I think I'm already struggling to be an adult!

In July I attended my friends graduation. Since I couldn't be graduating with them I wanted to be there so that I could see them on their special day. I know that come December when I can graduate they will be there cheering me on. They all looked lovely and I was so proud of them all. The only downside was that it was FAR TOO WARM!!

Olivia and Me

My fab history lecturer Bev

When your friends are trying to take a cute selfie and you want to get in on that

Wendy (our maths lecturer), Me, Adeline and Megan

Olivia, Me and Adeline

Always time for a hat throw!

I'm always ready for a group photo with the gang

Prepping for December

James, Olivia, George, Megan, Adeline, Me and Michael

Olivia, Me and Jess

I have done so much baking whilst I have not been blogging. I have mastered a fantastic apple and blackberry crumble, dabbled with baking meringues and made batches of brownies! I think this shows I definitely need to do some more food posts and share some of my favourite recipes at this time.

So whilst these are just a few of the moments I have enjoyed in the last couple of months I have plenty more to fill my summer with. Scott is taking me to see Wicked at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford and at the end of August we are going to Leeds Festival together, which I am really excited about!

I have put all my social media links at the bottom and I have also added a new link. As you know I have started writing for Spice UK online so I will also be posting on there as well. If you click on the link below it will take you to my profile on there and then you can see everything I have posted.

Speak to you all very soon, thank you for sticking with me and reading my posts!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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Moody Monday's Volume 23: My 21st Birthday

Hello Lovely Readers

My 21st birthday was on the 21st of April and I can honestly say it was the best day ever! I woke up at 6am as I had an early start at Uni. My boyfriend had sent me to bed early so that I couldn't see what was downstairs, so when I woke up I was so excited to go and see what he'd done. Scott had blown up loads of balloons and put up lots of banners and wrapped all my presents ready for me to open. I begged Scott to come downstairs so that I could start opening them. Suddenly I was wide awake for once at 6am! 

After making a cup of tea it was time to start unwrapping presents. I got some lovely PJ's from Scott's parents. I love my PJs so I was definitely pleased to get a fancy new pair. I also had a huge 21st badge from Scott, as well as cards from him and his family. I was so excited to open up the other presents, especially the huge box, but I restrained myself and left it till last. I opened up the smallest of the presents from Scott first. It was a beautiful charm from Pandora that he'd picked out himself. I really loved the charm because it had specks of my favourite colours (turquoise and green). It's colourful but understated, which I definitely like!

Ocean Mosaic Pavé Ball Charm from Scott.

Now it was time to rip open the wrapping paper on the big box. I had no idea what it was. As I started ripping off the wrapping paper I saw the name on the side of the box. 'Kitchen Aid'. Now for those of you who've noticed I'm a keen baker and I was dying to own a Kitchen Aid mixer ever since I moved into my house and the kitchen was finished. I couldn't believe Scott had bought me a bloody mixer. How many boyfriend points does he get for this?! 

Fits into my kitchen perfectly!

I was so excited I never wanted to let it go! Did you know these things are really heavy?!

This mixer is my new baby. I've never been one to get emotional at stuff on my birthday, but I literally couldn't stop crying all day. Everything was perfect. A sign I'm getting older probably...or that Scott has made me all mushy and soft. Couldn't thank Scott enough for knowing me enough and spoiling me on my birthday. He's literally made me feel so special. After munching on some birthday crumpets and watching Good Morning Britain, it was time to head off to Uni. I share the same birthday as the Queen so she was dominating the headlines. Where was my shout out?! 

Got birthday badges off Megan and Scott.

I'm not usually one who loves the early morning starts at Uni, however this morning I was particularly chipper. I'd made rainbow cupcakes the night before so strolled into my lecture with 3 tubs in tow. After listening to the speakers telling us about various jobs and future employment opportunities the second set of speakers came in and my friends told them it was my birthday. He made me stand up and face the whole lecture theatre whilst everyone sang 'Happy birthday' to me. I was really embarrassed, but it was really funny at the same time.

