Life comes first

I decided to take a break from writing for a while, for a number of reasons. Summed up in a whole, I really needed some time to myself and to concentrate on settling into college and the UK. I started college in September, and to be honest, at first it was a bit of a traumatic experience. I'm a pretty confident person, but nothing knocks your confidence like going into a place where you know no one and where no one is willing to donate a few moments of their time to have a quick convo, just to be nice. Anyway, that's a whole other blog.

So I've been pretty busy trying to meet new people, college and work. I've been working an awful lot recently cause I passed my driving test and I'm in desperate need of a car so I don't have to get on that bus anymore. This past month or so I've been pretty busy. I went back to Cyprus for a bit, I really needed it actually, just to see my family and friends and to chill out and have fun. It's looking forward to going home which is keeping me sane at the moment ha. These UK winters are harsh man, I don't know how people do it. I've never struggled to get out of bed and now I have to physically drag myself up.

Couple of weeks ago my dad came over from Cyprus as he's going to be on the rigs over Christmas and new year so I went to meet him in Manchester. It was awesome, such a nice little break. We went to see the Killers, they were fucking sick man, honestly I've never seen a band with such crazy energy. The week after I went to see the Kooks in Leeds and they were so good too, always wanted to see them, we had a crazy night out after and all I can say is, the tequila fucked me over big time, never felt so awful in my life ha.

Anyway, with all of this time off, I've suffered in the long run, being weighed down with work but, life comes first man. I've been feeling pretty confused recently, about how I feel about a lot of things and people. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts I've been having to try to deal with, nothing serious, don't worry ha, just stuff that has been playing on my mind a lot.

My life's goal is to always better myself, the only way you can do that sometimes, is to take a step back, re evaluate your entire life, question yourself, think of better solutions and enforce them, and that is what I have been trying to do these past few months. This past year and a half of my life has been the hardest period of my life, and I refuse to sit and fester in grief, sadness and loneliness because I know that's not what he would want, it's not what I want and it is not what my family want. So I've taken the time to think and prepare to take action to cut the shit out of my life so I can live with a pure and happy mind set.

I look over this period of my life, and I am so bloody proud of myself. I've had unconditional love from my family and I have managed to support myself and get myself through this. There are several outcomes and lessons I have learnt and one of them is that life is too short, put your own happiness first and life comes first.  Re inventing yourself is not only for the new year, it is an on going process so just watch this space, I've got a feeling something pretty awesome is gonna come out of this.

September

Everyone loves the first day of the month. It feels like a total fresh start. After the past few months, I have finally cleared my mind of all of the muddle. September, I have decided, is going to be my month. My clean slate.

I have come to a decision to stay in the UK and give it another shot, as I feel like I would've failed myself if I gave in and moved back to Cyprus. Therefore I have chosen another path to go down. Hopefully this one works out for me and helps me settle in a little more.

As I now feel like I have a sense of direction, I do feel slightly more grounded. I feel like I have something to focus on. I understand Alevels are stressful, but I feel I will be able to deal with that kind of stress easier than the stress I have previously delt with.

Anyway, I have decided that September is my month. I did say this a year ago when I first started college ha, but that college didn't suit me, so hopefully this one does. September is my month because it is my chance to turn my life around, I guess. Make some changes and totally concentrate on me. Make some friends, study subjects I enjoy and like I say every Monday, get fitter haha.

Thought of the day.

What is most important to you? Is it your home; job; car; partner; love; freedom; phone; popularity; family?  It's mad to think that people prioritise so many different things as important. So many people prioritise work and money over everything.

Its crazy that so many people put their happiness to the bottom of the pile to be able to pay for their houses; cars; phones; laptops ect. materialistic things.

To me my freedom and my happiness is the most important thing, if you're not happy with something, change it. You only get one chance, so you've got to do what is right for you. No one else can determine what is right or wrong for you, no one can make your life choices for you, it is totally down to you to be able to fix your situation in order for you to be ultimately happy. You have to go with your gut instincts and do what you feel you need to do for yourself.

It took a while for me to get to grips with my feelings in recent months, whether I would disappoint people if I no longer feel the same or want the same things. But at the end of the day, love your family, do your best, do what you love, do no harm and everything will work out your way.

Harome Wedding

This weekend we had a family wedding at Harome, near York. Helmsley is such  a gorgeous little village, it looks like it's out of a movie! All of the buildings are made from stone, there were classic cars everywhere and a beautiful little church. It was surrounded by fields full of horses and has little chickens and ducks wondering around everywhere.

