On the second last day of 2019, I wrote a blog post called '2019 : the most challenging year yet'. And one year on, all I can say is 2020 showed me! After so many personal struggles in 2019, and the resulting personal growth, I was very optimistic and hopeful for 2020. But as the history books of the future will show, 2020 turned into a shit show pretty quickly and didn't let up. However, as very evident in my 2019 post, I had resolved to be happy in 2020 and 367 days later I'm still holding onto that goal. So to end this crazy year, I decided to list all the things that made me happy. And I'm taking all that happiness into 2021 as we all hope for better. I took my first solo trip
yes, it was only interstate but hey, 6 out of 12 months we couldn't even leave the house so this was a win on two fronts - I completed my Bachelor of Aviation (Management) / Business (International) a bigger challenge than I initially anticipated - I was part of two awesome career campaigns for women in aviation and STEM! - I learnt who my true friends are and grew so much closer to them despite seeing them less than ever before! - I was incredibly lucky to have an awesome 21st birthday and felt so loved by all my family and friends who helped me celebrate - I put my Christmas tree up after resisting the temptation to do so throughout lockdown, I was simply thrilled come December! - I was offered my first job in the Aviation industry with less than two weeks left in the year, this came as a big shock - I bought my first car - I enjoyed long lunches and dinners with great friends such a simple thing but the most valuable - I was constantly reminded of how loved and supported I am I couldn't have survived this year without my friends and family, and I'm entering the new year with a full heart -
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It's a crazy time and some days can be a little shitty but in an effort to cheer myself up, I went through all my study tour things again, having put them into a memory box when I got back home last year. (For more on the study tour, check out my photo diary and Instagram highlight!) So now, channelling all my stress and anxiety into something creative, I put two photo/memory frames together. To me, they aren't only a reminder of what was an incredible trip, but that I've experienced so many awesome things and that I WILL get the chance to do awesome things again - one day! So I thought I'd share this little project that made me smile. A x AirbusAirbus Industrie in Toulouse France was the first place we visited on the study tour, and I think one of the most exciting! It was a fantastic day and we saw a number of the Airbus facilities including the Customer Showroom and A330 Final Assembly Line (FAL). I'll try not to bore you too much with the nerdy aviation stuff but it was a great day so I put together this collection of little mementos in an IKEA box frame. Going around anti clockwise, the first is an image of me in the A350 mock-cockpit from when we explored the full scale aircraft models in the showroom. It was incredible seeing all the models in the Airbus rage, especially in real life scale! Next, the black key-ring at the bottom was included in the gift bag Airbus gave us which was such a nice surprise. I choose to display the side with their brand and logo but on the reverse in their 50th year branding. The picture of the Air France concord is a ticket from the Aeroscopia Museum which we visited at the end of the day. All the tickets had different aircraft but I love this one especially with the iconic aircraft and fun pop of blue. Just above it is a little card that also came in the gift bag. Its nothing special, but I wanted to include it to showcase the 50 years branding which is hidden on the key-ring, plus I enjoy the pop of colour. Lastly in the top corner is a silver A380 pin which I purchased from the museum gift shop. I choose this particular aircraft pin because the A380 is iconic to me and I'll always think of it as being something that triggered my interest of aviation. It may seem random to some but together these items really symbolise my memories of that day and I got so much joy out of putting it all together. Virgin AtlanticVirgin Atlantic hosted us for two days in London and they were an incredible host - probably the best on the trip! I've visited airline's in the past and learnt about their operations before but Virgin went above and beyond, showing us everything, plus the two days were filled with so much fun.
I had so many photos from the second day particularly and I wanted to showcase what a unique experience it was visiting their Gatwick hangar and exploring a Boeing 747 Jumbo. Because of this I choose a nine square layout, with an equal amount of photos of me and the aircraft. The only two squares not from the hangar are the centre and top middle. The very centre is my visitor pass from the two days and above it is a photo of the B747 model in the foyer of their head offices. I'm so thankful for the experience Virgin Atlantic offered and I will always associate the queen of the skies with this airline, and this frame is the perfect reminder of it all. 2019 was one of the most challenging years for me, following 2018 which was one of the greatest! 2019 brought challenges I hadn't expected and lows I wasn't prepared to manage. I often felt overwhelmed and unequipped to deal with it all, coupled with an almost anger that the year wasn't shaping up to be like the previous. It was a shock to the system, to go from such a high to such a low and in a sense, I was unprepared. But I survived! And yes, there were an incredible amount of shitty bits, but I got through it all. It wasn't the year I had expected or hoped for but that's okay. And despite it all, looking back, I actually lucked out and got to do a number of incredible things. I'm not ignoring the lows, so many of which I've already grown and learnt from, but I want to really celebrate the highs! Maybe I'm looking back with rose coloured glasses but, I mean, I ended the year on an around the world trip which is pretty incredible! So here we are again, the end of a year. And I'm tempted to lay grand plans and goals for the new year but I also just want to see what 2020 brings! I can't wait to tackle new challenges, work hard and accomplish new things! Next year will to be big; 2020 will be the year I graduate university and I can't wait to see where I go next! I want to travel and travel more independently! I want to learn and grow!