Charm from my Mum and Dad.
(Dazzling Daisy Fairy Charm)

After my afternoon lecture got cancelled (birthday luck), I headed home to see my parents. The weather was beautiful and I was in such a good mood. I gave cupcakes to my parents and sat down to have a cup of tea, whilst I opened my presents. They had bought me a beautiful charm I'd pointed out in Pandora. The Dazzling Daisy Fairy Charm. It's really pretty and has small splashes of pale pink spread around the charm itself. There are lots of beautiful intricate details on it, I thought it was a lovely present. Mum and Dad had also got me an oven glove and matching apron for my kitchen. Was definitely needed, as I was currently trying to lift things out using tea towels.

Earrings from my brother Max.
(Poetic Blooms Stud Earrings)

After shopping for my birthday party, which was happening on the Saturday I went to pick up my little brother. We were going out for a meal to Botafogo in Huddersfield, but Max let me open my present first. He had bought me a pair of earrings from Pandora (pictured above). I love flowers so these were a fabulous addition to my jewellery box, as I hadn't got a pair of earrings before.

Botafogo in Huddersfield

In the evening we all went to Botafogo for some much needed food! It's a Brazilian restaurant that operates on an 'all you can eat' basis. You have a card, which is for 'stop' and 'go' of when you want more meat. They come round with big kebab sticks of meat and they carve it for you at the table. It's all cooked on BBQ's and there's a huge range from steak to sausages and chicken. My favourite is the gammon and they have garlic mayo and I have loads of that with it. You get 3 sides; beans, rice and chips. If you finish these you can have them refilled whenever you need. It's a really great value restaurant for the money. If you're ever in Huddersfield it's definitely worth a visit!

Birthday dessert

I had such a fantastic birthday and I was so thankful to my fabulous family and friends and boyfriend for spoiling me. Really enjoyed myself. I will post some more stuff on my Instagram soon, the link is below if you want to see more from me.

Hope you enjoyed my post!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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Moody Monday's Volume 22: Everything happens for a reason

Hello Everyone 

I haven't written since the beginning of 2016 and I can say that so much has happened to me since I last blogged, not all good. I have had this post in draft since the middle of February. As today is April 1st and it's not long till my birthday I decided to stop putting off finishing this post and hurry up and post it! My motto for 2016 has been to believe that everything happens for a reason. It has become a mantra that I am reciting again and again as more and more things don't go as I expected them to.

As many of you know I have been completing my final year teaching placement. I'm not going to lie and tell you that it was the best few months of my life, it was far from it. This final year placement would have been enough to put anyone off teaching forever and if I'm being perfectly candid, it nearly put me off too. However, I'm a tough cookie and with the help, love and support from my family and friends I managed to go in and face each day with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. When training you expect to be supported and given guidance and support from your mentors. It is a tough profession that is currently receiving a lot of bad press. More teachers are leaving every day and I thought this would mean that we would be working together and helping one another. It's disheartening to still see that many teachers and school teams are working against trainees, which is why many choose not to seek employment as a teacher when they graduate. The government is receiving a lot of criticism for the rising levels of teachers leaving the profession, however I don't think they are solely to blame. Too often schools are very hostile towards trainees and we are ending up being trained by teachers who no longer want to teach and if your face doesn't fit in a school they make it very difficult for you to remain in the establishment. I really don't understand why some teachers feel the need to do that. It shouldn't be a competition, we should all be supportive of one another to ensure that we can offer the best experiences to the children in our classes. If we work together we are only going to continue to improve and ensure that we all progress in our training and feel supported by our peers. Which can only be a good thing as we can challenge each other in a positive way, which furthers our training and experience. Teaching allows us to develop and it's not something that you will stop and see you ultimately know everything. It's a profession where you are continually learning and change is happening all the time. In order to tackle the changes made we need to unite and support every single member without judgement. Falling apart and criticising one another will be our downfall.

The reality is that I have failed my final year placement. It has been heartbreaking trying to come to terms with what has happened, because a lot of what went wrong could not have been prevented by myself. I was trying so hard to impress people that ultimately just weren't interested in helping me. I have felt let down in many ways by a number of people who should've been supporting me. The result of me failing my placement has meant that I will no longer graduate in July with my friends. I will instead resit the placement in September with a view to graduate in December. It's a harsh reality that I've had to face and accept and it is hard to accept something you feel is unjust and wrong. Although life can be cruel and there really is nothing you can do about it. After feeling low for a few months I decided to try and put placement behind me and focus on me. I needed to try and become happier as a person and pick myself up after that school had knocked me down. It is important to ensure that you can't let someone change you and defeat you. If they beat you down it's important to stand up and face the fight again and again because you are strong enough. We all are and we shouldn't let them win.