We stayed at a hotel called The Pheasant Inn, I literally felt like I had walked into a different period of time ha! It had a quirky mix of old and new, with rustic furniture, mosaic tiled floors, book cases, pianos, lakes and a swimming pool (which I didn't know about ha).

The breakfast was the BEST breakfast I have ever had. I felt like I could just eat for hours; fresh berries, granola, croissants, salmon and eggs, cooked breakfasts. The view topped it off though, sat in the garden looking at the little lake and the horses in the field. Not to mention the weather was ace too, I'm so glad it was good weather for the wedding.

The rooms were so cute, little stone cottages with an open fire, duck down beds, a really deep bath and good coffee for the mornings. They had black out blinds and curtains so I literally slept so so good, I've never slept so long in my life.

The actual wedding its self was at Saint Gregory's Minister, an ancient Saxon church tucked way, surrounded by fields. It has a graveyard with all of the Saxon grave stones and also commonwealth war graveyard. The church was small but very haunting. The choir were awesome and the priest was pretty cool, he literally cracked open a tinny, while explaining how to maintain a good marriage haha.

The after party was at a place called The Starr Inn, the setting was really gorgeous, it has a big field with random hens and cockerels walking around ha. They had a brilliant singer on, she was so so good at setting the atmosphere. We sat down to have the meal; 10 COURSES! We were eating for about 3 hours ha. I enjoyed every bite, it was absolutely amazing.

The next morning, my friend Airlie who I grew up with in Cyprus came to visit for a coffee. She left Cyprus a few years ago and I have only seen her once since she left. She lives 10 minutes down the road from where we were staying and I didn't even know, such a great coincidence! It was so nice to catch up after not seeing each other for 4 years.

I then had to say goodbye to my family who were flying back to Cyprus, which is always the worst bit. I hate having to leave them, but it also makes me excited for the next time I will see them. Maybe I'll have to book my next trip ha!

My Skin Journey.

For years I have struggled with my skin. Since being 11 I can remember having acne prone skin and it has been a tough battle. I firstly want to say that having acne is definitely a rollercoaster of emotions and can turn out to be very character building. Although it causes insecurities, it helped me over come that and showed me how to be confident and comfortable in my own skin.

When I was younger, I was very very insecure about my skin. I HATED my skin. I couldn't cover it up, I couldn't make it go away and I was told I just had to wait it out. I had been to multiple doctors, dermatologists, chemists, beauticians and makeup artists, begging for a solution to either make my bad skin go away or show me how to make it invisible.

All of these 'solutions' individually were very expensive, and NONE of them worked for me. I spent a fortune on skin creams, scrubs, serums, moisturisers, face masks, foundation, primers, spot treatments, herbs and supplements, the lot. My mom and I did endless research on ways to cure acne and turned to a holistic approach.

This is where the game changed. I realised that all of these harsh chemicals I was putting on my skin were actually harming it more than what it was healing it. I have been told that I should NEVER put anything on my skin that isn't organic, natural or that I wouldn't eat. From here I tried different masks and face washes out of natural products and I did see a slight difference in my skin. This was the first part of healing my skin, not putting harsh products onto my delicate skin.

The next big part of healing my skin was the contraceptive pill. Now I know this is like woah, TMI, but hear me out. I was prescribed the pill I am on because my hormones were totally out of whack. As a result of unbalanced hormone levels, I developed cysts on my ovaries, which at 15, isn't great, so this pill was at the time, soully to get rid of the cysts on my ovaries which were causing me to have really heavy periods, cramps to the point of passing out and cystic acne.

After about a year on this pill, my skin started looking a lot better as it prevented further acne. Now, of course, it is totally natural to have a break out around your period, but its nothing severe. All I am left with now is scarring from beauty treatments in effort to rid my acne but after time , they have began to fade.

When I was younger, I used to cover myself in makeup everyday, just to try to cover up my acne. To me, I thought I looked much better and felt better about myself. At my school, we weren't allowed to wear makeup, full stop. I was told by a few teachers to go and take it off but many of my teachers were aware of my insecurities and turned a blind eye - in all fairness, I only wore foundation and mascara, not a full face of contouring and eyeshadow ect. I can remember one day at break, a girl I knew turned to me and said, 'Why do you wear so much make up to school, you don't need to'. I can remember feeling embarrassed at the time, because it was in front of other people and most of my friends had perfect skin. But this was a huge wake up call for me. The next day I came to school with no make up on and no one treated me any differently, no one even really noticed. This made me feel so good because I was so conscious of what people would think and say about me. This was a big turning point, I stopped wearing make up and my skin could breathe. This also helped contribute to my skin clearing up.

