I know I have not written in a while, but summer has been very full on; a fact that I am definitely not complaining about!
At the beginning of this summer holiday was my trip to Nepal, which I was slightly nervous for, especially for the four-day trek, which they had promised us would be no easy feat. However, despite the torrential downpours of the monsoon season, turning all the usually walkable paths into gorge walks, combined with the ridiculously high heat and humidity, meaning that we could always rely on sweat to leave us completely drenched whenever we got a brief respite from the rain (which was not very often!), we managed to complete the trek, maybe not with a big smile on our faces, but we did it nonetheless! And when all said and done, I am glad that they made us do it, because it definitely tested my willpower, and it did feel like a big accomplishment when it was finished.
The rest of the trip was filled with lots of sightseeing (and shopping) around Kathmandu, as well as the Community Initiative we undertook where we learned about sustainable farming and helped to plant trees of different varieties using these sustainable agricultural methods. Whilst all of these activities were enjoyable, the best bit of the trip was definitely white-water rafting! Even though I still have a wet-suit tan line because of it, it was certainly worth it!
What did I learn from this trip? Well, of course there are the obvious answers; resilience, perseverance, gratefulness etc...but really, the biggest thing I learnt was more about the type of person I am, and the kind of people that I like to be around. I have learnt that, as much as I can be and like to be sociable, I value my own space and my own company a lot more than I thought I did. I have learnt that I am not a princess, and I would just prefer to get on with things rather than moaning (which I quite like about myself). And last but not least, I have realised the kind of people I like to spend time with, and what traits I value and respect in a friendship or relationship.
So, when people ask me whether I enjoyed my trip, and what I took away from it, I think they expect me to give an answer more along the lines of describing what a ‘culture shock’ it was, or how ‘eye-opening’ the experience was, but to be honest, the things I learnt most about on that trip weren’t anything to do with Nepal, but more about myself instead.
Anyway, that’s enough about my travels! The big problem I seem to be experiencing at the moment is doom scrolling. TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat - I hold them all accountable for the fact that I get into bed at about 10pm but actually go to sleep at 12am! It is one of those things that I am very self-aware of but continue to do it anyway. I have started to use phrases such as ‘just ten more minutes’ or ‘I will do something productive in a second’. It is those little chunks of time within your day that draws you in. That twenty minutes before you have to go somewhere or do something, where you are able to use the excuse that you don’t really have enough time to do anything productive so instead you whip out your phone and get lost in a world of reels and short videos.
And then because you enjoy those short sections of time, you then begin filling longer period of your day, until it becomes your go-to pastime. I am sick of it. Therefore, I am making the executive decision to always carry something on me, whether it be my Kindle or some other form of entertainment, so I no longer have the excuse to doom scroll - and can use my time doing something I enjoy and that is good for me.
I also just want more time to pursue my interests, like painting and writing, that I always claim I don’t have the time for, but is just nonsense. If I have the time to spend 2 hours on TikTok, I definitely have time to paint!
To end, I am going to set myself three resolutions: First, to finally finish my painting of Daenerys Targaryen (big Game of Thrones fan). Second, to practise my songs for my Grade 8 singing exam. Third, to start writing a book (with all the spare time I’ll have during the last year of A-levels)...