A topic that has been spoken about in the media recently is that of mental health. A link tutor of mine, who was supposed to be providing support made an unprofessional comment about my mental health in front of staff members at the school. People who know me understand that this was completely uncalled for. There is no justification that someone should make a backhand comment in the way that she did. Although I was incredibly hurt and offended by the comment and the unprofessionalism of this person, I did not let that deter me. This 'failure' has motivated me more to prove those people wrong. They had formed an idea in their head about me and they couldn't see the work and effort I was putting in to please them. I want to tell you all that whatever people say to you, no matter how mean or hurtful it is, ignore those comments. Negativity has surrounded me like thick fog recently and I have tried so hard to push that away so that I can refocus on the positives. Remaining positive in these situations was in no way easy. I am lucky to have friends who came to see, support and listen to me as much as they could. I had family there to catch me every time I fell. I am also lucky to have found a boyfriend who could not be more supportive with everything I do. Surround yourself with a network of people who will support you. They will be your allies through the rough times. Without this support network I would not have made it through placement without more scars. I may also have chosen to drop out of uni and forget teaching altogether. This network of loved ones have reminded me of all the things I loved about teaching. Focusing on that passion is what has allowed me to return back to a school to volunteer.

I remember when I was younger I fell off my horse, riding through the park. My mum said that in order to move on I needed to get back on that horse or I would never do it again. This knock back in my teaching career is similar to that moment. In order for me to be able to teach again I needed to get back into a school. I have returned to my second year placement school who were completely supportive and are doing everything they can to build me back up to teach again. This situation has shown me how resilient and strong I am as a person. I can't underestimate that and anyone else who has experienced similar things to myself you can't underestimate yourself. I am incredibly proud of how I have handled everything life has thrown at me recently.

Failing placement is an extremely difficult thing to come to terms with. I have to admit these last few weeks I've cried just from looking at Facebook and seeing friends sharing their placement grades and how they've got jobs. I wish that was me, but it's not something I could control nor is it something I can change now. In some ways I didn't have the relaxed Christmas holidays I wanted. After a messy and terrible break up with my previous boyfriend I had to try and focus everything on this placement. In some ways that might have affected me more than I realised. He moved on so quickly after me and whilst I was angry and hurt at the time, I'm happy that he's found someone that makes him happy. Continuing a relationship that made us both unhappy was not in our best interests. I am only speaking for myself, but being away from that relationship has been good for me. It has taken time sure, like all break ups take time to get over.  However, I am done harvesting bad feelings towards people because it makes you a negative person. I want to focus on my future and being happy.

Focusing on my future and being happy has allowed me to find Scott. He has found me at a time in my life when I was particularly low and has stayed with me through all of that. Together we have worked on my house, spent so much time together and talked for hours on end about the things that are bothering me. I'm happy that I can cry in front of him without feeling worried about showing my feelings. Although I am not fully back to the positive person I used to be I am slowly getting there and that is because of the help of Scott, my family and friends. I cannot thank them enough for everything they have done. I am so lucky to have them.

I have finally moved into my house and with the help of Scott we are trying to finish the painting off so that I can have a party there for my birthday. I want to celebrate my 21st with my family, friends and Scott. Just a small get together will make me really happy this year. Now I am focusing on each day and taking it as it comes. I'm focusing on finishing uni with a good degree classification and have a fab Summer so that I am ready to begin my placement in September. I will not be beaten, teaching is for me. You can't let your enemies win, you're better than that. I'm going to finish this post here before I go into full emotional meltdown and this post gets more ranty!

For now I'll enjoy the short outbursts of sun!

Thank you for continuing to read my posts and sticking with me. I really appreciate every view, comment and message from you all. Don't forget to follow me on my links below!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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New Year...a new me as well?