The next big part to clearing up my acne was my diet. I'm 99.9% sure I am allergic to dairy, as most of my family are and I have noticed that I get flare ups when I eat dairy. This is a hard portion to cut out of your diet, especially when you love natural yogurt as much as I do. As a result of this, I have cut out dairy and try my hardest to live a paleo based diet. I try to eat mostly veg, fruit, nuts, seeds and meat to obtain all of the required vitamins and minerals I need. And the one we have been waiting for... water! I try to drink at least 2 litres of water a day to keep my body and skin hydrated. One thing I find is that when I get into a good work out groove, my skin improves because I'm sweating out all of my toxins. And the good old vitamin D, the sun helps fade my scarring SO much.

Lastly, Like I mentioned earlier, I have tried a million different products and skin care regimes. My skin care regime currently consists of, a good cleanser and a natural oil based moisturiser, nothing expensive or fancy, really basic but it keeps my skin clean and nourished. My skin is no where near perfect, but it is good enough for me and I feel it is important to share my experiences and what I do to look after my skin, as it is always changing and developing so I'll be back with an update!

Your vibe attracts your tribe.

I've been thinking about my outlook on life recently. I have always been a really positive person and I have been brought up in a family where we have been taught that your day and your life is what you make it. If you wake up and you have already decided that it is a bad day, you're bound to have a bad  day. My mom always made a good point of trying to put my brother and I into a good mood before school to put us in the right mind set for the day. She always used to say 'seize the day', 'make today your day', 'kick Monday's arse'.

Recently I have been questioning my happiness. Am I happy with my body? Am I happy with my job? Am I happy with my social life? And I have realised that since the death of my uncle and the immediate moving of countries after that event, that I have actually really been suffering with the mental trauma of that period of my life. Because a lot changed, very quickly and I didn't give myself enough time to grieve. I started college and got a job straight away, which is good because I kept myself busy, but I found that it actually made me bottle it up more, which then made me more prone to emotional outbursts and breakdowns. This is the first time I have actually admitted that I am struggling, because I wanted to be strong for myself and everyone else.

I suppose I have tried to keep myself busy by trying to make new friends and throwing myself into my job. And because I have been so busy, I haven't taken time out to heal myself. I have realised I need to concentrate on myself to ensure I am at my upmost happiness and that I am not just going about my daily life because I have to. For months my life has just been, work, family, home. Although I am ecstatic that I get to spend more time with my family, I need time for me, I need time to make friends, I need time to explore, go to gigs, make memories and travel. I need time to grow, and to live a carefree teen life, where I don't have to worry about anything.

And this is where I begin to question myself. Am I doing what really makes me happy? What satisfies my soul? Am I going to bed and making up with a smile on my face? Because at this age I should be.

I have found that I have gotten too comfortable with having no friends and staying in on a weekend. that shouldn't be what my teenage years are about. I used to be a pretty confident girl, but I now feel like I'm boring and unapproachable. Which then leads to  a vicious cycle of self doubt. I do enjoy time to myself, but I really thrive off of the company of good friends and I really bounce off of other people.

So recently I have had a little awakening, like some one has shaken me, slapped me in the face and told me to get my shit together. This is the part of my life like in the movies where I am trying really hard to motivate myself and turn my life around. I have my eyes wide open and I am eager for new opportunity. So to concentrate on myself I have joined the gym and have promised myself I am going to stick to a paleo based diet, to make by body feel good. I am to be spending more time out with friends and family, who make me feel good about myself and push me to be the best I can be and I am taking time out for myself, to progress and accomplish the things I want in life.

Most importantly, I am upping my vibe. I want to attract the right crowd who make me feel good and genuinely satisfy my soul. I want my life to be about having a good time and actually living. I want to wake up with a smile on my face and skip to work without a care in the world. This is the best thing I could do for myself. It is hard, moving county and starting over, especially when everyone else's life is already falling into place, they already have their friends and their network and their routine ect. Whereas, I am completely starting over, and I don't think some people understand how hard it actually is. But I'm determined it'll all work out, it just takes time to settle and meet people and do new things. It will all fall into place and everything happens for a reason, I'll eventually meet the right people and find the right places, I just need to make it happen.

