In this blog post I’ll be talking about what I did over the summer holidays. Sun, sea, sand and ice-cream- what more could you want! Not only did I get up to lots but I also had lots of amazing opportunities which hopefully will inspire you or give you a few ideas of some of the things that you could try out in the holidays.

June

June was a month of mixed emotions. Coursework and exams finished, I could now begin to relax. What’s this? Do no work? I have to admit it took a while to get used to. Unfortunately towards the beginning of the month I lost someone very special to me, but the important thing to remember were all the lovely memories. I had previously planned a trip to visit my friend Silvia in Italy, so still went ahead with the trip to get my mind off things and practise my Italian!

I met Silvia whilst taking part in the Action Language project where she taught me Italian and I would help with her English, little did I know I would be travelling to Milan a few months later. She welcomed me into her family, where I got to practice speaking (something that I had been trying to learn for a few months) and got to visit Milan as well as Venice. We ate gelato, went to an Italian pizza buffet and explored the different towns.

Venice was full of small boutiques selling masks, souvenirs and paintings. We even got to see the gondolas and visit Piazza San Marco, which was stunning. Thank you Silvia for such an amazing week!

Towards the end of June was moving out time. My best tip would be to get rid of everything that you don’t need because there will almost certainly be more to bring back with you than what you came with. Unfortunately my moving out experience was a little stressful, involving grandparents cramming everything into their small car and having to travel 4.5 hours with a bin, two plants and a piano stand on my lap! Despite this, it was sad to leave my room. After spending the whole year there I felt like it was my home, but I’m excited to move into a flat for this year.

July

I spent July on a work placement in West Sussex, designing medical products such as an Insulin pen device. Although I felt at times I was diving in the deep end, I learnt so much. Not only did I get to practice my Industrial Design skills but I also got to see what it was like working in the industry- I loved it.

August

Since I’m half French, we always spend a few weeks in August in Brittany visiting family. We went on a boat trip, swam in the sea at the beach, tanned in the sun and spent lots of time baking and with the family, it was lovely! I also enrolled in a TEFL English course, giving me the qualification to teach English abroad to young children.

September

Despite having a wonderful few months previously, this was the month I had been waiting for. September would be when I could finally be with my boyfriend after not having seen him for one year. Due to being in a long-distance relationship (England to Colombia) we stayed strong and loved each other more every day. This month was the highlight of my year, I would be travelling to Colombia. We had many amazing moments together, visiting lots of new places. It just makes you value every second that you have together!

Whatever you did over the summer holidays I hope that you enjoyed it and had lots of fun. Summer is not only the time to relax but also to grow and develop as a person, taking advantage of all the opportunities the world has to offer us. I think it’s fair to say I kept myself busy, going to Italy, France and Colombia but I loved every second of it.