This was the beginning

I remember the moment I decided I was going to go overseas.
I had looked into it a few times before but had always decided against it, for no good reasons as well.
But then I found myself looking again, and this time my life was feeling rather low, I didn't feel like I had much at all. I was unhappy, struggling through a breakup, and often breaking down.
It was at the end of August, 2013. I made an enquiry to an agency and a week later they got in touch with me. It felt spontaneous at the time, I said I didn't want to leave until 2014 and they said that was fine, that I could take my time to get everything prepared. And that was it.
From then, I had something to look forward to.

Then. October 18, 2013 I met my best friend. Jess. We bonded over chocolate, it was a beautiful beginning to our friendship. Actually, we just got talking, got along so well, we made plans for future weekends and then went along like we had known each other for years.
I think we both needed each other. We came to have a sort of dependence on each other being there.
We did quite a bit together. I would definitely say I have a lot of fun memories with her, from just going out for a drink to a roller disco, road trips, beach days, camping, her dropping by for pancakes...

{I think to invest your time into having someone's company, someone who enjoys what you enjoy, and is willing to invest their time in you, wether they're just a friend or more, will always be worth it.
The memories I have with Jess, are definitely ones that I visit often.
Time is the best gift you will ever have to give! - Remember that}


She sparked up my life like no one else could.

The beginning of my travels

Oh wow, remembering this day makes me feel emotional! 

Very happy, as I was finally setting off to begin my adventure overseas.

Anxious, as I had never been on a flight for more than an hour.

And sad, as I was leaving all my loved ones.

My flight was at midday. I was up at 7 making sure I had everything ready to go, and that I had a good breakfast! We left my house at about 8:30 (I think) to be at the airport around 9am.

Jess drove me to the airport and my brother came along as well. 

They sat with me in the airport until my flight details came up.

We took silly photos with my iPad and had a few last-laughs...

And then I was going. On my way through security.

I left Brisbane on Monday 26th May at 12:15pm.

I arrived to Heathrow, London on Monday 26 May at 7:30am

Bit confusing. Gotta love the time difference.

I was also very lucky to have no jet lag! (After 30 hours on planes and through airports I have no idea how I got away with that!)

In what actually felt like no time at all, I was at Heathrow airport and finding my way on the underground tube line - and oh my gosh, that was confusing! It took me at least a week to learn what the lines are and how to read the map.

I reached my hostel at around 10am and couldn't check in till 2pm, so I left my bags there and went for a 15 minute walk to Oxford St..and of course, I had arrived on a public holiday and not much was open at all, so I explored the street, then went back and went for a walk through Hyde park. The entire time being completely paranoid of getting lost, so I was sure not to go too far from the street that took me back. 

I was back at the hostel around 1pm, relaxing for a while on their wifi. When I finally got into my room I met 2 other lovely ladies, who I friended and spent a small amount of time with for the 3 days I was at the hostel, as well exploring some sights (mostly Westminister and some pubs... Pubs are sights, right?)

Westminister - Elizabeth tower and the Houses of Parliament 

After my time at the hostel I moved on to a room I had rented from airbnb, which was surprisingly not bad at all, it was a small room in an apartment and shared with 2 other girls there, one who I also friended. My first day there I joined her for a quick trip to China town. I had not been there before so it was nice to have someone show me the way.

I was staying there for just under 3 weeks, and from there was a quick walk to the train station, 2 stops from the tube and then not far from the city at all. I spent most my days out and found a favourite spot to go to on my days I had nothing planned..

St. James's Park

Gorgeous gardens!

The Day I Have Children...

[This is something I wrote a while ago. Keep in mind when you read, that a few things I have written are metaphors. And enjoy!]

The day I have children, will be a day I won't live in a busy place.

My children will not know of technology when they're only 5. 

They will play outside, they will run free. 

They will use their bodies. Their legs to run, their arms to push, to lift, to climb. 

They will use their minds, not on phones or iPads, but on puzzles and drawing boards, they will use their eyes on story books and nature, finding birds in trees and picking colours of paint.

They will not be cleanly dressed at the end of each day. They will be covered in fun, from bruises from falling down, paint from creating something new; that I will, with no doubt find spectacular! And dirt marks over their entire self from exploring what is out there!

There will be no tv time, or consoles to play in my house. There will only be bookshelves and home made stories from photos of our good times.