Hello Everyone

I'm sat here nearly at the end of my Christmas holiday and I'm watching Grey's Anatomy. 2015 has been a defining year for me in more ways than one. I fell in love, I had my heart broken, I've cried more times than I can count and I also made huge steps with my University degree, which I think has made me a better teacher. This holiday hasn't been completely relaxing and enjoyable for me, so I think it would be safe to say that I want to end 2015 on a high. I've decided to spend it having a girly night in with my Mum and my Auntie and the pooches, with takeaway and wine! I am looking forward to 2016. I will be once again beginning the year single, which will be nothing new! I mean I've never actually been in a relationship over Christmas and New Year so it won't be that much of a change right? Difficult decisions were made regarding my relationship status and unfortunately there was nothing I could really do to keep that working anymore. I'm not going to lie I'm upset, but I'm also positive that I will find the right person for me eventually and that will be the right thing for me! I have lots to look forward to in 2016 so I don't have time to mope around the house and be upset. Megan needs to focus on applying for jobs, teaching and spending time with friends and family.

A sad note is that I also have yet to move into my house. It's annoying to see it sat there almost ready, however Mum doesn't want me moving in when I haven't got the essentials in there (a working shower). Obviously that is so important when coming home from a stressful day teaching and I want to relax! So I'm going to dedicate weekends and free time to go and finish the house whenever I can fit it in and I'm sure my lovely family will also help out. I am really am so thankful for them and they've made this festive period easier and happier for me. 

New Years Resolutions, I've never been very good at making them, let alone keeping them! However, this year I am ready to make a few and stick to them I'm determined! Now I am single I am ready to focus on me and get fit. I want to lose weight and get the body I know I deserve, which in turn will help me grab the man I deserve. The second resolution is to get a job teaching in a school I am really happy with. The dream is obviously to be an Early Years Teacher, however as long as i'm in a good school that is supportive and values me I'm happy with Years 1 and 2 too. My final resolution is to be happy. I can do this by spending time with family and friends and being happy with myself. 

So I'm sorry for being away for a while, it's bad of me. I didn't want to bore you and I also didn't feel like writing when I was so low. Although, here I am ready to continue on this journey with you. I'm ready to share things with you because this is a place I can just puke my feelings and somehow make them form words. 

Thank you so much for sticking with me, I really appreciate it. 

OOOH! How could I forget?! I also started writing for Spice UK Online this year. I haven't posted so much as I have been busy and priorities have taken over, but I am ready to change that this year and schedule some posts. 

I hope you have all had a good Christmas and are ready to ring in the New Year! Please get in touch on my social media links and drop me a message if you like. 

Let me know what your resolutions are in the comments below! Thank you again!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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(my profile on the website, which also has all my posts I've written as well. Give me some support it will be appreciated!)

Moody Monday's Volume 20: Motivation

Hello Bloggers!

It has been such a long time since my last post and honestly I have missed writing on this page. These past couple of months have been a whirlwind for me with regards to University. I'm half way through the first term back and I am already feeling the pressure of final year! I have all these assignments due in for the 12th of November as well as a presentation and getting ready for my final placement. I have to admit it's quite overwhelming for me. We had a meeting the other day about final year placement and the importance of it. That was such a scary meeting, simply because the reality that I would soon be applying for jobs hit me. I will soon have to grow up and realise that this is now my career. Daunting. On the other hand I am ready to be a teacher of my own class. Only then can I begin to learn more from experience and get one step closer to being the teacher I hope I will one day become. As well as being daunting, it is also exciting. I am looking forward to graduating and celebrating with my friends rounding off what has been a fab three years at University. I hope to graduate with a first and that's why I'm using this blog as a break for myself between writing assignments. I am more than willing to put in the effort so that I am able to improve on my essays with the help of the learning hub, hopefully allowing me to bump my high 2:1 up to a first.

One thing I have also noticed with the pressure of final year is my diet. Wow, I am unhealthy. My reliance on sweet treats and fatty guilty pleasures has become ridiculous and my ever growing waistline is becoming a problem for me. I really wish that whilst I was trying hard at Uni, I felt motivated to go for a run or diet. I suppose I can't have everything in that sense, and sometimes my mood causes me to lean towards the very foods that don't do anything for me. BOO. Nevertheless, I'll continue to hold out hope that one day my body will soon reduce in size and I will end up looking fabulous. Until that day though I shall just continue to slouch in my pjs watching Netflix to pass the time.

