To 2014, and the years to come.

So, the end is near... but not in the sinister, "fantasy novel" sort of way, but in the sense that this year- may gap year- is drawing to a swift close. I remember when I started this blog to document the  happenings of my year, and seeing as I have grown rather attached to it, I may hang on to it for a while and continue to jot my experiences.

Now, what does "the end" mean for Nomsa? I mean, I have been on several amazing journeys of discovery from which I have gained a better understanding of myself and what I have to offer. I have unlocked a love for travel, meeting new people, creating new experiences and good wine (often coupled with a platter of good company and time well spent.) I have also, and most importantly, formulated an idea of what I want to contribute ,to the world; something more than just the emission of CO2 and taking up space. I have established that whatever I end up doing, should somehow influence a positive change in the world around me.

All of this is great and rather inspiring (slightly pretentious but only just,) but how do I maintain this, post-gap year, when I leave 'this' real word, for four years of 'that' real world? How do I ensure that I maintain this same level of inspiration and self understanding when I leave (so to speak) the catalyst that is the cause of said inspiration? A part of me has been growing increasingly more worried, but I think that there is a  solution.

I simply have to go into the next league of my life, as I went I to this year: with an open mind and a will to experience all that comes my way. I need to wrap my head around the fact that the end of my gap year is not the "be all and end all" it just means that from here on, any new experiences will be in a slightly more contained and structured environment, which might actually do wonders for my organisational skills. And lastly I just need to remember the things I have learnt up to this point in my life and carry them with me.

Here's to the end of 2014, *raises 3 glasses* a year spent enriching my life, making mistakes (believe me there are a few things I could have done differently) and overall just having fun. This year has been one of the best of my life and I hope it's foreshadowing for more great years to come.

So, for the last time this year: That's all, Bye! X :)

Applying for uni

After what seems like years, I am here again. One would think that because of my being away so long I have been extremely busy, but that hasn't been the case. In fact I have just been doing a whole lot of boring admin type stuff, most of which is linked to  university.
Which also happens to be the topic of this post.
 First and foremost, I have been accepted into my course of choice at my university of choice which is super duper exiting and I could hardly breathe when I got the news. I almost had dig up my asthma pump which I probably haven't used in at least a century. So now I have been planning various aspects of how I will prepare for university and how and when to do everything that needs to be done.
The above has inspired me to make this post a mini guide for uni applications in the hope that it may give someone the help and information that I had to google or speak to people for. It's tough enough that in your last year of high school  you have to stress about exams, let alone university applications, so having information makes it that much simpler.
To make this as easy as possible I will put everything into steps. That way, the order of things and how you need to do them will be clearer- hopefully.
Before you can even think about anything, pause and ask yourself whether you do actually want to go to university. After all, university isn't for everyone. And I don't mean that in the hipster, "I live in the moment" sort of way, I mean it in the sense that we are not all academic and some people would be better off furthering their education in some other way. Also, you might want to take a gap year- I did. I will do another post in the future about gap year taking  and how to work your way around it.
Another thing to remember, is that university applications sort of start in grade 11 because you use those final marks for applications. Having good grade 11 marks means that you can get provisional/conditional acceptance which means you already have your foot in the door. (This is in terms of South African universities.)
So here are some steps to follow, assuming that you have asked yourself question 1 and you would like to do the university thing.

1. Find out what you would like to do one day, what are your interests what are you good at what subjects have you been taking and enjoying and use that information to find a university course that correlates. Speak to your teachers (believe it or not they're there to help), google it, go to open days, all that kind of stuff.

2. See which universities offer that course or a course similar to it, also see other courses that you might like so that you have a second choice. Look at other things about the university, where it's located, how big lectures/classes are, extramural activities, is it campus or city- all that kind of stuff which is also important to a great uni experience.

3. Get info on when applications start and the sort of information you'll need to apply. I believe that you should do the application yourself, and if you need help, sure, ask for it, but doing it yourself means that you're taking the whole journey and it's a great way to see whether you actually are cut out for university.

4. Do things as soon as possible because universities can often be slow at processing things and that way you have enough time to check on how your application is going and call if you need any other info.

