July Round-up

Thinking back to what I have gotten up to this month was actually quite difficult. It's all such a blur. This month has been pretty darn busy in terms of work, so thinking of things to update you with was a challenge. HOWEVER, I wasn't going to leave you in the dark. After reflecting and looking back at July. I was able to create a surprisingly chunky round-up. Here are some things that happened this month!

G R A N D   P R I X
I worked LONG hours at Silver-stone for the Grand Prix Races. I did a total of 35 hours over the three days, waiting in the VIP section. It was a lot of hard work and definitely the most physically demanding shift I have ever done, but it was so rewarding. I worked with a great group that kept me entertained over the weekend. Each shift started at 5:30 am and we had to travel from Birmingham at 3:25 am. It's safe to say we were all super delirious, so we found the most random things funny. By the end of each day my feet were screaming, but it was worth it. I'm definitely up for doing it again next year.

C H E C K I N G   O U T   O F   A C C O M M O D A T I O N
I obviously moved back home in June, however my lease officially ended this month. I had to go back for the final time to deep clean my bedroom, kitchen cupboards and bathroom. Then I handed in my key. Annoyingly, I left my diamond ring in my bathroom (I took it off to clean) and handed my key back. So, I had to go BACK AGAIN the day after and the receptionist had to let me into my room with her master key. It was a bit of a nightmare, but I got it back and that was that.

F I R S T   C H A R L O T T E   T I L B U R Y   P U R C H A S E
I don't usually buy high end makeup because I have never had enough disposable income to be pricey with makeup choices, alongside spending on other things. However, with working lots this summer I thought I would treat myself. I got my first ever Charlotte Tilbury product during the Cult Beauty 10th Birthday sales. I have been wanting to try Charlotte Tilbury for about a year, so I was super excited to purchase my first product. I look forward to diving into more products in the future. For my first product, I got the Hollywood Flawless Filter in shade 4. It has the most stunning packaging and the product itself is gorgeous on the skin. It really is radiance in a bottle. It is usually £30, however I spent £25.50 with their 15% off discount code. I have tried it under makeup, mixed with my foundation and as a liquid highlighter. I think I prefer it under my makeup or as a liquid highlighter, as it's much more blinding. When mixed, it doesn't have as much glow. I am looking forward to trying it without makeup on holiday, or on the body.

B E I N G   S I C K
Unfortunately I've had a bit of a hard time this month, after catching Mumps. I was at work one day and had an earache. I thought it may be an ear infection but I went to the doctor's the day after and it tuned out to be Mumps. My face has been swollen for a week and I've been on a liquid diet since. I have been struggling to eat, I had sleeping issues for the first few days and I had a super high temperature for days (just under 40). I'm starting to get better now but I'm still drinking a million cans of soup (boy am I sick of soup) and I've been signed off work until I'm fully better, as the virus is airborne. I've had my MMR vaccine (plus the booster) so I don't understand how I managed to catch it. Hopefully my body recovers soon.

G O I N G   T O   T H E   C I N E M A   A L O N E
I challenged myself to go to the cinema alone, as a way of getting out my comfort zone. It was on my summer bucket list for this year. I went to see Toy Story 4, which was a brilliant movie. It was quite awkward buying a ticket for one and getting settled in my seat, however the overall experience wasn't as scary as I had imagined. There was only about 6 other people in the room, so I was happy about that. Not many eyes on me to make me anxious.

2 4  H O U R   U N P L U G   C H A L L E N G E
Yesterday I completed another Summer Bucket List activity, which was to do a 24 hour unplug. No phone, no laptop, no TV. The idea is to use absolutely no screens for 24 hours. I did from 11 am yesterday to 11 am this morning. It was quite an interesting experience. I have had social media cleanses before but never completely screen-free days. It wasn't too difficult to entertain myself at first. I read a book, did a wardrobe clear out, did some Bible Study etc. The day was pretty productive for the most part. It wasn't until about 8 pm that I got bored, so I had an early night. It was definitely needed but I'm happy to be using a screen again haha. If you haven't tried the challenge before, maybe give it a try.