I have a busy few weeks ahead of me and the hard work starts now! For all of you in my position we CAN do this! If you're like me and you are striving for a high grade in your degree work hard. I know it feels like you aren't doing enough, but I assure you that you are. Just take your work in stages and the workload will soon decrease and you'll feel better when you see your hard work rewarded. I will also say that you need to remember how valuable your close friends are. I have never been so thankful for best friends these past few weeks. They help me keep on track with my work, they read through my essays when I'm worrying and they also listen to me rant about how I'm obviously going to fail final year before reminding me that I can succeed this year and that I need to keep going.

I also need to thank my family as well as Luke for sticking with me even when my moods turn ugly. I will admit I have resembled Bridget Jones these last few months, personality as well as comfy attire! However, I won't apologise for that and will instead thank them for reminding me that I can do this and one day I will be a fab teacher. Sidetone: Thank you to Luke for buying me pie. It's bad for my waistline, but good for the mood.

Anyway I will cute this post slightly shorter than normal. I just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive and kicking. I'm just swamped with Uni work!

I love you all, let me know how you're doing!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

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Moody Monday's Volume 19: BBQ Weather

Hello Bloggers! 

I am feeling a bit stuffed today. Lets just say that I've eaten well over the weekend! I have enjoyed the beautiful weather by having three, yes three BBQ's. I have to say I enjoyed every one of them. My Dad is a top barbecuer. Apart from having so much meat I could burst I have also been collating the items I will be taking with me to the new house. I am very very excited. Moving day could be as soon as Friday. I'm hoping that once I get my house all sorted I could do a cute tour video around my room and put it on YouTube. Then you could see how everything I have purchased fits into my new little home! 

As well as that I am currently working on a spending post showing you've everything I've bought recently, a haul yay! Hopefully, you'll like that when it's up. The weather turned a bit rubbish today. It's been on and off torrential rain, but it's a nice change as I was getting a bit too warm. Luckily I've stayed inside most of today. 

I have also restarted getting into COD (Call of Duty) again. It's terrible I know but I just couldn't help myself! Luke and I have been playing it together which is quite cute. I need everyone to know though that I am better than him obviously!

Speaking of Luke, yesterday we celebrated 6 months together. It has been difficult at times, but I take comfort in knowing every time we have a problem we can work it out and we are stronger for it. 

Back to food, I went for lunch with my friend Fran today at Harvester and can I just say that it was really lovely. I had the half roast chicken with chips and gravy and it was so tasty. For a cheap place to go I wasn't expecting much and yet it was a really nice afternoon treat. I will definitely be going again soon!

I will also be seeing Megan on Wednesday hopefully. It will be nice to see someone from Uni, seen as how I haven't really managed to see anyone over the holidays! A bit sad really. However, a catch up KFC and chat is much needed with Megan so it needs to happen soon!

I think I will cut it short there guys. Can I just lastly say thank you to you all for staying with me through this journey on my blog. I got a lovely message the other day and it really makes it all worth it when you tell me you still enjoy my posts. 

Love you all!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan 

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Moody Monday's Volume 16:

Hello Everyone!

It's that dreaded Monday again and the beginning of the week, however it is one I am really looking forward to! I have lots of exciting things to tell you. 

Last week I spent every day with Luke and it was weird sleeping on my own for the first time in a week on Saturday night (sad face). I really enjoyed spending the week together and I really hate that I probably won't get to see him much this week as we are both really busy.

Today I have been for an interview and I'm happy to say I have sorted my final year school placement and I can't wait to start. It is scary to think that this is my final year of my University degree, however I am excited to start with a class of my own.

It is also the week I go to London with Adeline to see Taylor Swift at Hyde Park! I leave on Friday so I am already trying to think of what I am going to pack since I am helping out at my previous placement school in Year 1.

I can't wait to explore London and eat some good food and hopefully drink some prosecco whilst I'm down there too! I will be posting lots of pictures on my instagram and tweeting whilst I'm down there so don't forget to click on the links below to make sure you're following me!

I'm also getting my hair done as well this Thursday which is long overdue because quite frankly it's getting out of hand! My ponytail is incredibly bushy!

So it's fair to say I have such a busy week ahead of me but one that I am excited for. The only thing missing is seeing Luke (sad face), but I can't complain because we have spent a lot of time together recently. I just wished we lived closer.

