” As one door closes another one always opens”- Alexander Graham Bell

So recently I’ve had to say farewell to a couple of chapters of my life, the first being my job at Mint Velvet. Giving up my job wasn’t a decision I made lightly, over the year and a half I’ve been there I’ve made amazing friends, learnt new skills, grown in confidence and with that has come enjoyment, experience and fulfilment. However, balancing a job with uni work , a social life and the want to go home and support my family is something that didn’t come easily unfortunately. I do have peace of mind though, knowing that I worked hard and made a difference while I was there and that didn’t go unnoticed. I’ve also made friends for life that I can fondly reminisce over my time there with.

Secondly, second term of second year. Well… it’s been the toughest term so far, one module in particular has made me feel particularly useless and choosing a Spanish LFA has finally started to seem like a chore rather than a hobby but I am determined to battle all my linguistic demons and ace my exams next term. The prospect of final year has also started to dawn on me after confirming my modules and re-signing our house for next year, both of which bode to bring a lot of excitement!! But the real world of work does grow ever closer and I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for my uni bubble to burst.

With these endings, some fresh beginnings have also sprung. I recently entered into a relationship after months of being scared to put my heart on the line and often feeling not good enough. I’ve finally found someone who makes me so happy to be me and has tattooed a smile on my face, I literally have to pinch myself every day!! (Chris if you’re reading this you’re still a twat x) This has also meant I’ve met some wonderful new people and it’s been so life affirming knowing the world has so many incredible beings in it.

In addition, my Brain Tumour Young Ambassador role is about to take off in a big way and I couldn’t be more excited with many snazzy events coming up like The Brighton Marathon where I can’t wait to be a part of the volunteer team. I also have a residential training weekend in a couple of weeks which bodes to be a great adventure. I’m sure a blog post will follow!!

Similarly, I started my role as RAG rep on the Derwent college committee alongside the wonderful El and I couldn’t think of a better person to share the role with, we both have so much passion and enthusiasm for RAG which we’ve already started to put into practice after organising a college partnership with the incredible charity, Mind. We even had our first event in honour of that a couple of weeks ago with many more on their way!!

On the theme of Charity, this term I also completed my Alzheimer’s Research Community Speaker Training so now I can attend cheque presentations and speak to community groups and at events to raise awareness. Anyone who knows someone with Alzheimers will know it is one of the most heartbreaking diseases to witness as someone you love gradually loses their memory to the point where they even forget those they hold so dear. So if there is a cure to be found, I want to help make that happen!!

So there’s been some emotional endings but some very bright beginnings and I’m excited for what the future holds.

B xxx

3 parts to 3 days

So ‘Buzz from Becca’ was a venture I’ve always been keen to embark on but one which didn’t quite have a destination in mind so as I’m finding my way I thought I’d share a few things from this week that I think make the cut…

1) BALLS- I went to London to visit one of my nearest and dearest and we went to Balliballersome (a bar with a ball pit- not something you see enough of in my opinion) and I cannot praise it enough! Bare in mind London usually charges £10 club entry and at least £10 for a drink but this was the cheapest night I’ve had since turning 18!! So once a month they do a student night which is just £1 entry and wait for it… the drinks were just £2.50!!! (That’s literally cheaper than a bus fare) so the layout is also pretty groovy as there are 2 themed rooms of balls and they did not disappoint! The first one was Valentine’s Day themed with thousands of pink balls and roses decorations and it seemed to attract a very girly demographic buzzing with girls having photo shoots and a great laugh, makes a change from being shoved in a toilet queue! Then the other room was covered in luminous balls and Milli and I took great pleasure in joining in the ball fights and jumping around like five-year-olds until I dropped my bag and I’m not even joking, my heart skipped a beat and panic mode began as Milli reminded me they only clear the balls once a week and it could be lost forever! Fear not I tripped over it just as I was starting to remember how many valuable things I had in that bag. As long as you don’t lose anything in the never-ending pool of balls, the two-hour session is an enlightening nostalgic experience filled with kiddish excitement and allows you to forget all your stress and proves laughter really is the best medicine! Moral of the story: ball pits aren’t just for kids and the best prescription for stress relief!!

2) BRAINS- so a charity extremely close to my heart is the Brain Tumour Charity and you might not be aware just how prevalent brain tumours are, being the most common cancer for people under 40 and just 1% of the national spend on cancer is dedicated to Brains!! Being extremely passionate about funding this valuable research I applied a few months ago to become a Brain Tumour Charity Young Ambassador which consists of 20 people chosen between 18-25, closely affected by the cause, to become a crucial part of running the charity and helping to find a cure sooner!! I wasn’t very hopeful as the application involved creating a video and I am not very computer literate so it was literally a video of me bursting with passion and trying to convey that in 2 mins!! Nevertheless, I got a call this week announcing that I made the cut and I literally cried with happiness, this charity means the world to me and to know that I can do something positive and make a real difference is incredible! My dream after graduation is to go into charity fundraising so let’s hope this is a step closer to achieving my goal.

3)BASIC TRAIN ETIQUETTE- so this one is added in because I am writing this while on a 2 hour train from London to York after a brief trip home and the first hour of the journey did not consist of me drinking coffee and blogging as I am now but quite the opposite… as I sat down in my allocated seat, D27, I pondered about the kind of people that may be joining me around the table and less than two seconds later a very smiley but ditsy man sat down and MANSPREAD, took up the whole table with his McDonald’s and started asking me where I was heading, why I was heading there and less than 30 seconds in precedes to insinuate that my degree does not lead to a good career. To my relief a lovely middle-aged couple came and sat opposite us so I thought fewwwww he can bombard them instead but no no he decides to show us all YouTube channel and the three of them decide to gang up on my southerner self and seem to have the mutual goal of convincing me the North is the best!! I was as polite as can be and laughed along in times when I couldn’t quite make out the Geordie accent and even laughed as his chips kept flying out of his mouth and into my lap. Headphones saved my life that journey.

Make 2019 a year of no regrets

So with a new year comes resolutions that I expect have already been broken if you’re anything like me!! I promised to not only go running every day but also to eat healthy (currently as I write this I’m demolishing a huge bar of Cadbury’s fruit and nut whoops).

Recently life hasn’t been so hunky dory so this blog post is all about making the most of every day and making 2019 a year of no regrets!!

1. Life is too short for small balls- message that boy, climb that mountain, apply for that job!
2. Family is everything, a trip home can be just what you need to pick yourself up after a set back.
3. Believe in yourself, I know it’s harder than it sounds but sometimes you are your own worst enemy and how can you expect other people to love you if you don’t love yourself.
4. Say yes- obviously there are boundaries but if you’ve ever seen the gossip girl episode where Chuck and Nate start to say yes to everything you’ll see with saying yes, comes excitement and opportunity 
5. It’s okay to need some time to yourself, time to unwind and curl up in bed (chick flicks advised).
6. Life isn’t like the movies so stop expecting it to be, guys won’t just turn up on your doorstep with flowers and whisk you away so be realistic and act if you want something to happen.
7. I strongly believe everything happens for a reason, the reason may not be known yet but just hold on.
8. Tell everyone how much you love them, not to be morbid but no one lives forever and there is no harm in reminding people how much you mean to them.
9. Start a new hobby or pick up an old one. This blog is to be my 2019 baby so watch this space!!
10. Someone loves you, even when you feel the worlds against you look for the stars in the darkness and the sun in the cloudy sky and hold on to the positives, we always have something to smile about.