What did you get up to this month? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x

My First Year University Experience: Finances

I would like to say a massive thank you for such a great response to my First Year Experience posts. This is part IV, the final installment of the series. If you haven't read the other parts, definitely give them a read. I have posted my Academic, Social Life and Accommodation experience. Today I will be sharing my experience in terms of finances. One of the most important aspects (if not, the MOST important) of university is money. University is an expensive investment and hopefully this post will help Freshers to handle their money wisely.

My First Year University Experience: Accommodation

HAPPY SUNDAY! I hope you've had a great week. Today I am bringing you part III of my first year university experience posts. So far I have posted my Academic and Social Life experience. If you haven't read those yet, you definitely should. As you can tell from the title, today's post is all about my experience living away from home. If you're not a regular reader of my blog posts, you may not know that I live in Birmingham and I chose to stay in my city for university. Despite that, I still wanted at least one year to experience the full student lifestyle. That included living in halls and having that independence. So if you want to know about my experience, carry on reading.

Spilling the Tea.... [GIFTED]

Once in a while, I like to do a good old Tag post or Q&A. Not only because it's fun but because my readers get to know a bit more about me. So today I'm going to spill the tea.

I was recently gifted a PR Package from Adagio Teas. They are a wonderful company that sell a variety of teas from wellness teas to Iced teas. I was lucky enough to be gifted lots of options to try out and I FELL IN LOVE with some of them.

Some of my favourites:

Spearmint  - A beautiful herbal tea that I have been really enjoying in the morning. It is naturally sweet and refreshing. I've always been a Peppermint tea lover but this tea has converted me to Spearmint too!

Blood Orange Iced Tea - Believe it or not, I had never tried Iced Tea before this, but I definitely will be trying more this summer. It was super refreshing and perfect for the heatwave we had here in the UK these last couple weeks.

One thing I really love about Adagio is that their teas are loose leaves, which makes it Eco-Friendly and also really enjoyable. I surprisingly enjoyed assembling a cup of tea, because of the few extra steps.

Disclaimer:

The products mentioned were GIFTED to me, however all opinions are 100% honest and my own. I'm not being paid to make this post. 

So, I have my Spearmint tea next to me, and I'm ready to spill it (more like sip). Make sure to grab yours from https://www.adagiotea.co.uk/ while their summer sale is still going on.

Now let's answer some questions!

How did you find your First Year of uni?

I really loved it! I'm doing a series of posts all about my experience. So far I have posted my Academic and Social experiences. Check them out if you want to know all the details.

What is the best accommodation to stay in at Aston?

I stayed in James Watt accommodation, which is on campus. This post will be coming really soon, so I'll give all the details about my experience living there.

How do you make important life decisions?

I definitely don't take them lightly. It depends on the situation to be honest, but some of the things I always do are pray about it, and listen out for God's voice. God is always going to have your best interest at heart and he knows your future, so he is the best person to consult with big decisions. I also like to seek advice from the people in my life. For example, my parents and closest friends. It's always a good idea to get advice from an outside perspective, so I never make big decisions without talking to someone else. Ultimately it will always be your own decision, but the people in your life can see things you may not, and they most likely will know you more than you understand yourself.

And if you want a more practical way of making decisions, lists never fail me. Make a list of pros and cons or a list of desires that you can see if weigh up to the decision in front of you.

How are you?

I'm not too bad thank you. I can't complain. Enjoying this break from uni, before all the chaos starts again in September.

Opinions on Love Island?

AHHHH, I have way too many. I could make a whole post on that (I won't though). Follow me on Twitter if you wanna see my thoughts on each episode because I'm super active on there when I watch it.

To keep it short, I'll say 10 opinions I have

1) Ovie is the best Love Island contestant that has been on the show and definitely needs more screen time
2) Curtis never really liked Amy and was just using her until someone new came along
3) Anna is way too immature for a 29-year old woman
4) Amber has grown on me over the series
5) Sherif was unfairly kicked off, considering Maura basically harassed Tommy at the start
6) Tommy is in love with Molly Mae
7) This is the best time for the lie detector test (I know it's not coming)
8) Amber and Ovie would be a perfect match
9) Danny was playing a game
10) Joanna and Michael won't last

What does it mean to be a part of Constantinas?

