My Beautiful Teenage Sister | A Poem

My Beautiful Teenage Sister,
Phone closed in her hands,
Stays in her room all night,
And works on dates and plans.

My Beautiful Teenage Sister,
That barely talks all day,
To me or mum or anyone,
But her friends who come and stay.

My Beautiful Teenage Sister,
With highlights in her hair,
Brushes it hour on hour,
With either a smile or a glare.

My Beautiful Teenage Sister,
I miss you a bit everyday,
You're here in my house,
But you always hide away.

Stay happy,
Katie xx

Thoughts on Education | May 2016

I know I haven't been around much, but revision has well and truly taken over. And it has got me thinking about a lot of things.

There are so many of us who do our best, revise as much as we can, but then we compare ourselves to others and automatically feel inadequate. "Oh no", we think, "I haven't done enough", "I am going to fail" and "What happens then?" I know that I have definitely felt this way over the last couple of months. People saying "You will be fine!", but you automatically think "No, I won't."

GCSEs are confusing, they are less about your knowledge and a lot more on your memory, which gives an advantage to those who can easily memorise and a disadvantage to those who cannot. For example, French GCSE. The idea is that you have 2 papers, a listening and a reading, 2 speaking tests and 2 writing tests. However, those speaking tests and writing tests are completely based on memory. I don't need to understand what I am saying or writing, as long as it makes sense and I remember it all.

It frustrates me because a lot of what we learn is not necessary for everyday life. Even things like learning phrases in French is not useful because half of them don't make sense when you are saying them to a French person. What is the point in that?

Also, the fact that we are now being encouraged to take subjects like sciences, maths, English and humanities. Ridiculous. What if I don't want to do that. My whole school life has been based on my music and no government is going to tell me to stop doing that and do something I don't want to study so that I get on in the world.

The whole education system, in Britain at least, has taken a turn for the worst. Why am I studying this? Why am I memorising this? If you think about it, I am making a lot of sense. But many people don't think so.

Also, what are you getting out of memorising the equation for the volume of a cylinder or the quotes from 'Of Mice and Men'? Nothing at all. It is completely pointless and unnecessary.

What do you think?

Stay happy,
Katie xx

Nice - Day 5 - Modern Art, Shopping and Flying Home

Because we had to pack, we all got up on the first alarm on the last morning. Although we were tired, there was stuff to do. We had eaten breakfast by 7:45, after waking up at 7, which is impressive for me. We were the first people to be packed and ready to go. I had done my makeup, dressed, washed and packed everything in under an hour and then our room had half an hour to sing songs together, which is something we enjoyed so much, as it was relaxing and it gave us a chance to be together doing something we loved.

Once we had dropped our bags downstairs and grouped, we walked to the modern art museum in Nice, which is a big museum in the centre of Nice. There was some interesting art in there and again, there was a roof garden, which was so nice (no pun intended).

Once we had finished at the museum, we walked to the old market, where the teachers stopped and started talking to someone on one of the ice cream stalls. They did a deal with them and we all got 2 balls of ice cream in a cone, for free! It was so nice of them and the ice cream was so good!

We were then able to have some time off. My friends and I decided that we would collect some money from everyone and buy something for the teachers, as they had put up with us all week and organised everything for us. We collected €50 altogether, so we bought 5 paintings from the market and then some individual presents that resembled inside jokes or things they liked. They really liked them and it was very funny, giving the presents to them.

We then went to the beach, which was so nice, as we had half an hour to relax. We sat on the beach and talked, sang, skimmed stones on the waves and laughed. It was so nice to be with the people I like, outside of the school environment. 

After a while, we walked to the main street, where, again, we had some time to go and have a look at shops. I bought a ring from a boutique shop and Jemima bought a Too Faced palette, which is the most beautiful thing ever!

Then it was time to collect our bags and travel to the airport. We were all tired and hungry by this point, so we couldn't wait to get on the plane and eat. Once we got through security, we looked for shops to eat in, but there was one place to eat, a Costa. However, it was so expensive and the food was different to that of Britain's. I had a pastrami bagel, but it wasn't great. I had a cup of tea on the plane, which was scary because there was so much turbulence that I had to hold it, along with my friends stuff, as he had fallen asleep.

We got back to school at about 1 o'clock and we were all so tired, but we had such a good time and these memories will stay with me for a long time, if not forever.

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If you enjoy travel diaries, please say so, because I will do more of them if you want!

Stay happy,

Katie xx

And In The Blink Of An Eye

Do you ever find that there has been something that you have been longing to happen for a long time and every moment in your life is counting down to that moment? Then, when it happens, it is amazing. But then it finishes so quickly and you realise that the thing you have waited for has finished.

This has happened throughout my life and recently it happened again. I have mentioned many a time that I have been rehearsing West Side Story and recently performed it. Now it is over and I feel lost and have absolutely no idea what to do with myself. I made so many friends throughout the rehearsals and shows and I love everyone who was a part of the journey.

But now it is onwards and upwards of my adventure of a lifetime. And it panics me. The reality that now I must get my head down and get on with exams so that I can get the life that I want.

Do you ever feel like this?

Stay happy,
Katie xx

P.s. when you are reading this, I will be in London so there will be a post up about that soon