And even if the year isn't what I hope, I want to be able to focus on the little things more. 2019 was a challenge, and no doubt 2020 will bring it's own struggles but I want to enjoy it all. I feel like I let 2019 get away from me; I let the bad get me down and I was so focused on the end of the year that I didn't enjoy the good bits throughout. I let it all pass me by unfortunately. So even though there are many things I want to accomplish in 2020, most of all I want to be happy! No one can be happy all the time, but I want to focus on the good and find my own happiness, whatever it might be. Today is my birthday so I thought I would share a different kind of blog post today. I'm not particularly sentimental about my birthday, but to me it's a reminder to reflect and celebrate the past year and my achievements, whilst looking forward to the future. One of the things I've most enjoyed this past year is this blog, which has taught me so much already and given me a creative outlet to express myself. For this reason, I wanted to use this occasion to share some facts about me (nineteen facts to be specific because I'm celebrating my nineteenth birthday!) so that you can get to know me a little better. I hope you enjoy. A x oneI've lived in the one house my entire life. My parents bought this house in April, I was born in June and we've never moved. (In comparison, by my age, my mother had lived in 21 houses and four countries!) twoIf you didn't already gather this from my Instagram name, @barber_twin_01, I'm a twin! I have a twin sister (who is younger) and growing up we were best friends. We are not identical, in fact we are just about total opposites in both looks and personality. Even though we both do our own things these days, she's still my twin sister and we can have a good laugh together. threeI'm a full time student and I'm currently studying a Bachelor of Aviation Management and a Bachelor of Business at university. I've always loved airports, to me they are so poetic; airports and airplanes allow you to go just about anywhere in the world and they also bring you home to your loved ones. It's exciting and one day I hope to be part of all of that. fourAlthough I've technically visited 15 countries, I only really count four because I traveled to the other 11 when I was a young child and don't really remember the experiences. The four countries I count as having visited are Cambodia, Poland, the US and Canada, all of which I have visited in the past four years. fiveMy lucky numbers are 2, 5 and 7. Two because I'm a twin and it's just the two of us. Five because I was born on the fifth of the month. And seven because I've always just liked it. sixI had braces in high school. I got them when I was 16 and wore them for over two years. I'm thrilled with how straight and beautiful my teeth are now, in fact I sometimes struggle to remember what my smile was like before. sevenI love to read. I could devour novels as a child and would even get told off for reading a book under the covers with a torch late at night! Unfortunately I don't have much time these days and most of what I read are the required texts for university. But I still have a couple of novels sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for when I have some time. eightI love to cook, especially bake. The kitchen is my happy place and to me, baking is like meditating. I'm known for my chocolate brownies and lemon tart. One day, I really want to try making macrons and choux pastry. nineMy guilty pleasure is watching designer handbag videos on YouTube. When I finished all of my high school exams, I spent a whole day watching designer handbag collection videos and Hermes Paris stories. Although I find a lot of these bags beautiful (Dior!), I don't really have any intention of owning one. tenI can't stand scary or horror movies. I am definitely more of a 'Rom Com' kind of girl and recently I've been watching quite a few Hollywood classics - Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina makes my heart so happy! elevenI cannot play any musical instruments, even after giving piano lessons a red hot go for two years in high school. I also can't sing or dance, or act for that matter. Some people are a triple threat; I'm an anti-triple threat! twelveI've had a VOGUE subscription since the start of 2015 and I keep every issue - I have a massive magazine stack in the corner of my room. I love receiving it each month in the mail and even if I don't always have the time to read it properly, I enjoy flicking through. I also love going back through previous issues, picking up on different things and being inspired by things I may not have noticed before. thirteenI cut my own hair once! (It had to come out at some point!) I was about 10 years old and decided I wanted a side fringe but ended up giving myself a bob, and a choppy, lopsided one at that. My mum noticed pretty quickly and took me to the hairdresser to get it sorted out where I was made to promise never to cut my own hair again. And I have never dared! fourteenI don't drink coffee. I just never have. And although I don't really mind the taste, it's just not something I do. I don't mind a cheeky hot chocolate in the morning, especially in winter though. fifteenMy nickname as a child was Lanie, sometimes even Lana Banana, which is ironic because I absolutely hate bananas and can not stand them! sixteenFor those of you who don't know me, my favourite trend was stripes, and I sort of never let it go. When I go shopping, I challenge myself to find things other than stripes but somehow, they are still taking over my wardrobe! seventeenIf I had to choose a favourite colour, it would be blue. My wardrobe tends to be very neutral but I definitely have quite a bit of blue. I also like it in an interior, to me it's calming. eighteenI absolutely love candles and perfume! (I think I get it from my mum.) Dior perfumes are probably my favorite and I like strong candles that I can still smell hours after I've stopped burning them. nineteenI still don't have my drivers licence. And I'm not even close to getting it! I just really don't like driving and being a full time student, I actually use the train to get to and from uni which is easier than driving. It is something I have to get onto though. I'll chalk it up as my goal for this upcoming year.
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