My travel essentials.

I've been doing a lot more traveling recently and have a few things I literally cant travel without. I'm a bit of a freak about organisation and love baggage with lots of different compartments. I once had a Nike rucksack that had so many different compartments, but it got stolen at Reading festival while I was at Chilli Peppers and I was SO upset, but they emptied all of my stuff all over the tent, at least they left me my clothes ha.

I like to travel light and if I can only take hand luggage, I will. Waiting for luggage is one of my major pet hates, it does my head in ha; my suitcase is guaranteed ALWAYS the last bag out haha. Because I usually travel with hand luggage, it means I can only take toiletries that are 100ml or under; which isn't usually a problem as I always buy perfume, deodorant and make up that is 100ml or under. The only issue is that bringing things back can be a problem. If I'm fully kitted out for two weeks in a hand luggage case, it means I can't shop and bring things back; so you need to find a balance that suits you, I guess.

I've always wanted to go travelling/ backpacking. I'm not particularly a materialistic person, so I would never bring any 'expensive 'possessions, but I just worry about where you would put your stuff if you wanted to go exploring. If anyone has any tips, they could come in very handy for the future.

One thing that I have never had, in all of my years of toing and froing between countries is one of those comfy travel pillows. I suppose I never saw the point of them, especially when I was younger because I never slept while travelling; but now that I am older, as soon as I'm on that plane, that's it, I'm asleep; especially if there is a bit of turbulence, it always rocks me to sleep. But finally, I gave in and got one because I was sick of having a bad neck because I'm a freak and can only sleep curled up like a baby, luckily I'm small enough to be able to do that. I have to say, it was totally worth it, it did help and the cool bit is that it clips around your bag so you don't have to carry it or shove it into a bag.

A little thing I like doing, purely for the comfort, is bringing fluffy socks. Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE fluffy socks. So I just take my shoes off, stick them under the seat in front and put comfy socks on. Happy feet, happy soul.

Leading on from the previous point, I have now learnt it is not wise to travel in my 14 hole doccies as they always, without fail, make me take them off. It is much more convenient to wear my converse, it saves all the faff. Another time saving tip I have learnt over the years is to just take all of your jewellery off beforehand and just stick it either in a little bag or a compartment in your bag. But as anyone would, I just leave all of my piercings in, if you're going through the full body scanners and it shows up, the airport security usually understand anyway. So the aim of the game is to be able to just stick your bag and your coat into a tray and just walk through without all of the hassle of taking off your jewellery,  boots, coat and already have all of your toiletries in a zippy bag.

When I was younger I used to be really insecure about my skin and how I looked without make up on. So I used to get up an hour earlier than necessary just to do my make up, even if it was a really early morning flight. Make up and hair always gets ruined while you're travelling, so I stopped bothering completely. at a push I might do my brows, stick on a bit of mascara and braid my hair and that's it. Its all about comfort and the freedom to sleep and rub your face without a care in the world.

Another thing I do is putting all of my travel paperwork, tickets and passport in a sealable plastic wallet; this helps with organisation so much. This way everything you need is in one place and there is less of a risk of losing it. I didn't start doing this until I started travelling alone and had to keep hold of ALL of my own paperwork. I know most people do this but, in case you don't, it's a good idea.

I have a few handy little bits I tend to keep in my bag most of the time - not just when I am travelling.

Portable chargers are a no brainier really, if you run out of charge, you're not going to be a happy bunny, also, mine has a torch on it, which is cool. I always have my diary in my bag in case I need to make notes or plan things. moisturiser and lip balm in your bag is always a lifesaver, I hate it when I'm travelling and the aircon on the plane gives me dry skin, hands and lips. Next time I am definitely investing in a good quality eye mask and ear plugs; I hate it when all I can do is close my blind and not everyone else's and the plane is still really bright and there is nothing worse than being stuck on a plane with a screaming baby for 6 hours, so I'm opting for earplugs next time ha.

Last and definitely not least, snacks! When I'm not sleeping I'm eating. I usually like taking a bit of variety. If there is a Pret at the airport i'll get a sandwich, some fruit, a smoothie, a breakfast bar of some sort (my favourite are the Trek cacao and coconut bars), a bag of crisps and a couple of bottles of water because I get so dehydrated when I am travelling.

My list will be forever expanding and changing, I'm still figuring a lot of things out, but for now, this is what my journey usually consists of. Any tips and tricks, please let me know!

Ibiza 2016.

