365 Days in the ‘Real World…’

NB: Whilst studying for my undergraduate degree I enjoyed it and I liked learning in an institutionalised environment. However as my three years of Uni neared its end, I started to find myself being ‘over’ institutionalised education and itching to get out into the real world and learn by doing, experiencing and living, instead of sitting in a lecture hall and being talked at. I was entering a new stage of my life and with that came new desires and needs to fulfil my life.

Today is a glorious day! Because today marks a year since I finished my last undergraduate exam! 365.242 fabulous stress free days! 8765.81 hours in the real world! 525949 minutes of learning by living! Isn’t life just ‘bloody’ (in the words of Ron Weasley) fantastic!

So what have I learnt in those 3.156e+7 seconds outside the education system (which, dominated my life from the age of 4!). Here is a list of the top three things I have learnt about myself/life since sitting that very last exam on ‘Territory Knowledge and Power!’

1) I am only 22, I am way too young to fall into the 9-5 trap. Too much to see, too little time. This is something I already knew but working for nearly year has reinforced it greatly, especially now that I have found the light at the end of the tunnel (3.5 months in the USA!) 

2) I don’t like inefficiency – inefficiency is a waste of time and energy. Sometimes I think I should be the Minster of Efficiency for the UK. Though this dislike mainly focuses around the work environment.

3) I should also be the Minister of Initiative - and run initiative training for businesses…or maybe it should become an A-Level subject. I mean initiative will get you further in life than trigonometry. In one of my jobs, I won’t say which one, they changed all the printers. One day I overheard someone say ‘I can’t print because no one has shown me how to use the printer.’ In my head I was like ‘Dude, this isn’t school; you are not going to get spoon fed. If you don’t know, find out!’ So, yeah I am going to become the Minister for Efficiency and Initiative.

My attempt at taking an 'arty' picture last night

I feel from my year working I have learnt skills that will be more usefully in life than the likes of Pythagoras and algebra – though I do believe my education has acted as a solid foundation for this.

Last night to celebrate our anniversary of freedom from the educational system and as a leaving shindig for me, I met some Uni friends in the Lovely London Town. In my head I had a fab night planned - dinner, drinks, dancing, and then the night bus home. Unfortunately, we only managed to achieve 2/4 – dinner and drinks. It made me realise that I am not as young as I once was. Here are some key facts from last night for you:

1)      I wore heels (smallish ones) for the first time in forever. AND MY FEET HURT SO BAD.

2)      We could not bring ourselves to leave the restaurant and walk to Covent Garden to go dancing (painfully feet) instead we sat there for 5 and half hours eating, drinking and being merry.

3)      We couldn't even hold out for the last train home and got the penultimate one instead.

     

Despite all this, and the realisation that we are getting old and leaving our drunken Uni days behind us, I had such a good night and it was sooo nice to see my lovely friends before I jet off!

The Hangover Veggie Breaky: Veggie Sausages,
Veggie Bacon, Pancakes and Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice! 

Lesson learnt from this: As you get older, you don’t get more boring, you just redefine what you call a fine night out! 

Escaping the 9-5 trap and regaining control of MY LIFE…

In 8 days it will be a year since I started my blog. In 12 days it will be a year since I finished my very last exam for my undergrad degree. So what have I done since then?

I graduated obviously, and managed to score myself a hot shot city job with a healthy salary. I moved out of my family home and into a nice little flat in Canary Warf and holiday in the Maldives twice a year. I am living the dream of every new graduate and success is my friend.

Ha, I kid. I have graduated, and since I have had exactly 6 jobs - ranging from making spreadsheets about people who were mis-sold PPI, Grotto Host at the number one department store in the world, and PA for Social Services.  I still live with my parents – I would never live in Canary Warf, I hate the grid system! And the closest I have had to a holiday is a weekend trip Edinburgh or that time I met my Uni friends in Birmingham.

Am I successful? I would say I am on the path to success – I am saving to travel. In my eyes personal success will come when I achieve my life ambition – to travel to Fiji and stand with a foot on either side of the International Date Line. I believe success is not measured by your career, your lavish house or the amount of money in your bank – but by your happiness.

I would say the biggest fault in my life since graduating is having fallen into, what I like to call, the ‘9-5 trap.’ I work 9-5 Monday to Friday and in my spare time, I commute, eat and sleep and sometimes I go and see McBusted perform at the O2 – BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE. This is the sole reason I have not blogging in so long. Nothing interesting happens when you work in insurance, nothing inspires you – all you learn about life is that insurance is probably the most boring career path to choose. But hey, that is just my opinion. If it is your life calling by all means go for it.

However, inspiration has found me again, in the form of a Summer Camp in an East Coast State of the USA. That is right, in four short weeks I will be crossing the pond and will spend three and a half months State-Side working at a Summer Camp (just like in Parent Trap!) and travelling around the States. Finally a chance to live, learn and have fun!

For all the Geographers out there – I am hoping to visit the Four Corners, the only point in America where four states meet, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico! I can be in four different states at once, think of all the border fun that can be had! Professor Matt Hannah if you are reading this, I hope you are proud.

So this blog is making a comeback (NB: I have redesigned it to reflect my life at this moment in time) and over the next couple of months will be used to share my American adventures, what I have learnt about life and of course anything funny that happens.

I am going to finish this post by sharing a quote I recently came across and have fallen in love with as it so accurately defines my feelings towards life…

‘Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.’ – John Lennon. 

R x

The Bus of Dreams...

306. The bus of dreams.

Always on time, forever reliable.

I joke.

Never on time. Late again.

It’s just another manic Monday.

School kids chatter, commuters over hear;

“The rave is going to be mental!”

“Who’s coming to your Halloween party?”