Um EVERYTHING. Only the Elites are a part of the Constantinas and I'm grateful for it. Best squad around.

Pizza or Pasta?

Pizza 100%. I like Pasta but I can eat Pizza all day everyday.

How do you avoid someone you don't want to see?

Unfortunately I don't think that's possible

If you could swap lives with one person, who would it be?

Hmm this is a tough one. I thought about this for A WHILE and I think I'd swap lives with my mum just because she's such a strong woman and I would want to learn how she deals with things and takes on so much. I don't know how she does it!! I'm really happy with my life though, so I wouldn't change anything at all.

Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x

My First Year University Experience: Social Life

So, here is part II of My First Year Experience Series. If you've not read PART I, make sure to give that a read too. I shared my experience with my course and gave lots of information for those thinking about studying English Language at University. This part will be all about the social side of University. The part I'm sure most people care about. I remember watching so many YouTube videos and reading blog posts about uni life. This is going to be a really honest experience post about how I found the social side of being in First Year. So lets get straight into it.

My First Year University Experience: Academic

I wanted to share my first year of university experience, to not only summarize how the year went, but to hopefully help people out who will be starting their First Year in September, or the near future. This first post will be focused on the academic side. This will be helpful for those who are looking to study English Language, as I will be going into detail about this particular course.

I study English Language at Aston University. It is a 3 year course and you can do a placement year as an option. I thought about doing a placement year but with the career I want to follow, I don't think it's worth it. I would LOVE to study abroad, but there are too many barriers. Perhaps this may become a possibility, but for now the plan is just to do three consecutive years at Aston. God works in mysterious ways so I'm not ruling anything out.

This is going to be a long post, so grab a drink and a snack!

C O U R S E   I N F O R M A T I O N

I chose to study English Language, as I took the subject for my A-levels and LOVED it. I have always loved English, and when I was in secondary school I thought I would take the literature route. After doing language at sixth form, I knew that I definitely wanted to carry it on as an undergraduate course. English Language is a social science and is a very broad subject to study. It covers aspects of History, Science, Business, Politics, Sociology etc.

If you are a very analytical person who enjoys paying attention to detail, it is a great course to take on. There is a lot of analysis involved....and I mean a lot.

M O D U L E S

This year I took 5 modules. I'm going to give a brief description of what each module entailed, and my experience with them.

1) English Across Time and Space 
- This module was more humanities based and I found it really interesting. The module was broken up into two but the grades are combined as it is one module. The 'Time' aspect of the module focused on the development of English as a language and the changes that have occurred over the years. We looked into internal and external factors, including Accent and Dialect, the invention of technology, the impact war had on language change etc. On the other hand, the 'Space' aspect of the module focused on different varieties of English around the world, as well as language policy. This included English Only Policies in the workplace, Pidgins and Creoles, as well as Globalisation of English.

2) Discourse Analysis 
- Discourse Analysis was my favourite module from the year. Not only because I had my favourite lecturer, but because it was so fun and fascinating. Discourse Analysis looks into how meaning is created beyond words or the sentence we are given. This means paying attention to details including colour, shape, layout and lexis (word choices). For example in advertisements, memes, conversations and symbols. There are many different forms of discourse analysis and I'm excited to explore them deeper in the future. I really enjoyed the assignment for this module (I'll talk about that a bit later), and it has definitely swayed me to make advertisement a backup career plan.

3) Linguistics 
- This was one of my least favourite modules but it was fairly interesting regardless. Linguistics is a lot more science based, which is probably why it wasn't my favourite. Linguistics focuses more on sounds, how they are created and grammar. We studied anatomy, the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), transcription and Word Classes. If you want to go down the career path of speech therapy, it is a very useful module. I enjoyed learning about the different parts of the body that contribute to everyday speech and sound, however it's a very technical module, so I definitely had to cover my desk in post it notes and flashcards.