During my last year of school I can remember feeling really lost and stuck. Everyone seemed to know what they wanted to do, they had a plan, a path and some sort of direction. Everyone had plans of moving country to go to university, but I can remember feeling like I was the only person who wanted to do something more than just book studies.

So sat in my kitchen with my mom having one of our late night conversations with a cuppa, I decided I wanted to do something a little out of my comfort zone for my summer. My mom and I looked online and we stumbled across a language course in Ibiza. This jumped out at me because I really enjoy learning languages and of course... it's Ibiza. I think the stories of when my mom lived in Ibiza with her friend at 17 have always stuck with me and I guess I always wanted some of the ace experiences she had.

Cut long story short, I got myself out there and was met by a family friend at the airport. They immediately took me to this beautiful little restaurant with this amazing view. I really can't thank them enough for everything they did for me.

When Sunday rolled around I met the Spanish family I was staying with. They were nice enough people and welcomed me with some watermelon. But I have to admit, it is hard living with people who don't speak the same language as you. I had a little room with a fan that didn't work. So I unpacked and took myself out to wonder around Eivissa old town.

Ibiza old town is such a beautiful, crazy, interesting place. There are so many little cafes, clothes shops, fruit and veg stalls and , of course, the walled city. Walking around the streets of Ibiza was incredible, everything and everyone was so vibrant and gorgeous.

On the weekdays, I would attend the classes at the language school in the mornings. During our little breaks, we would go to this awesome organic café for lunch and after my classes I would walk 20 minutes down the road to the beach, chill and study in the sun for the afternoon. On the weekend or after my classes my family friend would pick me up and show me all of these beautiful beaches and cafes al over Ibiza. One of my favourite memories was driving to the highest point of Ibiza with friends and eating sushi watching the sunset, it was ace!

I enjoyed my time in Ibiza. Although sadly my 2 months got cut short to 10 days, it was definitely enough to give me the Ibiza bug. I love the place and needless to say, I will 100% be returning in the future, weather it is to live or for a trip, Ibiza is on the books.

My (sort of) bucket list.

There are a few little things that I really long to do; whether it is to do with travelling or creating. Whether or not you know it, we all have some sort of bucket list; things we have always wanted to do, see, make, learn and try. To be honest I've never thought about an actual bucket list before, but I think it is really important for people to have one, just to be able to look back at life to say you have truly experienced your biggest - or even littlest- dreams. It could be as big as travelling around the world alone or as little as learning to make a foreign meal.

Like most people I really long to travel and see different places, try different food, meet incredible people, learn new things, experience different cultures and ways of life. I think the place I want to travel round and see the most is probably Australia. I have a few friends from Aus who have ALL told me that I would get to Queensland and never want to leave. To be honest, I don't know what it is about Australia that makes me want to go there so bad, its just like some sort of mad attraction ha. I think its partly to do with the weather and the beautiful landscape and the thought of the opportunity and experiences.

This may sound really random, but I really love bees. If I ever see a bee on the floor that looks a little tired and worn out I always give them a little bit of sugar water to get their energy levels up to be on their way. Recently there has been increasing pressure on the possible extinction of bees, and we all know, if the bees die out, everything else will too. So for the past few years, I've been thinking of ways to help out our little buzzy buddies. I would really love to have a huge field full of bee friendly hives where they can live without being disturbed and can do what bees do best; make honey and keep the world going round. I can just picture all the little bees floating around in that field full of flowers and wildlife, pollinating and just being bees.

For the past few months, I haven't played guitar or sang in a while, never mind been in a band. Since I have moved back to the UK I've been super busy with my apprenticeship, college work and spending time with family. I've not lost interest in playing and singing, I just haven't really had reason to, in a way. I've been meaning to get a little set together to get myself out onto the music scene a little more, mix with people and just be able to jam. It's in writing, you guys can hold me to it now, ha!

Like most people I try to keep fit and eat well. 'Try' being the key word, ha! Once I actually get into a good routine of fitness and food I usually do pretty good. I just struggle to find the motivation when I do it alone. When I lived in Cyprus, my mom, brother and some friends were into fitness and health and motivated me, as they would be in a good routine too. I really enjoy doing fresh fruit and veg cleanses when I feel like I need a fresh start to flush my body of toxins and then start a different method of clean eating and exercise.