Cringe.

All the while the wheels on the bus go round and round.

Whats App. Commuters’ banter.

Read.                                 

Snap Chat morning selfie, just for fun.

Daily chin wag.

Attempts to stay sane.

I am a commuter, and this is my tale

Aboard the 306

Forever and always, the bus of dreams.

An ode to Han and Amy...

Before I start this post I will just like to inform you that I am currently sun bathing on Italy.

So a mere four days ago our number decreased to just two as Han and Amy went home.  Leaving Jess and I to venture on for another 10 days as we make our way down to Croatia. You see, Jess and I like to think we are experienced travellers and we can do this with our eyes closed... Oh boy where we wrong.  The minute we departed ways and became a twosome everything went wrong.  So here is my ode to Han and Amy for making the first 10 days a pretty smooth operation. Here is what has gone wrong without them:

1) We had to change route as we wanted to avoid protesting in Sofia so we went West instead of East from Budapest.
2) We manged to book the worst hostel ever in Bratislava.  It did not have a sign so we spent an hour looking for it. There was no one there to check us in or out. And our room hadn't been cleaned.
3) When trying to get to the old town we got the wrong bus and ended up further out of town so had to go into the Hilton Hotel to ask for directions and ended up spending lots on a taxi.
4) We got to Vienna with the intention on leaving that evening on a night train. The night train was booked. We were stranded.  Though we managed to find a nice hostel to stay in and then had to get a train and a bus the next day.
5) The hostel in Venice didn't respond to our email regarding transfer. So they made us wait an hour before they picked us up. In a thunder storm. Best moment of my life.


So as you can see a lot of things have not gone to plan. And we find the best way to deal with it is to laugh and grin and bear it - it is all rather funny. From this experience we have learnt that planning is over rated.  Live in the moment and go with the flow.

Love EuroRuch xxx

P.S. I forgot to add that I sat in chewing gum at Bratislava station and got it all over shorts. Sexy.

What not to do when inter-railing...

As it is our last day as a foursome (Han and Amy head home and Jess and I make our way down to Croatia) I thought I would blog - though I am mainly
blogging because we are a tad to hungover to move. This post is on what not to do when inter-railing.

1) Send an 'I love Berlin' postcard from the Aushwitz post office.
2) Insist you have lost your bumbag with all your money init but then find it in your bag the third time you search through it.
3) Leave your pyjamas in Prague.
4) Leave your inter-rail pass on the train.
5) Ask what is veggie on the menu - the waiter will just suggest: fish, chicken, apple pie and fish.
6) Trying to use the Birth of the Royal Baby as a legit reason that you deserve a discount.
7) Eat paneer in Prague.
8) Get on the tram before working out what direction you want to go in.
9) Spend all your change so you have to beg in the metro station.
10) Include Sofia in your route.  They will start protesting and you will have to find an alternative way to get to Croatia.
11) Do shisha with some Norwigeon men and end up puking in the streets of Budapest.

Unfortunately all of these things have happened to us. They may not be ideal situations but they have been entertaining.

Love EuroRuch xxx

How not to use the metro in Prague...

If you don't know me, I am often one to burst in to song. I can't sing. Sometimes I sing original songs about what I am doing at the moment, such as looking for olives in the supermarket.  I like to think I am the star of a musical. So in Prague I founded The Song For All Occasions: Take Two. I am going to share a bit of it with you before sharing the oh so classy meaning behind it.

It is to the tune of the Conga and inspired by the Train Line Advert.

It goes:

Choo choo  choo
Begging on the Train Line
Choo choo choo give me a Corona

If you haven't guessed I ended up begging on the metro in Prague.

We were on our way to the main station to get our first night trian. We pooled all our change together.  We were 1 ckr short. What do you do? As head of logistics it was my duty to make sure we had the money.  And I failed. It was  time to right my wrong...
Instead of choosing the lets go break a note by buying crisps amd getting change method,  I choose the begging approach.

I scooped out the potential targets.  First I asked 2 girls. They rejected my desperate plea. Then I chose a nice man. He looked friendly. He didn't understand my need, as instead of asking for 1 ckr I was asking for 1 corona.  Alchoalhic.  After some more sweet talking he gave the crazy tourist with a massive backpack some money and we were able to buy our ticket and get the night train to Krakow! Logistical success right there.

Short girl problems and the effects they have on your inter-rail experience...

If you haven't gathered from the title of this post I am what I like to call a short girl.  If you don't know what this means, let me explain - I am a girl and I stand a mere 5.1 feet from the ground, thus I am a short girl. Being short has its benefits,  such as when it rains you are the last to get wet so have more time to run for cover. However we short girls also suffer from what I like to call short girl problems. Whilst inter-railing I have experienced some of these problems - which if you haven't guessed already, I am going to share with you along with some solutions I have thought of...

1) You can't put your bag on the over head baggage shelf as it is too high.

2) You can't get your bag down from the over head baggage shelf.

3) Your feet don't reach the floor when you use the loo on the train as the loo is too high off the floor.

4) It is a struggle to get on to the top bunk when there is no ladder.

5) Your short legs can't walk as quick as your leggy friends and you often fall behind.

6) When standing,  your friends who are all sitting on bar stools are still taller than you - they get to sit, you have to stand, where is the justice in that?

7) You have to stand on your tip toes when ordering food from fast food / alcohol joints.

So as you can see being short is rather problematic, but never fear as here are some solutions I have devised to help other short girls  out there.




1) Carry a step-ladder with you every where you go.
2) Ask a nice tall man, preferably one with a beautiful accent, to help you.
3) Get over it.

I hope my solutions are of use to others suffering short girl problems.

That is all for now as we are pulling into Prague...

Love EuroRuch xxx