4) Language and Society
- This is the module I thought I would enjoy the most, however the style of teaching wasn't my favourite. I struggled to engage in the lectures, so the module wasn't as fascinating as it could have been. Sociolinguistics is the study of language within society. It focuses on language change as well as language variety depending on age, gender, sexuality and culture. This module includes lots of case studies and data. For example, we looked at whether there was a pattern when it came to using swear words and offensive language. Is it used more by a particular gender? Is there a common age where it increases? Are certain words deemed as less or more offensive compared to 10 years ago?
I did enjoy the actual content of the module, I just wish the lectures and assignment were more interesting.

5) Practical Application of Language Description 
- This module focused around three areas. These were business, education and memory. The business side of the module focused on language within the workplace, the importance of communication within a business, and the importance of non-verbal communication. Doing this part of the module helped me to understand how body language and gestures convey meaning or show hierarchy.
We also studied the effects of memory and language. We looked at instructions, short term and long term memory, as well as concentration and information retention. The final area of the module was an introduction to teaching, including TESOL. We studied the impact of teacher talk and teacher feedback. As an aspiring teacher, I found this part of the module most helpful.

Overall, I really enjoyed the modules this year. I definitely gained a lot of knowledge and it was nice to explore so many different areas of English.

L E C T U R E S

I actually attended MOST of my lectures this year, which I'm proud of. I probably missed 4 or 5 altogether. My student ID was broken the whole year though, so even when I scanned myself in, my attendance would never record. In the first term it claimed that I had 6% attendance, when I only missed two lectures and the second term recorded 21%. Most of us had this problem though, and many of my lecturers also had paper copies, so I won't have to explain to future employers that I wasn't skiving uni all year.
Most of my lectures were 1-2 hours long. I didn't mind many of them as they were quite interactive, but goodness those 9ams were a killer. I used to always wonder why so many students moaned about 9am lectures when pretty much every school started around 8:30am/9:00am.......I now understand. The worst part is, that I had a 9am every Friday. BRUTAL. It's one of those things that you have to go through to relate to. God help me in second year when I have to commute everyday.

I'm so thankful for Aston Replay and Blackboard, because I swear lecturers put themselves on a timer to switch the slide. I started writing my notes before or after a lecturer, because I couldn't keep up. Everyone has had that one lecturer that leaves about 3 seconds for note-taking.

A S S I G N M E N T S

Before starting uni, one of my worries was whether the assignments were going to be significantly harder than my A-level assignments. As a whole, it was about the same in terms of difficulty. The workload was definitely more, but the actual tasks themselves were doable. I actually enjoyed a couple of them.
Here is a breakdown of each module assignment:

English Across Time and Space- Portfolio of essays x 6
Discourse Analysis- 1000 word Literature Review & 3 Analysis' + 3 essays
Linguistics- Exams x 2
Language and Society- Portfolio of essays x3
Practical Application of Language Description- 2000 word Case Study & Exam

I really enjoyed the Analysis assignments for Discourse Analysis. It required creativity and attention to detail, which is one of my favourite aspects of the course. Out of all the modules, this is where I did best, in terms of grades. We had a few presentations too, but they weren't graded. They were mainly to help us with our written assignments and for some practice.

We don't get our overall grade until August, but in terms of individual grades, I am very happy with how things went. There is one exam I wish I could re-do, but it doesn't affect my degree at all, with it being first year. I had 2:1's and Firsts all year, which is great! I thank God for helping me get through the year.

S E C O N D   Y E A R ?

So, what's the plan for second year? We have to pick our modules for 2019/20 by mid August I believe. I went to a meeting where the Dean and other department leaders spoke to us about each module, which was super helpful. I have an idea of a couple I definitely want to go ahead with, but I'm still deciding on the final choices. There are some really interesting looking modules, so I am excited about second year. The pressure is on, with this year counting to my final degree. eeek. Bring on the challenge.

I hope this post was helpful to those who are thinking about studying English at Aston University. I would have really appreciated this post back in year 13. And if you've ever wondered what English Language is like, then I hope you enjoyed reading a bit about it.

Look out for the next part of my First Year Experience series.

Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x