One of the reasons that encouraged me to move to the UK was that there is more opportunity to see your favourite artists. Since I've grown up on a tiny island, I've not really had chance to see many of my favourite artists since non of them ever come to Cyprus. When I was 14, I got tickets to see the Foo Fighters and I was SO excited. I had my flights booked to the UK just to see them and was supposed to be going with some of my friends. At the time they were hands down my favourite band. Literally the night before my 4am flight, I got a message from my friend saying that the rumors of the rest of the Foo Fighters tour being cancelled were true and that we weren't going to get to see them, and I don't think I have ever been so gutted! When they rescheduled for the following September I was already back in Cyprus, so I didn't get to see them.  Since I've been back to the UK Ive seen a few of my favourite bands like RHCP and the Goo Goo Dolls, but unfortunately, still not the Foos.

I also like to create. One thing that I have wanted to do for a long time is to create a blog, which I am so glad I finally ended up doing. I'm not great at it but I think its really fun and helps me get my thoughts down when I write them out. I'm not great at the whole aesthetic side of blogging with Instagram, but I post pictures that I like of my travels ect. Another thing I would really like to do, just for personal satisfaction, is to keep a travel diary of memories and a scrap book type to paint and create in. I really like to look back at these to remember things that I did, thoughts I had and things I felt. My dream job would to be a tattoo artist. last year I worked at a tattoo shop and got training from the guy who ran the shop, and I really enjoyed it, I just don't think I am creative enough or good enough at art to be able to be a tattoo artist, even though I would be my absolute dream job.

One thing I've always wanted to do, is learn how to snowboard. I've tried skiing and it was awful, I looked like bambi on ice, ha! I don't think I have fallen in my face so much within a small time period in my life. I've been told snowboarding is different and that I will find it a lot easier, so I really want to try it. Maybe an idea for our next family holiday?

One of my things on my bucket list would be to open a vintage shop. I can actually picture what it will look like already. I really like vintage shops because its just such an awesome feeling when you come across a really unique find. I have a little bit of a creative side in the sense of starting new projects which I think I get from both of my parents. My mom has owned a clothes shop and I think I would like to have the freedom of making something exactly how I want it.

I think I'll probably look back at this in a years time and have some new life goals ha. Hopefully I will have accomplished some of these things and if not, atleast have worked towards them.

March's book suggestion.

My book suggestion of the month is Paula, Michael & Bob by Gerry Agar. This book was like a crazy rollercoaster of emotions of extreme highs and shocking lows. This book definitely tugs on your heart strings as it paints a certain perception of Paula, Michael and Bob and then shows you a completely opposite side to them, which really plays with your emotions and how you feel about their situation. I think I enjoyed this book because I particularly like biographies. I like reading about peoples lives and experiences. It also helps that I like INXS so I was intrigued to read about what was going on behind the music and the press. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who was ever interested to see a different side of the triangle of what was Paula, Michael & Bob; how they manipulated the press; how they dealt with their troubles; who they built relationships with; how they were mistreated and what they got up to in their daily lives.

Visiting home

This is the first time I have been back to Cyprus since I moved away 7 months ago, and I've got to say, it feels pretty surreal. I've never disliked Cyprus, which I guess is why it was so hard to leave in the first place. I've always thought it is a really beautiful island and I have always been aware and appreciative of is unique quirks and laidback lifestyle. I love nothing more than to sit in my garden looking at the mountains and to walk through the village. In fact, when I moved to the UK, it actually took me a while to get used to not having the sound of the mosque five times a day or to see stray dogs and cats about.

When I got back home, I actually spent most of my time at my mom's new cafe The Stone Cavern, which is right in the centre of Ozankoy village, next to the mosque. Even if I say so myself, my mom has a crazy creative mind and has converted what was a bare and boring building into a really cool and quirky place to have some lunch and socialise.

One of my favourite things to do in Cyprus is walking. Just walking and looking at all of the beautiful scenery. My favourite route goes from the centre of Ozankoy up to Bellapais where the Monastery is. The views over Cyprus from Bellapais are absolutely breath taking, you can see all of the north shore for miles, all the way up to Esentepe.

I got to see some of my friends for a much needed catch up. Its funny how new buildings fly up and people leave and things change, but Cyprus in general always stays the same. Its nice to see how well everyone is doing for themselves and how far they are coming in life, but I have to admit, it gives me a little bit of fomo (fear of missing out) when I see how much fun everyone is having.

I'm going to leave this little blog post short and sweet, because to be honest, I didn't actually get up to much, but I did get plenty of much needed quality time with my family, friends and doggies, which is what is most important I guess. One thing I didn't think was possible, however, was feeling more home sick when I left for the second time. My heart will forever be in Cyprus I think, I really cant express my love for this little tiny island.

