Letting go...

So more updates! 

I went to a wedding of a friend of mine in Texas. 

It was a very intimate wedding. I spent a day dethorning roses and arranging candles. It was so amazing to see their love.

Then went to stay with my cousins in LA and am now travelling with my mum around the Bay Area in California. I'm driving along freeways and soaking up the California sun. Some beautiful places. 

It's difficult being so far away from everything I'm used to and I really do miss everybody. I have many memories that run through my mind and when I think about all the great times I had, I really feel as though I return to those places and times. I find it difficult to completely let go of it all and move on and live life in the here and now with no thoughts of the past or the future. I find that I hold on to things and want to return to those places but know that I have to move on. But I know that it's all part of the adventure of life!

I'm meeting some interesting people and having some great experiences - like playing water polo till 5am, driving on the wrong side of the road, sleeping at airports and almost missing my flight, hanging out in Hollywood...so I'm sure many more exciting things to come. 

But still holding on to distant and fading memories for the moment...

New beginnings...

Summer is coming to an end and I am off to new beginnings on the other side of the Atlantic.
With excitement and trepidation I consider initially paddling my feet in the water but soon decide to dive straight in.

I have had an exciting summer filled with vast and varied experiences.

I took part in a contemporary dance course. This was something I had never done bgefore and never thought I would do. But I believe in pushing myself beyond my comfort zone and wanted to try something different. The rewards were incredible. The class involved a lot of choreography and we were very much left to work out at our pace based on our own experiences. We are encouraged to look at emotions within us and try to express that through movement. Very interesting!

Then was Bulgaria! An intriguing country...one was very much aware of the post-Communist reconstruction that is taking place. The country is still very much in a stage of development, perhaps at times even stagnation. From numerous conversations one became aware of the feeling of corruption that pervaded many areas of public life. The buildings were falling down and there was a general state of dirtiness. Having said all of this, it was fascinating to meet many of the Bulgarians and to talk to them about their experiences. Many of them had great ambitions that they felt at present could not be achieved in the climate of the country. I was helping out with a Bahai project whilst in Bulgaria and there were people from around the world who were also helping out with the project. A couple of us decided to go to Turkey for the weekend. After a 10 hour overnight bus journey we finally arrived in Istanbul. We had been stopped at customs and I was told to get off the bus as I needed a visa. I insisted that I was a British citizen and therefore did not need a visa. They told me that I could be left at the border or buy a visa! I decided to buy a visa!

I was extremely impressed by the balance of modern and traditional in Istanbul. The call to prayer really hit me in my inner core. We were visiting when the President of Iran was also there so there were police and tankers in the streets...scary but exciting! After having been really careful about spending any money and barely eating anything we decided we would go on an exclusive dinner cruise along the Bosphorus! Amazing Turkish dancing and views. The following day we visited the Bahai holy places in Edirne where Baha'u'llah had lived. It was incredible to be in the places where Baha'u'llah had lived and they even had a bit of his hair.

We then returned to Bulgaria and I flew to Edinbrugh the following day where we saw some great shows including an improvised musical and a political rap. From there I went straight to a wedding in Barcelona where there was a bollywood evening where I wore full Indian dress and got henna done and a Spanish/Flamenco evening.

It is now time for me to set off to America to start a new adventure in life. I am excited about the prospects and I feel deep down inside that it is the best thing that I could be doing. But there is still a part of me that is clinging on to all that I know and love here and not quite being able to let go and move on. However, I feel propelled to move forward. I had a leaving party yesterday and was reminded of all of the incredible people that I have been fortunate to get to know over the past few years and feel really honoured to have such incredible who will always be so important to me. It is the memory of them that will mean that I will return...

To be continued!

Revising...

So I'm basically just writing on this to waste time while I am revising. The best thing about this is that I know that nobody is reading it and yet I write it anyway!

Feeling of contentment

I have been dealing with some stuff over the past few months and finally I am feeling at peace.
I feel so relaxed and as though I am living from the depth of my being. It is such a beautiful sensation. I feel freed from myself and truly free to express myself in whatever way feels right. Truly beautiful :)

The Day of my Birth

It was my 18th birthday yesterday and it felt so good to have so many of the people that mean so much to me all around me.
Very, very heart warming. I guess that's ultimately what life is worth living for - living and being with those people.
So thank you to all of my beautiful friends!
You mean a lot :)

Starting a blog

So I've had a really intense past few weeks - spending time with some incredible friends in Toronto and then going to a big Bahai Conference in Warwick.

I came home and have loads of things to do but felt as though I should put off doing everything else to make a blog. So let's see what comes of it!