5. People say that you should apply to as many universities as possible but I think not too many- especially if you are confident with your level of work. Fewer applications means less paperwork, lower application costs and an easier choice when you have to choose your final one. I applied to three and they were all universities that I would've been happy to go to if only one of them had worked out.

6. Once you have applied, check up on your applications every now and again just to see how things are going and if you need to do anything else- again, call the university if you really must know.

7. Once you've done the hard part, now comes the even harder part: thinking about finances, and where you will be living. If you choose to live in res, you would have applied along with your actual university application (make sure that you have the correct forms because sometimes they are located in different places or they are sent to you separately.)

8. In terms of finances, (which you may not have to worry about if you or your parents are rich and willing to sponsor,) speak to your parents or guardian(or someone older and wiser- sound of music reference) as to how you will fund your university tuition. Some obvious options might be:

• financial aid, which is offered by the university
• bursaries  and scholarships which are awarded by companies, indie people or the university and these are usually awarded on the basis of financial need and academic/sporting/cultural ability.
• student loans from the bank

My advice for all of these is: do as much research as possible as early as possible. Also know what the various funding options will cover.

9. This is possibly the hardest part but this is the part where you wait. Check your applications regularly- not religiously, just enough. If you have the chance speak to people who are actually in university during this time. Don't stress yourself out either, save that for finals.

So, that is just some information on how to go about university applications. Sure it's not everything you need to know, but it's just a way to process everything in a way that makes sense and makes the process slightly less daunting.
I hope that this has been somewhat helpful to someone and if not, oh well. Just have as much fun as you can with it, and if all else fails, just think of all the sophisticated, smart, cultured and attractive university boys/girls  that you will have access to... In 4th year maybe.

So just take it step by step and good luck. That's all, Bye! :) x 

As Promised: London!

My ticket to London. Is this relevant? No, but why not. 

BS: (Which is like PS but before. probably not the best choice of letters but, yeah.):  I am sure that this is the longest post I have ever done so sorry about all the reading.

As promised, here is a "cheeky" post about my 2 week stay in London. But first, I would like to point out, that I am disappointed that no one, and I mean no one, uses the word "cheeky" like I thought they would. So UK, boo on the false advertising, man.

The London eye, in passing, at night. 

Moving along. Yes, London, for the two weeks I was in the city that is so often referred to as the black smoke, I was doing an internship at a PR company. It was crazy though how much of my actual intellect and thought was required for this internship because I was actually doing actual things. Well, actual research, but it was quite a big thing which was really nice to get stuck into. let's play guess how many times Nomsa says "actual".

There was another intern there as well at the time which was cool because then I didn't feel like I was the only newbie who didn't know what was going on, although I am sure she knew more than I did about things because unlike me she was in the process of being educated at university. The best thing though, is that all the people at work were really cool and really nice and I was able to chat to them about things and ask for help where I needed it.

I did my internship at a PR company called Gong. The people are really cool and not to brag, but I sort of organised this internship myself so I was quite chuffed when it worked out. 

This is a view from the office, they are right next to Marylebone High Street so lunch time was always an adventure. 

But, my two week stay wasn't just an internship. A big part of it, was that for the first time ever, I stayed in hostel. Like a hostel with random other people from all over the world. It was great because I met a million and one new people, most of whom were impressed with my South African accent- I really don't see the appeal, but I'll take it. I also met a few South Africans- who would have thought?

It was decided that my nails were the same shade of blue as the Caffe Nero brand. My conclusion: I am Italian and fabulous. 

Beautiful things at the Covent Garden market.

This thing. 90s kids, you know, right?

I spent an hour trying to figure out how intentional this was.Mad architecture.

I don't know what or where exactly this is but yeah.

The hostel I stayed at is called The Generator and the best thing is that they are a chain of hostels so they have more scattered in various cities in Europe and the first rule of the hostel is: "Have fun" and then all the other health and safety stuff. They have a bar that always has something going on- DJs, Live music and game nights, so there literally is never a dull moment and you do not have to be worried about having to go out in London by yourself because you are bound to meet interesting people who are willing to hang out with you.

