Changes are good

To start things off, I want to thank everyone who read my last blog post. It means so much to me that you took the time to read it, and it’s a really humbling feeling to know that it has sparked a positive reaction from so many. That was probably one of the most personal pieces of writing I have ever done, and the support that I’ve gotten from it is insane. I can’t thank you all enough :)

Since then, a lot has changed. I applied and got accepted for a retail job at Kmart during the Christmas and New Year period. I can’t wait to start working and earning my own money and it’ll be something to do while not studying.

I’ve also been on holiday from Wintec for the past two weeks. I spent one week here in Hamilton, doing nothing overly interesting, just sleeping mostly. For the second week of my holidays, I went back home to Mount Maunganui to spend some time with my family. I miss them terribly, so it was nice to just hang out and spend some much needed relaxation time with them.

I finally got to see my little niece, Miami. It’s crazy how much she’s grown! She can (sorta) crawl now, which is cute. I also got to see my older brother, Angelo too since I’ve been home. I’ll freely admit that I got a little bit clucky after hanging out with her… Damnit, I think I’m going soft. 

(Miami and I. September 2014)

Two years seems like a very long time, but after going back to a place that you were desperately trying to get away from, it doesn’t seem like that.

I’m not sure if that sentence actually made sense, but allow me to explain further.

Hannah and I had the opportunity to speak to a class of 15 students at Mount Maunganui College this past Monday. We both graduated from there (almost) two years ago, and it was a place where our friendship cemented, and went through some of the most challenging times. We managed to keep their attention for 45 minutes, we weren’t meant to speak for that long, but they were genuinely interested in what we had to say. After that, another teacher approached us and asked if we would give the same speech to some year 11 film students. It was quite an interesting experience, as Hannah (when I met her almost eight years ago) wouldn’t have done that if I had asked her two years ago. We’ve both changed so much, and I think we both enjoyed showing that to the teachers that we had seen during our visits.

I also drove a car for the first time ever while I was at home. My brother and I were on our way to his place, and we were talking about what we were doing for Christmas and stuff like that. He says to me “you’re going to show me how you drive”.
I thought he was kidding, but he wasn’t. He pulled over and got out of the car, then told me to get in the driver’s seat and drive. At this point, I was freaking out! Once I calmed down a little bit, I realised that I was actually driving – and that I wasn’t doing a bad job of it either. Hopefully when it comes time for me to actually learn, it will be as good (or even better) than that.

I go back to Wintec this week, and I’m actually genuinely excited about this! My degree is very important to me, and I want to do the best that I can and earn it. I have a feeling that this will be a very busy seven weeks (I think that’s how long this term is), but I know that the time will pass all too quickly.  With a lot of work to do, and assignments to finish, there will be little to no rest for this girl.

All right, that’s enough from me.
Until next time – stay safe :)
Tessa