My children will learn through their mistakes, when they fall down, I will not cradle them, I will  simply say, "stand up sweetie, you're ok!" 

My children will learn to be themselves through creative play, they will learn what they like and don't like and I will teach them how to tell the world around them.

I will teach them to stand up for who they want to be, what they want to do, and what they believe in, if I have a son who wants to go out shopping dressed as a fairy, I will dress with him! And when people stare and spit their critical judgments, I will look down on them and firmly say, "please do not teach my son your bad attitude. Take it somewhere else"

I will teach my children to respect, to always give but don't expect. To show love and if people knock them down, get back up and walk around them with their head held high!

I will teach my children to have a positive attitude, to remember to always have fun, to enjoy what they do, to appreciate the little things and to always see the beautiful things.

Because children, at first, only know what we teach them.

And what we teach them, is more than words. It is our actions, and our attitude. It is everything that they see. They take it all in.

And as they grow, they will reshape that to become something more than what they were once told or shown.

They will reshape it into their life, it will grow into their personality and we can only hope that the end result will be somebody beautiful, because they are what we have created.

Wake Up, it's almost time

So now I had Jess, but a couple months before I left, the idea of me leaving started sinking in for her, so she started distancing herself from me and we stopped spending so much time. She started hanging out with a few other people - who I introduced her to, so she would have more friends when I left.

And I went down hill. I hit rock bottom and didn't even notice, I was so focused on counting down the weeks, every time I felt horrid I would say to myself, "it's fine. X many weeks and I'm gone and I'll be good then."

I was eating two meals a day, most days. A big Breakfast and a big lunch, and occasionally dinner if I was hungry in the evening, but I usually wasn't.

Every time I saw my sister, she would tell me to eat a burger. 

But I didn't see it. Though I did have a few pairs of shorts that started feeling big.

For 6 weeks, I did not wash my hair.. And for some reason I thought it was fine...

I know I was neglecting myself in other ways, but my memory is very vague of that time.

It was a few days before I was finishing up at work, and I had an anxiety attack, I didn't even realize what it was! - I have always had issues with anxiety, I notice what's going on before my nerves even start tingling, usually... But this was not like that. All it was was a sharp pain in my rib which made me feel like I couldn't take a proper breath in. I thought it was a stitch or a cramp or something, until it wouldn't go away and I began getting dizzy and faint from a lack of oxygen.

This was like a slap in my face. It was my body telling me. No, screaming at me, to wake the hell up and look after myself. 

So now I had two more weeks until I was to board my flight for England. Not really sure what I did in those weeks. Sold my car. Filled out forms for my sister to buy me out on our house. And finished reading the hunger games books - could not put them down!

Oh, and focused on looking after myself a bit more.

I guess this was a life lesson here. How important it is to look after oneself. 

When I had that anxiety attack, I had a doctor say that I shouldn't be going anywhere in my condition. 

But where would I be then? I don't believe I would have gotten better staying where I was. My condition was environmental and even now, the idea of going back makes me anxious, but now it's something that I know I can overcome.

Everything that happens in life will bring with it opportunities. A chance to do something, go somewhere, say something or even just the opportunity to have a thought, an epiphany about where you're going with your life, what you're doing, or what you want or need at that time..

A little about me and my blog

Hello!

Now. To start.. A little about myself. 
I would consider myself to still be quite young. I'm from Australia but currently living in England. Doing some traveling. I want nothing more in life than to see beautiful places - but what does that mean? It may mean something different to you. I'd like to think there is beauty everywhere, you only need to open your eyes!
I like a bit of creativity in my life. I'd like to paint the colours of this world on a canvas and call it my life!
I like to write but it's been a while since I've really done any (how am I doing so far?) so I've decided to make a blog! Inspired by my lovely mother to do so! (She has recently started one!)
I'm not sure what else to write about myself, I'd think you can probably tell a little about me from the way I write, and from what I will be writing. So if you're interested... Keep on reading!

And also, a little about what I intend to put in my blog...
Well, everything and anything. Every inspired thought, all my travels I've done so far and the ones to come..
When I called this blog "my life adventure" I wasn't just considering the things I do, now they do make a majority of my life's adventures, but so do my thoughts! It's the way I think about things I do and want to do that makes it all so fun!
Would you agree...?

Every day is a chance for a new adventure!