One of the bartenders does really cool things with glasses and bottles and he throws things and it's quite scary but it's really cool. 

Some cool people that I met. From Belgium and Italy respectively.They have successfully convinced me to go and visit Europe. 

To end off my stay in London, I did something called a pub crawl. Essentially, you buy a ticket which gives you free entry into various places, reduced drink prices and a free shot at every stop, all at a reasonable price. So you save money, meet new people and have a good time, what more could you need? I think the general idea of the pub crawl is that by the end of the night people are crawling between the pubs, and rolling themselves home, which I wasn't because: sensibility, right? And also because I was accompanied by a lovely (then stranger, now friend) called Sofia... she's from Italy so she's obviously great.

Overall I had an incredible time, an exhausting time, but incredible none the less. So for now, I am taking a hiatus from city life in the beautiful countryside of Somerset.

That's all, Bye! :) x

P.S: just kidding there isn't a PS, you've been punked son! Ok, I'm done.

England in Summation

Although there are still a few months of my gap year left, my stay in England is drawing to a close and it is the strangest thing in the world. I think that after living in a place for almost 6 months, it does start to feel a little like home, especially if you get a chance to meet the amazing people that I have. I have done more things than I could have ever imagined and I have learnt so much about who I am as a person- I am actually a person.

This being said, I do miss home and I do miss my family so I guess that is the bright side to leaving this amazing country. It will be a bit strange though to go back to what seems like a completely different world and I am sure that I will seem like a completely different person, which I am not, I am just a more enhanced version of myself.

It’s funny because at first I thought that taking a gap year was a bit of a crazy decision, and that I would get halfway and be like “I should have just taken the university option.” When in actually fact, I realise that it would have been crazier for me to not have taken a year off.

Anyway the purpose of this post (she says 3 paragraphs in) is to a give a short timeline/summary of what I have done while in the UK so here it is:

• Arrived(obviously) on the 21st of march to freezing cold weather to which everyone referred as fresh... Anyone who's never been to the UK, fresh= arctic conditions, but colder. 
• Did some work experience with a web designer where I did some of the copy for one their clients’ page, and learnt how Google AdWords work.
• Volunteered at an organisation that was building a bereavement garden at the time. It was incredible to also see how the final garden looked, it was absolutely beautiful.
• http://participatearts.org.uk/ 
• I then went to watch HMS pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan, possibly one of the best plays that I have seen in a long time.
• Went to a lovely place called New Quay for a short 1 week holiday. I didn't do a post about it (unfortunately) but here is a picture of the lovely people that I met. 

• Went to do my internship in London at an advertising agency called Publicis.
• I then went to visit a very good friend of mine in Birmingham (Hannah(pictured below) and John and Vanessa and JJ( not pictured below)), we have been friends since we were like 3 basically which is incredibly amazing.

 This is a picture of as looking super flawless.

• I then went on a tour of London which I made a video about, I was taken on said tour by some friends (the lovely Sandy and Thomasina.)
• I then did a two day work experience thingy at a productioncompany in London. It was for the Marks and Spencer’s summer campaign (I think I can mention it now.)
• I then went to the lovely, amazingly beautiful city of Oxford. And while in oxford I attended an African conference which I will do a very late post about because I think I learnt a lot of important stuff there.
• I then read a tale of two cities and I say this because it really was an important part of my whole existence.
• I then held, planned and hosted my own social media course which, ironically, I didn’t do a blog post about but I will do a very late one because I think it’s necessary.
• Possibly the least expected part of my gap year was going to a place called Embercombe and doing possibly the most incredible leadership course imaginable. I also went back to Embercombe a while after as a volunteer which was also incredible.
• We then went to the lowland games which is a “family” tradition of sorts. Blog post here.
• Most recently I was in Stroud doing a work experience/internship sort of thing at a company that accredits various degrees and courses.
• And now I am in London again doing an internship at a PR company and living in a hostel for 2 weeks. I will make sure to post about that at the end of the two weeks.

