SO... I'VE MOVED AGAIN!

Afternoon lovelies!

It's been a while since I updated the old blog. My last life update rambled on about how I was planning on saving for a trip to Japan. Well, that hasn't happened! Things have changed quite a lot over the past few months, mainly because I decided to move flats.

When I first moved to Manchester, I had to find somewhere to live fairly quickly. I didn't know the area at all so decided to settle on Didsbury - a suburb 4 miles south of the city centre. It's very popular with young professionals and has great transport links into the city. Luckily, my flat was right next to the tram stop, meaning it would take me around 35 minutes door to door to get to work. The flat felt quite studenty and definitely wasn't to my taste, but at the time it was the least of my worries. I was lucky to be living with 3 other people I really got along with, and my focus was settling into my new job and living in a new city.

My contract was for 6 months with 2 months rolling after that. When I wrote my last life update, I had no intention of moving when my 6 month contract was up. My priority was getting back into travel and making the most of saving whilst I had cheap rent - which is where my Japan plans came from. It was only around a month or two later that I completely changed my mind and decided I wanted to move.

The main reason was because I couldn't deal with how messy and dirty the place would get. Since living with other people, the one thing I've learnt about myself is that I AM MONICA FROM FRIENDS. My flatmates and I used to joke about it, but in all seriousness, it's really hard living with people who aren't as OCD about cleanliness as you are. Everyone has different habits, and that's fine, but I guess I've been brought up in quite a strict, overly spotless household - to the point where I expect everyone else to be like that too. It doesn't quite work like that in flatshares. There were certain things I could overlook, but things like sticky glasses in the cupboard and plugholes getting blocked with clumps of hair - I just couldn't deal with it anymore. I've always been really into my interior design too, and would happily spend £££ every month on new cushions and trinkets. Not only were my flatmates not bothered about that, the flat was so studenty that it never would have looked nice anyway. None of the furniture matched, things were falling apart and the pots and pans were god knows how old. As much as I wanted to, I didn't see the point in investing my money in new things when I knew they wouldn't get taken care of.

My other reason for wanting to move was so I was closer to the city centre. When I first moved to Manc, I was scared of spending a lot on rent as it was my first 'proper' time paying my own bills (apart from uni and travelling). I didn't want to underestimate how much it would cost me to live, so I opted for cheaper rent instead of living in the expensive city centre. Even if I'd have wanted to, city centre apartments get snapped up so quickly and it's really competitive. I didn't have the time to wait, and I certainly didn't have the money saved for an expensive deposit. So I chose Didsbury - a nice area with great transport links and no deposit required. Houseshares in Didsbury tend to be a lot larger too, meaning I could meet more people rather than living with just one person. It made sense at the time, but after a few months I knew it was time for me to move more central. I worked in the city centre, a lot of my work friends lived there, and it was where I socialised the most. After work drinks meant I would always miss my last tram home at 11.30pm, so I would end up spending £20 on an Uber instead. Not ideal. My flatmates didn't work in the city either, so would spend the majority of their time socialising in Didsbury. I moved to Manchester to experience the cool stuff MANCHESTER has to offer, not a small suburb 4 miles away. I sometimes felt like I was missing out on the buzz of the city, so wanted to be in the thick of it whilst I was still young enough to enjoy it.

I knew moving would increase my rent by about £150, but to me it was worth it. The way I see it, I have my whole life to live in a suburb or town when I get a mortgage and have kids. If I'm gonna spend a lot on rent and council tax, I might as well do it whilst I'm young with no responsibilities. I'm paying for convenience, which I'm more than happy with right now. In a few years I'll look to cut my costs when I'm thinking about buying, but at the moment I'm pretty chuffed I live a 30 second walk from work. I'm pretty chuffed that I can walk home after a night out, or go home and cook during my lunch break. I even have my own car parking space - which I didn't have in my old flat - that I'm thinking of renting out when I sell my car. (UPDATE: I sold my car and now rent the space to a guy at work. My flatmate and I both pocket £45 a month from it, which massively helps towards bills!)

The best part? I finally live in a NICE flat. A modern, spotless apartment with a balcony and my own private bathroom. My flatmate Cat and I are on a mission to make it as Pinterest as possible. Well... within reason! We're only renting after all, so we can't replace the furniture as much as we'd like to! First world problems ay...

Let me know what you think!

xxx

PROS & CONS OF 2017

HAPPY VERY VERY LATE NEW YEAR.

I started writing this post ages ago, but as per forgot all about it. Better late than never eh? Here's a little recap of my 2017, starting with the low points and ending on the highs. Last year was one of the best I've ever had, but no one's life is perfect and there will always be negatives - even if we choose not to show them. Luckily the good outweighed the bad in 2017, so let's begin! 

