How I feel about leaving school

When writing this blog post, the common phrase 'your school days are the best days of your life' came into my head.  Is this the case? Although some people seem to hate school, I actually really liked it (well, the social part), and I've surprised myself by saying I miss it.

In school I was all about having the best time ever with the best people and this is how to survive the most make-or-break years of your life.  I was fortunate enough to go to an all girls school from age 13 to 16 (and then the school mixed genders in sixth form) which meant that we were all crazy and careless throughout these years.  The stereotype of an all girls school is one full of bitchiness and nasty girls (and usually one 'queen bee' thanks to all high-school focused films,) but this was completely not the case, we could be goofy and geeky whenever we wanted because we never had to fight or compete for boys attention.  Being in an all girls school takes away the pressure of girls worrying about their appearance or personality and changing so more boys like them.  Ridiculous isn't it?  Girls of 13 shouldn't be worried about their appearance or impressing boys, but, thanks to social media, this is the society we live in today.

Attending a girls school truly shaped me into the person I am today and perhaps that is why I'm so sad to be finally leaving, and leaving all the friends which I have shared the last five years with, growing up with each other along the way.  The one thing I loved about my year is that everyone seems to be friends with everyone (IKR?!), you could talk to anyone and they would be so lovely and kind back.  I remember the headmistress once referring to my school as a 'sequoia tree' because of the connection between everyone.

The main thing that school has given me is confidence, I entered the school as a kind of shy (I wouldn't say fully shy because I'd still engage in classes) young girl, and I have left an 18 year old women who knows her worth.  The life lessons school teaches you are invaluable, whether you know it at the time or not.  Not only do you learn life lessons, but you also grow academically and you learn how to challenge, evaluate and socialise, skills that you would struggle learn anywhere else.

School is what you make it - hate it or love it, you will survive it, even if it feels like a drag now (and you would much rather be enjoying summer rather than being stuffed into a sweating classroom), it will be worth it and you, like me, will be grateful for school and how it has enabled you to grow as a person.

This leads me on to the biggest decision I've ever had to make... 

I've decided to go to University this September after much deliberation.  I'm excited (and scared) for the journey to come, but I guess I have to follow my heart and take a step out of my comfort zone.  It's so important to make changes to your life, but the hardest part is not knowing whether these changes will be bad or good - but that's life!  My biggest fear is failure - I'm a perfectionist - I don't like to fail at anything, no matter big or small, so being in a situation where I cannot control the outcome scares the sh*t out of me.  

Most importantly, I've realised that life is too short to be unhappy.  You never know, University may be the best decision I've ever made, granted, it could be the worst, but what is the point on focusing on the negatives and the what-ifs? Now, I live in the present, a skill I have learnt through going to school everyday and being surrounded by positive people.  

I hope you're all having a lovely day!

All the love x

Holiday snaps || Rhodes

Staying in Rhodes for a week not only meant sunbathing and eating my body weight in feta cheese, it also meant culture.  Now, a holiday to Rhodes wouldn't be complete without a trip to the beautiful little village of Lindos.  Lindos is pretty much heaven when it comes to food, quaint shops and incredible scenery - it seems one million miles away from the busy and crowded streets of London. 

Lindos has kept all of its original charm, including hand crafted signs and clothes.  

The view from the top of Lindos' Acropolis (built in 300BC - a very long time ago - I'm not the person to ask if you want to know about history) is breathtaking as you look over the crystal-clear waters and impressive cliffs from a height.  Sometimes you need a birds-eye view to truly take in the scenery, even if it means that you have to walk (or take a donkey ride) up a lot of stairs.  Remember to take some water up with you because trust me you'll need it.  

Every restaurant we walked past was absolutely stunning, and, as you can imagine, the food was incredible (but then again when is Greek food not incredible.)  After much deliberation we ended up eating at Dionysos, a Greek meze restaurant and my chicken souvlaki was soooo tasty I find myself still thinking about it (is that weird? The fact that I even need to ask that question suggests yes.)  

The white-washed streets of Lindos are like a labyrinth.  

Me standing by a very Greek-looking door (okay - I thought it looked pretty and maybe, just maybe did I pretend that I was in Mamma Mia.)  It was impossible not to draw comparisons between the Greek 'island' of Kalokairi and Lindos.  

Rather than heading for the main Lindos beach, we decided to head towards St Peter's Bay instead, although it was smaller, it was much quieter and the sea was the most amazing turquoise - like nothing I'd ever seen before. 

What was also extraordinary about Lindos was that everything was handmade; the gifts, bags and linen dresses.  I found that this added to the traditional Greek feel of the village and it made me fall in love with it even more, especially after meeting the lovely shop-owners who had worked so hard to make these items.  

I LOVE these sandals.

I had to finish on this picture because look how freaking amazing these fresh oranges look! 

When I visit places which contain so much history and are untouched by humans, it reminds me that the world is so phenomenal.  As a quote on a wall in Rhodes said; 

'The world is a book, and those who don't travel only read one page.' 

All the love x