I am sure that there are a million and one things that I haven't included in this list, but if I did this list would just go on forever. It kind of blows my mind just looking at all the things that I have done, it seems completely surreal, almost as if these aren't my own experiences. My only hope is that I continue having more and more of these adventures, for the rest of the year and for the rest of forever.

That's all, Bye! :) x

And also (although I'm still here for a bit) the massivest (it's a word now) thank you to the Drewells who are basically my second family, and who contributed at least 99.9% to the amazing time I have had (the other 1%,  is everyone I have met/seen/connected with)

Also also, if you click on the underlined words it will take you, either, to a link with a blog post about said event, or its a lame ad. If it's the latter, it's not my doing, blame google.

CappuDays #1

So, I am doing 2 posts in one day and I think I have to in order to make up for not posting for so long. Anyway, a friend of mine came up with an idea to sort of document my stay in the UK by doing something creative and fun. I have decided to call it "CappuDays" and the basic idea is that every where I go in the UK, I will have a Cappuccino and take a picture of it and a little info about where I was and what I did so here is the first one.

Today I went into Dartmouth with some moms and we had some coffee in this small little French café type of place. They had the most exquisite pastries and I went for a coffee Eclair which was absolutely divine. We took a ferry into Dartmouth which was a cool new experience for me, and the view was so amazing it was kind of like a postcard of one of those very English seaside towns, which is exactly what Dartmouth is!

So here it is, CappuDays #1

Going across on the ferry, the view was absolutely breathtaking. 

A random park that we walked by. It was so weird to see such spring like greenery when the weather was so grim. 

A fountain somewhere near the park.

A random building that we saw in the way to the restaurant. I don't know why I liked this building so much but  there was just something really cool about it.

Outside the coffee shop

Inside the coffee shop

My regular cappuccino and the most delicious coffee eclair I have had in my life. Actually I think it's the only coffee eclair I have had in my life.

And obviously, me drinking my cappuccino.

So yeah, that was a somewhat interesting account of my day in the lovely town of Dartmouth. It is literally one of the most amazing places that I have come across here in the UK. Well by "come across" I mean- well, you know what I mean.

That's all, Bye! :)

Update

I have been absolutely terrible with this whole blog thing and I think that I have neglected this blog for a couple of months now. In an attempt to redeem myself, I think that it is time I give a short update on what has been happening.

Firstly:

I arrived in the UK a couple of weeks ago and I was welcomed by a whole lot of rain, (how unusual) but I have been growing accustomed to this gloomy weather and I have realised that I can just drink a whole lot of tea in order to overcome the cold.

Secondly:

I literally dived right into doing gap year stuff because this past week I have been busy helping out a web designer with a website and doing some Google adwords for him. (Adwords are those adverts that pop up on the side of Google whenever you search for something.

Thirdly:

I will be going to London next week to do my internship at a huge advertising company and I will be there for about 3 weeks which is really exciting. Even more exciting, and slightly more scary is that I may be living in an apartment alone for that time which will be quite an interesting learning experience.

Hopefully I have redeemed myself a little and I will try to get back into the swing of keeping this blog up.

That's all, Bye! :)

Can I not just be a citizen of the world?

I do not understand why the UK has to be so stingy about South Africans visiting their country. I mean all I want is to intern there for a few months but I can't because I am not a part of whatever elite countries are allowed that privilege. Like, what are they afraid of? It's not like I plan to rock up there with a South African flag, stick it in the ground and claim the land as my own.

Come on England, help a sister out. Although I do also blame the South African government for not sorting itself out. They are not a part of all these agreements and things which would let me travel the world as I wish. And I know independence is great, but if we were still under British rule, this would not be a problem.

A part of me now plans to be an illegal immigrant, and swim from the top of Africa to the UK and somehow create a fake British identity for myself. I will then speak with a fake British accent for the duration of my stay or claim that I am the daughter of some famous African prince (it should work, right?)

So that's me, ranting about the world and its problems, and it honestly didn't help much.

