Feeling Like an Adult Yet?

Sorting everything to go away is rather stressful...

Jags are particularly annoying.  Hep A and typhoid were sorted a wee while ago but I'm still in the process of getting Rabies, Hep B and Japanese Encephalitis.  These are not fun... I have a couple of marks on my arm which look like I've been bitten by a snake. (which hopefully won't happen when I'm away)  I also managed to get all the possible side effects as well! Which meant I felt awful for a couple of weeks.  But last jags are on Tuesday! Yay!  So hopefully that will be the end of feeling rubbish!

Banking.  It's awful.  There's so much of it as well.  Paying in money, checking that accounts are okay to use in India and sorting out internet banking (which isn't as easy as it's made out to be).

In the last month I think I've bought and given more thank you cards than I have ever done in my whole life.  It's also partly because it's the end of term so lots of things are finishing but it's still horrible to have to say goodbye to everyone.  It makes it seem real that in a few weeks I'll be heading away, not just to another country but to another continent.

Shopping is usually something I would love, but not for this.  Having to choose clothes that are suitable for the heat, suitable for the culture and suitable for avoiding mosquito bites.  I managed to buy some clothes so I think we're heading in the right direction.. Hopefully.

But still the worst thing about being an adult is making my own doctors appointments..

More Money Counting

Thank you to MacRoberts Solicitors for their donation! A while ago my dad was talking to one of their lawyers and they offered a donation towards my fundraising.  Thank you so much for that donation, it took me over the £5000 target.

After a lot of money counting (and recounting) and banking and sending away cheques, my fundraising is at £5,100! Which means I only have to raise about £500! That is really exciting because I'm getting so close to everything being sorted!

Thank you to everyone!

Ladies Night

On the 20th of June last week I had my Ladies Night fundraiser at my house it was really good! I raised £325 which was amazing.  

After some confusion over how to measure fluid ounces, I managed to make some cocktails! For the mocktails I had a Tornado Twist and a Virgin Mojito and for the cocktails I made a Cosmopolitan and a  Mojito (although I think I got the measures wrong for the Cosmo as it was rather strong)

Although some people couldn't make it to the night they donated money for a ticket or donated clothes or books to be sold so thank you very much to them!  

We had lots and lots of clothes to be sold.. And although all the clothes weren't sold and there still seemed to be loads left, most of them were sold and people took home lots of new clothes!  Choosing the price to sell the clothes was probably the most stressful part of the evening, I'm not sure how shops and businesses do that every day. 

There were lots and lots of books as well and although I would have loved to have kept them all I only kept three (two of which I may have already read).  This was a lot easier than the clothes because it was was just a donation! But there were still loads of books left but hopefully now some other people are benefiting from those!  Thank you to everyone who donated and bought the books!

I would like to say a massive thank you to Natalie who brought some of her Bodyshop stuff to sell.  Everything she sold she gave half of the money to me which was really lovely!  Most of the products were sold which was incredible! Thank you so much Natalie.

I also had a raffle and although I didn't have many prizes, lots of raffle tickets were sold! I even managed to finish most of the raffle books that I still had from the ceilidh!  I would really like to say a big thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets.  I had a bottle of cuban rum, a bottle of bicardi, a bottle of sparkling wine, a gift voucher from Coco Creative hairdressers in Alloa (thank you very much) and a teddy bear.  Well done to everyone who won a prize!

Thank you to June who was doing feet massages all night!  Also thank you to Rachel who was doing manicures! 

Thank you to my mum for helping out all night and to Morna for helping to count all the money!

Thank to everyone for coming and helping and helping me to raise the money!

  

"My gardening skills are non existent but sit me down in front of Frozen and I'm sorted"

I put a leaflet through the doors round my street offering to baby sit, pet sit or house sit for a donation towards my gap year. 

As soon as I put the leaflet through the door I got a response! Susan asked how my gardening skills were, and as I said they were "okay..." she said that if I cleaned their garden up a bit, they would give me a donation. 

So today, I went up in my wellies to do some gardening! I cannot garden. It was a very difficult and stressful experience. Phrases like "is that a plant or a weed?" "why do leaves hurt so much?" "I'm pretty sure that's not a rake." "Is that cat urine or rain?" "I CAN'T REACH" were very common. But I managed! And after a very stressful three hours I managed! 

Another family asked if I would babysit for them. Much easier than gardening! Getting to watch Frozen was definitley a highlight and they went off to bed no problem. 

Thank you to Susan and Ian and to the Bloomers for your donations! 

Ladies Night!

This Saturday, the 21st, I'll be hosting a Ladies Night at my house as a fundraiser.  Tickets will be £5 and this will cover a complimentary cocktail or mocktail and either a manicure or a pedicure.  As well as this there will be a clothes rail.  For this, it would be great if you could bring along any clothes you no longer wear that are in good condition (they may even still have the tags on them!) and I can sell them.  You will get 50% of the money and I will keep the rest so it's a great way to make money out of things sitting in your wardrobe.  There will also be a bring and buy book table.  Here if you could just bring along any old books you no longer read or will never again and we can sell them to allow others to enjoy them!
There will be other surprises on the night, but, you won't find out unless you're there!
It would great if as many people as possible could come, so please get in touch if you would like to come along.

Thank You will never be enough.

When I first thought that I would go on a gap year I thought I would be doing it all by myself.  But before I booked to go on selection, I heard that one of my friends, Karl, was planning on going on a gap year as well.  I couldn't have been happier about this, for one, I wouldn't have to make my way to Oban by myself!

It was great knowing someone on the course, and although we argued all the time, it was amazing having him there.

When we finally got our letters, we discovered both our first choices were India!  That was some of the best news I've ever had because it would mean that even when I was on a different continent, miles from my family, I would still have a bit of home there.  Even though there would always be that chance that one of us would be kicked out of the country for attempted murder...

We had been fundraising for the whole school year, it was really hard work for the both of us to combine fundraising and exams, but we managed!  The school recognised this and at prize-giving, Karl and I were awarded the Young Enterprising Award.  That was absolutely amazing to win and for the two of us to win it together was even better!

Karl had organised a ceilidh for the 2nd May (the same day I got my placement confirmation).  It was a really good ceilidh and I really enjoyed it all.

However, at the ceilidh he announced that he would be dropping out of going away.  Although I kind of had a feeling for a few days that that might have happened, it was a shock, and it took me a while to fully get my head around it.

But, another surprise was yet to come.  My friend Shauni from school is going to Kenya to build schools and houses so she is also fundraising! After Karl announced that he was not going to be going away, he also said that he would be giving the money he raised that night to Shauni and I.

I think it's fair to say that I burst into tears.  As I said on the night and countless times after that, that was the loveliest thing anyone could have done!  I also think I confused my dad when I phoned him to tell him.  I was sobbing down the phone but also telling him I was having an amazing time and he didn't have to come and pick me up..

Karl split the money he raised from the ceilidh, and from the band night he also had, between Shauni and I which meant that we both got £400. (Well, £400.79).

I said thank you at the time, and many times after, but as there's no stronger way to say it, it'll still have to do.  Thank you so much Karl, and I wish you good luck to whatever you do next year, even though it's not arguing with me in India over what I did or did not say.