THE BAD

LIVING BACK HOME AFTER TRAVEL

I flew back to the UK on January 13th 2017, having been away travelling for 9 months. Although I had a reception job lined up, I was very lucky when my old boss got in touch asking if I wanted a  temp job. It was a position as a writer and was better money, so obviously I jumped at the chance. Although I'm so, so grateful for the opportunity (and wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for that job), I basically spent those 3 months miserable as hell. I loved the people - don't get me wrong - but the job just wasn't for me. I've always enjoyed writing, but I didn't enjoy the process of finding the stories or the topics I was writing about. I was bored, unmotivated and couldn't wait for the working day to end. Aside from work, I was miserable at home too. It's hard for me to remember what the issues were, but my mum and I basically spent a good few months not getting along. We had to adapt to me living at home again,
which I think we both found hard. My mum was used to her routine, and I was used to my freedom. We clashed a lot, but also knew it was only circumstantial. As soon as I moved out of the parental home, we knew things would go back to normal (spoiler: they did). It was just one of those really crappy transitional periods, which I'm glad to see the back of.

MY SMEAR TEST RESULT

I'm gonna keep this one short, simply because it was quite traumatic and I don't really want to relive it. But long story short - I went for my first ever smear test, got the results which showed I had abnormal cells, and was invited to have a Colposcopy at the hospital. The last thing you expect is any kind of abnormal result, but it's even worse when they send the letter with a ton of cervical cancer leaflets. Straight away you think ''I'm gonna be the unlucky one that gets cervical cancer", so I broke down in hysterical tears and drove home to my parents house right away (the longest 2 hour drive of my life). Luckily we were able to bring my hospital appointment forward, but that week of waiting was just awful. After the procedure, they sent a letter around 5 days later saying everything was fine and that I can continue with my regular smear tests every 3 years. Relieved is an under statement. You don't realise how important your sexual health is until something like this happens, and I sure as hell won't be taking it for granted again.

FEELING INSECURE AT WORK

I'm a pretty confident person but, like everyone, have a tendency to feel insecure when I'm out of my comfort zone. Put me on a plane to the other side of the world and I'm fine, but put me in a competitive work environment and I'll crumble. I've never been a 'career focused' kinda gal, so can sometimes feel uncomfortable in corporate office environments. Because of this, I've always doubted my ability and end up convincing myself that I'm not good enough (something my mum always tells me off for!) It's even harder when you start your new job with another person, so feel like you're constantly being compared to someone else. Instead of believing my boss when she insisted I was a good writer (and reminded me that I beat 150 odd people to the job), I couldn't help but beat myself up for not being as good as my colleague. I spent a good couple of months feeling worried, anxious and that I wasn't going to pass my probation. I've always been a slow burner in the workplace, and it can take a while for me to build up my confidence. But when it clicks, I feel like I really come into my own. I've been in my job for 6 months now, and finally believe I'm good at what I do. I'm a bloody good writer if I say so myself, so here's to having more faith in myself in 2018!

THE GOOD

AUSTRALIA

I kicked off 2017 at Sydney Harbour Bridge - finally ticking off the number 1 thing on my bucket list. I then flew back to Melbourne, surprised all of my friends at the hostel, spent a week living in my friend's luxury apartment, and spent my birthday in her rooftop pool overlooking the CBD (followed by a beach day, surprise party and meal with my friends).

SURPRISING MY MUM AFTER 9 MONTHS AWAY

Even thinking about her reaction makes me slightly emosh. There's no better feeling than seeing your parents after 9 months away, especially when you turn up at the front door and surprise your mum. I've never seen her so shocked!!

GETTING MY FIRST JOB AS A WRITER

Although I didn't enjoy the job (see above), I was SO lucky to get the position handed to me as soon as I arrived back in the UK. Not only did it allow me to save money for my America trip, it meant I had 'content writer' on my CV. It was my first foot in the door in helping me to achieve my dream of becoming a writer. If it wasn't for that position, I very much doubt I'd have secured an interview for my current job, let alone been chosen above 160 other applicants.

COPENHAGEN, U.S.A & CANADA

My America Contiki tour was one of the best - if not my favourite - trip ever. I never ended up writing about it on my blog, mainly because too much happened in the 5 weeks I was there. I'd love to go through everything day by day, but it would just take too long. All I can say is... IT WAS AMAZING. Click here to watch the vlog. Canada was a short but sweet stopover before I flew home. I stayed with my friend Emilie that I met in LA, and it was so much fun partying with her and her friends. Oh, and Niagara Falls was pretty spectacular too! And although I didn't massively rate Copenhagen as a city, I had a great time meeting up with my friends Jody and Beth for the first time since Vietnam. Three 24 year old girls singing their hearts out to High School Musical is my idea of a great mini break.

GETTING MY SECOND JOB AS A WRITER

My big break! I was finally offered a content writer position with a well-known travel company - this time on merit. I think I've written a post about this before, but I really really love my job. The perks, the people, the city centre location, the snazzy building, the content I'm writing about - it's everything I've ever wanted and more.

MOVING TO MANCHESTER

Without mentioning all the cool stuff I did that made the second half of 2017 so great (I'm looking at you Bongo's Bingo), it's fair to say Manchester has changed my life. Since moving here in July, my social life has never been better. I've made new friends, wandered the streets like a tourist, and took advantage of everything the city has to offer. I'm surrounded by people my age - young professionals who dance on tables and do midweek tequila shots (seriously, is Albert Schloss ever NOT busy?) Living in a city that never seems to sleep is exciting, and I honestly can't imagine living anywhere else.

So there you have it, my pros and cons of 2017. Life will always throw curve balls your way, but it's how you deal with them and the choices you make that really determine how your life will pan out.
Here's to 2018!
xxx