What they don't tell you about your first year at University

1. The most common phrase in your vocabulary will be "first year doesn't count anyway".
   
   
2. The most common words will be "shots?" and "pizza?". The question mark isn't really needed because you know the answer will always be yes.
   
   
3. You probably came from the top of a small class. Now you're bottom of a really, really big class.
   
   
4. You will argue with somebody about politics, and you will wonder to yourself how somebody so incomprehensibly stupid has got into University.
   
   
5. "I won't go overdrawn!" Yes, you will.
   
   
6. Snakes don't hiss, they tell you they haven't done the reading and then turn up to the seminar with 4 pages of colour-coded notes.
   
   
7. There will be "essential reading" and "recommended reading". You will do neither.
   
   
8. You'll hit a wall at around week 7 which renders you incapable of getting out of bed, going to lectures or handing in work.
   
   
9. You will have to take a few weeks to adjust to British slang you've never heard before.
   Chirpse = graft, lid = haircut, rig = abs (blame the Home Counties)
   
   
10. You will wear sportswear everywhere. Bit of a shame you don't have a gym membership really.
    
    
11. VKs are amazing until you think about the sugar and chemical content the next day.
    
    
12. If you study a language, everyone else on your course will be near fluent and you'll feel completely inadequate compared to them.
    
    
13. Your lecturer will complain about how nobody ever turns up to the 9am class on a Monday morning. You will wonder how they achieved a PhD.
    
    
14. You'll lose everything. Vodka left at pres, clothes, pens, your will to live...
    
    
15. You'll encounter someone who has been on a "gap yah" and just really, really needs to tell you every detail about it.
    
    
16. You will join a society in freshers which you will not participate in for the remainder of the year.
    
    
17. You'll take your card out for "emergencies" knowing full well that means shots and chicken nuggets.
    
    
18. All those friends who promised to come down and visit during term? Not going to happen.
    
    
19. You will get homesick. Yes, even you.
    
    
20. You'll get off with a fit rugby lad in the first couple of weeks and then awkwardly bump into them every. single. Wednesday. at the sports socials.
    
    
21. You'll spend at least five minutes lying in bed every morning asking yourself whether education is really worth it
    
    
22. Your mum will always call you at pres and you'll have to act sober.
    
    
23. You'll break all promises you made to yourself about cooking balanced, healthy meals within the first week and for the rest of the term you'll live off pasta and overpriced Domino's.
    
    
24. When you get ill you never really recover, you just learn to accept this new, lower standard of health.
    
    
25. You'll plan out everything you have to do, then take a nap because you deserve it, right?!
    
    
26. You'll regret doing so well in your GCSEs because now that standard is expected of you for the rest of your academic career.
    
    
27. You'll get ambushed by every sports society on campus in your first week. Be prepared.
    
    
28. You'll fall in love with somebody on a night out and forget to ask for any contact details. This, however, is probably a good thing.
    
    
29. You'll spend half an hour on a polite, grammatically correct email to your tutor for them to reply "sure -Sent from my iPhone"
    
    
30. Referencing. Need I say more?

As awful as all of that sounds, you do always have to remember that we're all in the same boat.
It's just... that boat is sinking. Rapidly. And we have no life boats.

Just a couple of photos you may enjoy of my University experience thus far:

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What it's like being Welsh at an English University

In honour of St David's Day, I thought I'd share with you what it's like to be Welsh and study at an English University. My hometown is Cardiff and I study at the University of Exeter, known for its middle-class, private-schooled, home county population, so it can't really get more typically "English" than that!

1. You'll be greeted when you return home with "you sound posh".
   
2. Don't even get me started on the sheep-shagger jokes.
   
3. They'll go crazy when you tell them "microwave" is "popty-ping" in Welsh.
   
4. Chances are, you have a far higher alcohol tolerance than them.
   
5. They'll literally show the football in pubs instead of the rugby.
   
6. They'll ask you to say "that long train station name".
   
7. "Have you met Tom Jones?" No. Have you met the Queen?
   
8. They'll only know Cardiff and "that place where Gavin & Stacey was filmed".
   
9. You'll be more patriotic on St David's Day than you were in reception.
   
10. You'll instantly befriend all fellow Welshies you come across. Unless they're from the Valleys.
    
11. Yes, I can speak Welsh. No, I will not say anything in Welsh for you.
    
12. You didn't study any on the same things at A-level, because all your subjects were on WJEC.
    
13. You have to stay very, very quiet during Wales V England in the Six Nations.
    
14. Uttering the words "lush" or "cwtch" will bring you unwanted attention at pre drinks.
    
15. You can't avoid being obnoxious when Wales beat England at something.
    
16. "Wales isn't a country, it's a principality". F**k off.
    