That's all, Bye! :)

My Bucket List

I think that bucket lists are a great way to ensure that you do all the things you want to do in your life. They make sure that you set goals for yourself and that you know exactly what you want to do before you die.I have made myself a bucket list, part of which I hope to fulfill this year (my gap year) so here it is:

• Go to the Eiffel tower

• Create my own film (Direct or write)

• Go to the Oscars some way or another(or the BAFTAs)

• Publish a poem

• Write a book (and hopefully publish it)
• Save a life
• Eat escargot (I have a huge fear of snails)

• Spend one week travelling in a camper van

• Learn a European language (not English)
• Visit the Hollywood walk of fame
• Get a university degree (in anything)
• Get 500 people to read (and hopefully) enjoy Frankenstein

This is just a few of the many things that I want to do and achieve and I think that with hard work (mostly for the money to do these things) I will be able to do most of them and a lot more. 

And here are some random pictures that will inspire you to do things :)

That's all, bye! :)

Winding Roads and Highways

I often sit and wish that life was just an open road, not a highway, but one of those slow, winding roads that head to the middle of nowhere. You see, a highway, would be too noisy and there would be to many people heading in the same direction, or in the opposite direction. Highways are just straight roads with relatively few turns and it seems as if no one acknowledges anything while they’re on the highway except time.

I feel that winding roads are more timeless, especially if you are driving up and or down a mountain. You can never be sure what’s around the next curve and more often than not, it is a view that exceeds the one you left behind.

What I’m getting at is that we all need to take that little break once in a while, where we take the longer route. We should not think about the fact that the highway will get us there faster, but we should rather focus on the fact that we are getting there at all and the winding road is a far more pleasant way to get there.

A road that leads into the Franschhoek Valley in the Western Cape, South Africa

That's all, bye! :)

Curbing internet addictions.

Being the opportunist that I am, I am actually going to take this year and use it as rehab from my growing internet addiction. I think I should make it an opportunity for me to actually do stuff that actually requires physical human action, rather than just sitting behind a screen and watching YouTube videos (I'm not even ashamed to admit that I spend more time than I should on YouTube.)

Anyway, I think I should create a sort of resolution/Goals/plans list for this year so that I have an actual plan of action. so here it is, my list of things that I should do to be less addicted to the internet :)

1. Do Instagram worthy things, that way, the things I upload on Instagram will actually be worth seeing. 
2. Spend as little time in the house as possible i.e: go to the park and just sit there and look at nature and stuff (this can also add to my list of "Instagram-worthy" things)
3. Do something active whenever I get bored (this does not mean that I should train for a marathon but you know do something)
4. Travel to anywhere whenever I get the chance, even if it is to the shop down the road *insert "it's something" meme here*
5. Do things that are (extremely) out of my comfort zone so that I have more stories to tell when I am old and grey
6. And finally, just. have. fun

So that's my plan for the year, we'll see how long it lasts and whether it helps at all in curbing my internet addiction, or if it actually gives me something worthwhile to post on the internet. 

That's all, bye! :)

Reverse video

I made a really cool video a while ago where i just filmed random things and put them in reverse. It was a lot of fun to make, and I know that the quality is pretty crap but it was fun and that's all that matters. Seeing as I want to go into the film and/or TV industry, it's really cool for me to play around with filming and editing stuff and its also an amazing way to pass the time. So go and watch it on YouTube and like it or whatever, share and all that jazz. :)

Also, I am thinking of actually doing more stuff on YouTube, it seems like a really great hobby. 

That's all, Bye! :)

Gap Year Blogging

Seeing as I have decided to take a gap year, I think it is only fitting that I document the happenings (is that a word?) of my year on the Internet for random strangers to hopefully come across and see. This is not going to be a glamorous year of traveling and holidaying (it's a word) but it will be a year of hard work and amazing experiences (hopefully)

Most of my year is not planned except that I will be doing an internship in South Africa (my native country) for two months and then I will be flying off to the land of tea and crumpets (England). I plan to do a million-and-one workshops and courses so that I can make the most of this year and add to my extremely empty resume. 

Gap years aren't particularly common in South Africa (at least I don't think so), but they are becoming more and more usual so at least I won't be alone on this daunting yet extremely exciting journey. 

Anyways, this blog will just be a space for me to share my thoughts and experiences and, yeah. 

That's all, bye! :)