Travel Bucket List

For as long as I can remember I've always loved the thought of seeing the world and what's out there. I've always been an escapist, and when I was younger that translated to getting lost in a book and imagining the world/place in which it's set, or watching David Attenborough documentaries about exotic places.  Our planet is an incredible place and there are so many things to see that I haven't, but I've always felt an urge to travel and see everything (well, almost everything).

In recent years, certain places have really stuck out to me that I am dying to see, so I thought I'd share them with you...

Iceland

My interest in this beautiful island was first sparked by the 'Pretty Little Liars' books, where Aria and her family lived for a year. I had never really heard anyone talk about it before that, but the way she described it intrigued me so much and it seemed like such a unique, interesting place. After looking up pictures I've been obsessed ever since, and it is definitely #1 on my bucket-list. I love that it seems so remote and tranquil - the perfect place to escape from reality. I'd kill to see the northern lights, the quirky houses and the natural hot springs.

Croatia

This country is a recent discovery. I've always loved the idea of interail and I often find myself browsing through the interail hashtag on instragram. I noticed that a lot of people were going to Croatia and it looked absolutely stunning. I'd love to go and see the stunning lakes and architecture.

Austria

My sister always told me how beautiful Austria was after she went to it, and because I've never seen The Sound of Music (shock horror, I know), I only realised how stunning it actually was until I seen loads of Instagram photographers going there. I think I would definitely like to go there during winter as the mountains always look so beautiful, and I'd love to drive through all the little villages at Christmas time.

France

I've had a weird obsession with France, particularly Paris, for a really long time and just found it so beautiful and alluring in all aspects - the language, the culture, the people, and most importantly the food. When I was learning French in school I always imagined going to live in Paris - seeing the Eiffel Tower in person, reading books in coffee shops on rainy days, and drinking coffee on my balcony in the morning. One can dream!  

USA (West Coast)

I've always thought it would be such an amazing experience to start on a roadtrip at the top of the West Coast at Washington and work my way down to California. Camping in the woods of Montana, going to all the Californian beaches and visiting the Chateau Marmont (spot the Lana Del Rey fan) are all on the to-do list.

So that's it for my bucketlist. What places would you love to go to? I'd love to know!

xo, Orlagh

My School Experience

After 14 years in education, it's hard to believe that I can finally say I am officially done with school! I just finished my last A Level exam (English Literature) on Thursday and I still feel like I should be revising! Finishing exams is such a weird feeling but knowing I'm finished for good is even weirder.

To me it still seems like I'll be going back again in September. In some ways I feel quite sad about it, but honestly it is a bit of a relief.

School had a lots of ups and downs for me, but I'm so glad as I've learned so much from it and it's helped me to grow as a person so much. I wanted to make a post because this is a really important moment in my life and I wanted to sort of write a letter to reflect on my experience of secondary school.

To my childhood friends

Although we grew apart and went our different ways with different people at the beginning of secondary school, I still love you guys just as much as I did when we were 12 and having sleepovers, eating way too many sweets, watching girly movies and doing all the typical things you do when you're 12. Sometimes people just grow apart and change and although it's sad, it's necessary. Any time we do talk it's like nothing's changed (compared to some old friends who act like they never knew you), and I want to thank you for that. For giving me so many memories and so much laughter when we were younger that I'll never forget. You're genuinely amazing people who deserve the world and an abundance of success and happiness when you leave school.

To the not-so-great friends

Don't worry - this isn't a roasting! This is for the short-lived friends who although may have not been the greatest people for me, taught me a lot of lessons. It was often the case that the people I was spending time with weren't giving back the effort that I was putting in. Although it was frustrating at the time, it helped me grow. Thank you for teaching me how to stand my ground, stick up for myself and take no shit. Thank you for making me realize my worth and that I deserve better. Thank you for making me realize what a friend should and should not be so I could be a better friend to the people who are good to me.

To my best friends

Cheesy as it sounds, you all came at the perfect time. I was in a really bad place and once I became friends with you my mood completely lifted. I was so happy that I finally found like minded people who were genuinely great friends. I'm so glad that we've made so many amazing memories, even in the early days in summer when we just walked out about where we lived and got a wee cheesy chip (weird private joke). I'll really miss seeing you everyday, I'll miss the hilarious, slightly messy nights out where we do nothing but laugh and dance terribly. I'll miss the odd deep chat where I know I can come to you with anything that's bothering me. I'll miss how much fun we have together and feeling completely comfortable. I want to thank you guys for so many things. For making my confidence increase immensely and teaching me how to care less about what people think. For helping me through anxiety. For not judging and always being open minded. For making me laugh when I felt like crying. For making school a slightly more enjoyable experience. I know you'll all do amazing when we all go out into the big bad world and be successful in whatever you do. I know we only say this when we're drunk and emotional but I really do love you all so much and you all deserve the world.

P.S: Kathy if you're reading this, I apologize if you are gagging right now as I know how much you hate cheesy shit like this!

To my school

You gave me a lot of good moments and a lot of bad moments, but I wouldn't take it back. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have the education and qualifications that I have today, and while some teachers weren't exactly the most helpful, the ones I have had the past few years have been so unbelievably helpful and supportive. School taught me how to be self-motivated, confident, sociable, friendly, and so many more things. Although school triggered a lot of my anxiety, the staff at the school have been so good to me and have done everything they could in their power to accommodate me, which I am extremely grateful for. School has been the greatest learning curve for me as well as allowing me to meet some amazing people. Aside from the stress and mental breakdowns throughout exams, I really did enjoy school.

So that's that for my extremely cheesy blog post! Here are a few of my favourite pictures and memories throughout the past 7 years:



I wish everyone in my year the best of luck for the future.

xo, Orlagh