17. If you tell a guy on a night out that you're Welsh, you get a certain kind of look back...
    
18. You won't be able to buy Welsh cakes anywhere. Not even on St David's Day.
    
19. We are not English.
    
20. Dinner is lunch and tea is dinner and that's that.

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2016 has taught me...

(This is going to be a long one, but it's worth the read, I promise.)

2016 has been a year of extreme ups and downs and has taught me a lot about myself, other people and life in general. It has taught me never to put my own self-worth in the hands of another and how to realise when someone is damaging my happiness. It has taught me to take with a pinch of salt people's words and promises and to remind myself that how they treat you is how they feel about you, no excuses. It has taught me to cut negative people out of my life, no matter how hard that may be. It has taught me to put myself first. It has taught me that how I love myself is how I teach others to love me, and that the most important relationship we will ever have is with ourselves. It has taught me not to let small minds convince me that my dreams are too big. It has taught me to think twice about reserving a place in my heart for people who do not want to stay. It has taught me that old friends are not necessarily good friends and that people will make an effort to keep in contact if they care about you as more than just someone to pass the time. It has taught me that a soulmate does not necessarily have to be a significant other, they can just be a best friend (shoutout to Ms Mateer). It has taught me that love is never unconditional and has to be worked for consistently, and that there is no point in holding on if the other person has already let go because it will only hurt yourself more. It has taught me that the world is full of inequality and if you ignore it, you are contributing to it. It has taught me to speak out, even if I am criticised. It has taught me not to beat myself up if things don't go the way I've planned or if people don't treat me right, and to recognise that the problem is more often than not inside themselves rather than me. It has taught me that people never really change, no matter how much of your soul you pour into them, and you'll only end up hurting yourself. It has taught me to pursue my own dreams, goals and ambitions no matter what other people think I can and can't do, it is my life after all. It has taught me that my opinion always matters, and that educating myself on a variety of topics gives me a huge sense of empowerment. It has taught me that the meat industry hides behind a wall of propaganda which needs to be torn down. It has taught me how to survive on my own, both away from my family at university and away from a relationship I thought would last but didn't. It has taught me that after darkness comes light, and after heartbreak (eventually) comes a time to love again. It has also taught me to love myself before attempting to love anyone else, and the months I have spent on my own have helped me grow as a person and learn things about myself which I had never discovered. It has taught me that you're never going to be 100% ready and it's never going to be just the right time, so if you want it you just have to do it. It has taught me to understand the immensity of the universe, and our insignificance but also our absolute importance. It has taught me to remember that there are still over 7 billion people in the world who I haven't met yet. It has taught me that life is beautiful when you learn to see the good in everything rather than the flaws, but that it's okay to have a bad day when everything seems to go wrong. It has taught me to surround myself with intellectually stimulating people who motivate me to be a better version of myself. It has taught me the importance of balance; to have a salad for lunch but a bar of chocolate for dessert, to make saving a habit but to buy that pair of shoes I love, to drink too much wine and too many shots one night but then stay in for the next two studying. It has taught me to motivate myself and pick myself up out of bad moods and lazy days to be productive and positive. It has taught me to be kind to myself, to take time to myself when I need it and to nourish my body rather than punish it. It has taught me that not everyone you lose is a loss. It has taught me how to mend my own heart and pick myself back up, because nobody is going to put me back on my own two feet other than myself. It has taught me to work hard to get to where I want to be in life, as you can't just sit around waiting for good things to come your way. It has taught me that I don't need a boy to complete me and that I am perfectly whole on my own. It has taught me that family is the most important thing in this world, but also that family can include people with whom you are not related by blood. It has taught me that everything seems better after a good night's sleep and a cup of tea. And most importantly, it has taught me to be kind and caring towards those close to me and show them how grateful I am to have them in my life every single day, because one day, whether it be tomorrow or in 20 years time, they could be gone.

Thank you, if you've managed to get this far! I've taken a few months off blogging as I've settled into University but I'm hoping that 2017 can be a fresh start to Joie de Jodie and I have a lot of ideas on the way.