Cleethorpes born, Cyprus raised.

I was born in a little seaside town called Cleethorpes. For 8 years, I went about my daily life as any other kid would do. To be completely honest, when I try and look back on when I lived in the UK, I can't actually remember much, only the significant parts, like Christmas.

April of 2009 - age 8 -  my family and I packed up and moved to a tiny little island in the Mediterranean, called Cyprus. Literally within a week of us moving there, my nan and granddad were already out on holiday because they missed us so much, ha! I can remember stepping off of the plane and the heat just hitting me. Scorching weather, swimming pool in the back yard, literally like paradise!

Almost as soon as we moved there we got into the local school of my beloved little village of Ozankoy. My brother and I had these gross yellow and black tshirts and shorts as uniforms. We looked like little bees ha! I actually really liked it at school, even though me and Bill were the only blonde haired, blue eyed kids in the entire school, the other kids took to us straight away, they actually wouldn't leave my brother alone, pulling his hair and cheeks. Also, we were the only people in the entire school, apart from the english teacher and the principle, who actually spoke any English.

The following June after we moved there, my mom and Mark got married. We went down to the other end of the island, Paphos. We spent two weeks with family and what an ace time we all had.

The September of that year I moved to a school with an English curriculum. It was at this school that I met my best friends, we have stuck together from then ever since, through thick and thin. I moved school again in year 8. Again, here I made some life long friends. At our school we used to have four lots of exams a year, two of those exam weeks had hot weather, so after our exam in the morning, we used to get the bus to the beach. My favourite thing about Cyprus is, everyone is so chill, everyone goes out together, mixes and becomes friends. I literally have such a diverse group of friends, some people can be complete opposites, but still stick like glue, its mad.

I think because I have mixed with so many different people and I have grown up around Muslim culture, that my mentality towards most things in life would be totally different if I would have grown up in the UK. I know for a fact that I would look completely different, I would probably speak completely differently, I probably wouldn't listen to the music that has shaped me, I would probably have  a small group of friends and never leave this town, I probably wouldn't feel the need to travel and explore different countries and cultures, I probably wouldn't speak another language. I probably wouldn't know the people that I love, and that thought scares me, actually.

I really am so blessed to have has this opportunity to grow up in such an amazing place. I've got some absolutely ace memories. Summers were always awesome; clubbing, beach parties, house parties, boat trips, chill days around the pool, beach days, paint balling, go karting, gigs, jam sessions on the football pitch with drinks and pizza, star gazing around the pool all night.

Cyprus to me will always be home. It is where I grew up, made all of my friends, learnt my life lessons, learnt another language, finished school, discovered and developed my love for music and art. I would definitely say that I'm adapted to village life and the culture, it's what I have grown up with. No matter if you move away from Cyprus, you will always find yourself back there one day. Even though my friends are now all over the world at university, almost every summer, we are all reunited.

My 2016

My 2016 was possibly the biggest year of my life so far. With the most extreme highs and lows, and the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.

My year started in Sri Lanka with my family, the most beautiful country full of adventure yet plenty of relaxing. We spent most of our time in Hikkaduwa on the beach and learning to surf, we also visited Kandy to see the most incredible Buddhist temple and to Pinnawala to see the elephants in their natural habitat.

My next little venture was back to my hometown of Cleethorpes to visit family and of course, Kim. After a long wait, I could finally wrap my arms around him. I also went to my first UK gig, Neck Deep, with my cousin Jordee and Kim and met my friends Lois and Charlie at the Manchester O2 Academy. What an amazing night, my first experience of almost being trampled on in a mosh pit ha.

The next four months of my year were taken up by studying towards my IGCSE's. A brutal and long winded process, but in the end, all my hard work was totally worth it. All the extra classes actually turned out to be a laugh and I made some of the best friends, who also supported me through my decisions for the next step in my life, I couldn't of asked for better mates, and I know for sure they'll be for life, no matter how far apart we are now. And with that, I left school, with a splash, literally, we had the biggest water fight on our last day of high school together.

After leaving school, I had two weeks of pure mental memories. We all had such a great time with boat parties, clubbing, water parks, beach days and of course, my beloved Cyprian, where we all basically grew up ha! I turned 16 and had my leaving party and closed this chapter of my life in Cyprus.

