I've had an absolutely incredible time in the last month and a half and with the start of my final school year looming I thought I'd resume more regular posts on the blog!
My last post was filled with excitement and a little apprehension before embarking on my trip across Europe and I'm really glad to say that it was everything that I hoped it would be. I was nervous beforehand about suffering fatigue due to the constant travelling and thus potentially holding up my friends, but in the end, I had nothing to worry about at all. We travelled from Paris-Amsterdam-Berlin-Prague-Budapest-Venice-Lake Como-Bidart (South France) and it was all crammed into just a few weeks! Each of us had favourite places and favourite moments on the trip, mine being Amsterdam and Prague, but we could all agree that we had shared an incredible experience together. While the trip was fantastic, I had to take a blood test while in Germany and although the process took 6 hours (mainly due to the fact that we had failed to call ahead to let the hospital know I was coming!) it went as smoothly as I could have hoped and really put my mind at ease when the doctors confirmed that the trip had in no way affected my blood counts, meaning that I could just enjoy the rest of my holiday without worry. I was lucky enough to go with a really great group of guys which meant that when I wasn't feeling at my best, we'd all take a 5 minute break or grab some drinks, making the whole experience more relaxed and putting me at ease. Next weeks blog will include a little bit more information about the medical logistics.
I returned home the evening before results day and that night found myself really struggling to put into context the importance of the following days marks. While part of me was desperate to do well, to keep all doors open and give myself the best opportunities for later in life, I also had thoughts that maybe results weren't as important as society would have you believe. Results don't define who a person is, or indeed give a definitive answer about how happy a person will be later in life. After stressing for weeks on end, I realised that while undoubtedly A level results are important and will have some bearing on the outcome of my life, they are by no means the be all and end all and there are far more important things, like being healthy and happy. I feel very obnoxious writing all that and trust me, I was shaking as much as anybody else when opening my envelope on the 14th of August, it's just that I think sometimes it's important, although not always easy to remember, to take a step back and put everything into some sort context.
As it turned out, I was really pleased with the results I achieved and hopefully they have set me up well for my last year at 6th Form.