OH! I forgot to say I've bought my own house. More to come on this as we get closer to completion and I can take some photos of my own. I'm so so excited for this new adventure! Will definitely keep you all updated on this!

Hope you're all well! Enjoy your week!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan 

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Battlefield Trip to Ypres: Day One

Hello Bloggers! 

As you may know I went to Ypres at the end of last week and came home on Saturday. I have written a blog for my University and I thought I'd share my trip with you all! I've split it into separate posts for each day as some are quite long! 

Hope you enjoy!

Ypres: Day One

Thursday 19th February 2015

6 am

We were sat on the coach far too excited for our impending adventure. I was so tired (my alarm had gone off at 4.30am), however we had it lucky compared to the Cumbria students who had been on the road since 3 am. I sat next to my fellow Disney lover Jess whilst Carmen sat at the back with Danny. As always I hadn't thought ahead about what to do to keep me occupied for the 6 hour drive to Dover. I plumped for falling in an out of sleep (bad choice as I developed terrible neck ache).

1 pm

Fast forward and we're sat on the ferry which I'm NOT used to, and cannot decide if I like it or not. Carmen, Jess, Danny and Me headed straight for the canteen and grabbed food. Ferry food is SO expensive! I paid £5 for children's fish and chips, but I was hungry so I didn't have a choice. After we'd finished our grub we headed up to the top deck to look outside. Cold, wet and windy! We didn't stay out long! Was nice to see some sun after a lot of bad weather. For the rest of the ferry ride we collapsed on some sofas and chilled out.

Carmen, Dan, Jess and Me on the Ferry.

3 pm (ish)

We set out to find our hotel. Now I'll be honest here I really don't remember the drive from Calais to Ypres as I was in and out of sleep. When we did leave Calais the weather was beautiful, although I did know it wasn't supposed to last. Rain had been forecast unfortunately. I couldn't wait to get to our hotel and check in. We'd travelled nearly all day and I was so tired...I honestly just needed my bed!

5 pm (ish)

We finally arrived at the Novotel. I had stayed here before with my family. It was lovely when I'd last stayed so I was looking forward to staying here again. Our room was huge and we had 2 singles and a double. After allocating beds between me, Jess and Carmen we got ready to head out for dinner and then to the Menin Gate. 

6 pm

We headed out as a group, the square looked rather beautiful at night. I was really looking forward to sharing this experience with my friends, even though I had visited before. We had dinner at Den Anker and although we didn't get to choose what we had for dinner I was determined to try something. We were served Flemish Stew (which is beef in an ale gravy) with chips and salad. Bottles of water and cola were also provided on our tables and for pudding we were given choc ices. Steve informed us that if children were on this trip they would be given and it was important we experienced so it was important of what kind of food they would get. Personally it was not something I enjoyed, however I am glad I tried it.

8 pm

Our next stop was the Menin Gate Memorial for the missing. This was something I attended last time I was in Ypres, however the weather was a lot warmer. For those of you who are thinking of visiting Ypres, going to this ceremony held every evening at 8pm should be top of your list. It's quite overwhelming how many people turn up each evening to pay their respects. It's definitely moving, even though I didn't see as much this time because of my height, but the message is still there and the emotion. A speaker shared a story about one of the soldiers who had lost his life during the war and his name was now on the walls of the gate. The Last Post is held and a moments silence to remember all those who gave their lives. Three of our students lay wreaths and then we assembled for group photos afterwards. Steve pointed out a few names he had researched, highlighting the importance of sharing personal stories.

Jess's photo of the beautiful ceiling of the Menin Gate

Thanks to Jess for this photo of Carmen and I

Menin Gate

9 pm

We had had such a busy day so we headed for the shop for snacks and then back to our hotel room. We got in our pjs and snuggled on the bed to watch Mean Girls. We also downloaded a new game called 'Heads Up' which I recommend you download. It's only 79p from the App Store. It's a great game to play with friends and made us all laugh. Jess, Carmen and I didn't know each other that well prior to this trip so playing games like this helped us get to know each other and feel more comfortable around one another.

Unlike many of the students we called it an early night because we had a really busy day planned on Friday.

Stay tuned for Day 2

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

Thank you to Jess and Carmen Sharman for letting me use your fabulous photos! So glad that through this trip we became closer as friends. Definitely a memorable and wonderful experience.

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