With a very tearful goodbye, I packed my bags and flew to Ibiza for two months in the summer to learn my 3rd language, Spanish! I was met at the airport by a good family friend, who couldn't have been a bigger help. I settled into my language school and made some really awesome friends from all over the world. I was staying in Ibiza old town with a Spanish family, who didn't really speak much English. One night I barely slept and the entire of the next day I felt unwell. I left my class early to rest and received the most heart-breaking news. My uncle Will had passed at the tender age of 21. Immediately, I packed my bags and got the next flight to the UK, to be with my family.

For the next few months, I spent most of my time with my family. Being freshly moved back to the UK, I didn't really have any friends, as I have been living in Cyprus for the past 8 years - that's half of my life, by the way. It really proved to me how different people actually are, in the sense of actually making an effort with you in real life, rather than promising plans through a screen. Culture shock was definitely an understatement, it has taken me months to settle in, and I'm still struggling to make friends, ha, the people here are so different compared to Cyprus.

When I started getting myself out there more, I had some great times in the summer, such as my first GYPO fest! Not to forget Reading Festival - my 16th birthday present - which was secretly arranged between my mum and my best friends. They had to keep it from me for months! Reading was possibly the highlight of my year, 6 straight days spent with my best mates from Cyprus. This was where I literally almost died in mosh pits and had to be physically dragged out by my friend ha. It has been a lifelong dream to see RHCP and they were better than I had ever anticipated, I swear I felt my soul leave my body, it was that much of a heavenly experience.

In September, I started college. I made some good mates, but college doesn't really seem to be for me. With that, two weeks into college, I managed to land myself an apprenticeship, which is absolutely great, I work with some really awesome people and I'll be getting a Business Administration diploma from it too, which is a plus.

Then, the wedding of the year rolls around. Jordee G & Mikey B became Mr & Mrs Brompton! I think we all needed this absolutely amazing day as a family. Literally the best wedding I have ever been to. The build up over the past two years was ace, the excitement of my family got to the point we could all burst and the actual day completely topped it, better than I had even imagined!

A quiet few months passed and Christmas finally rolled around. I had been looking forward to this purely because my mum, brother and stepdad were coming over from Cyprus. Christmas was awesome, yet chaotic, as always, we have such a massive family, my brother and I struggle finding time to spend between everyone.

To top off the year, my mom, brother, stepdad and I went to Amsterdam for a short trip. What a beautiful place! We spent most of our time wondering round and sight seeing. The red light district was definitely... something. It was actually exactly what I thought it would be. We also found the Fault In Our Stars bench! I really cherish all the time I get to spend with them and I didn't want it to end!

I've learnt a lot in 2016. I've learnt to take things as they come, to keep strong, to work hard for what I want, to appreciate the time I have, to relax and to love with all of my soul.

Sri Lanka

My family and I travelled to Sri Lanka for the new year of 2016. From where I lived, Cyprus, It took two long car journeys, a hell of a long time spent at airports and two five hour flights, and we were there! To start we had a week in Hikkaduwa, a beautiful little coastal town, where life revolves around the beach! There I experienced the crazy driving of the buses and tuk tuks, exotic fruit and laidback life of the locals - which, living in Cyprus, I was pretty familiar to anyway. I spent most of my time in Hikkaduwa on the beach, soaking up the sun - well, trying anyway, I was still white as a milk bottle - and in the sea, which is where I had my first surf lessons - little waves for little me, ha. We also had little day trips to places not far away, like Gaule, where we got the bus to see the ruins and the ancient walled city, what an incredible place!

We then travelled to a town high in the mountains, called Kandy. Here we visited the Buddhist temple, of which was one of the most fantastic historical places of worship I had ever been to. Where we were staying, we were directly next to an all girls primary school, where they would sing prayers for 15 minutes every morning, which echoed throughout the entire town. Also a large group of monkeys would run and play in the trees right near our room.

Our final trip before heading back to the capital for a night before leaving, was Pinnawala. Pinnawala was a long two and a half hour trip further into the mountains, but it was totally worth it. The entire little village was based around one single tourist attraction, the elephant orphanage. There is a large lake where the elephants played in the water, sunbathed and got fed bananas, no chains, no restricted areas, just purely in their natural habitat. This experience was literally one of the most soul satisfying, just to see these beautiful animals looked after in the correct way.

Sri Lanka was absolutely amazing! It was definitely my kind of trip, lots to see and experience. I would definitely suggest it to anyone looking to have a little bit of an adventurous holiday!