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August Favourites

I have had such a busy month packing my whole life up at home ready to move to University (when you're reading this I will have just arrived!) and so haven't had much time to spend blogging, but I have managed to collect together some bits and bobs I have loved throughout the month to share with you!

Summer Bucket List 2016

I know I've been away for quite some time due to exams and then a holiday to Tenerife with my boyfriend & best friends (blog post to come!) but I am now well and truly back for the summer, and what better way to start it off than with a Summer Bucket List of all the fun things I'm hoping to do over the next few weeks until I go off to University in September (eeeek!)

    Summer Bucket List 2016

1.  Build a pillow fort
2. Have a movie marathon
3. Take a boat out on a lake
4. Go to an arcade
5. Watch the sunset at the beach
6. Stargaze
7. Make a fire & toast marshmallows
8. Go for a night-time walk to find Pokemon
9. Have a picnic at the park
10. Cook a 3 course meal
11. Go to a theme park
12. Hike to the top of a mountain
13. Play mini golf
14. Have a water fight
15. Host a BBQ
16. Have a girls' night in
17. Play board games
18. Go camping
19. Play hide & seek
20. Make a scrapbook
21. Write a letter to my future self
22. Read books in French
23. Go for afternoon tea
24. Start & finish a TV series
25. Clear out & redecorate my room

Let me know what's on your summer bucket list! Also, if you have any suggestions for future blog posts then please do let me know, as I need to get back into the swing of things in terms of producing content after taking such a long break!

  

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My 18th Birthday

Last Saturday (7th May) was my 18th birthday. It was an absolutely magical day, made special by my amazing family and wonderful boyfriend, and was finished off by a big, sparkle themed party with all of my friends before heading into town. The photographs by Tess Semour Photography were so amazing that I just had to share them with you all! 

My friend Amber (on the right) bought me a "Birthday Princess" sash and a tiara so I felt like a real princess! 

I requested "Let It Go" kareoke and got all the girls up to belt it out at the top of their voices!

We had lots of lovely heart-to-hearts about everything under the sun. Nia (second from the right) looked amazing with her pink hair and went all out with the sparkles!

My night was filled with smiles, hugs from people I love the most, lots of dancing and being attacked with even more sparkles!

 

I couldn't have asked for a better 18th birthday, and I'd just like to thank everyone who made it so special: my family, Ethan my boyfriend, my friends and of course Tess for capturing the whole night so beautifully!

I'd also like to apologise for my huge absence on my blog recently - I'm in the middle of revising for my A2 exams and am finding it really difficult to balance this blog among everything else I have to do! I promise I'll be back for good over the summer (and I have lots of holidays and fun things planned which I will share with you), but please bear with me for the next few weeks!

 

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Fitness: 6 Tips on How to Get Started

As summer edges closer, a thought on a lot of our minds is how we're going to get that "beach body" we've been dreaming of. Although this can act as good motivation, you should never think of fitness and exercise as solely a means to the end of this "perfect" body. The fact is, the perfect body does not exist. However, this is only because we can continuously improve forever, which is even more motivational for me. Below are just a few tips I have found to work for me whilst getting more into my fitness which I hope can benefit you too!

My Visit to the LUSH Spa (Bath)

On Wednesday my mum and I had a "be kind to yourself" day and booked ourselves in for two treatments each at the LUSH Spa in Bath. 

14 Motivational Quotes for when you need a kick up the butt

It's at this time of year when we all seem to lack a bit of motivation. The new year has worn off and we have probably already broken our ambitious resolutions. Summer seems so far away while the temperatures are still in single digits. And, for all you students out there, exams are right around the corner and you need to start pulling yourself together in terms of revision. So, I've collected a few of my favourite motivational quotes to keep me, and all of you, going!

 "You did not wake up today to be mediocre"

"Stop letting small minds convince you that your dreams are too big"

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started"

Top 5 Travel Essentials

I have been going a bit holiday-crazy recently as I've booked my first ever holiday with my boyfriend for July this year. So, when I was contacted by HomeAway and challenged to think of my top 5 travel essentials which I couldn't be without, I was well up for it!

Exam Revision Techniques

You may have noticed that my blog posts have been a bit sparse throughout January - this was because I had my head down revising for my A2 mocks and found myself with little time to do anything else, let alone create blog content of a quality I was proud of. I'd like to apologise for the lack of posts and I promise I will get back on track with my upload schedule as quickly as possible!

 

I thought I'd start back by writing a post full of my most helpful tips for revision. These may not be as effective for everyone as they are for me as we all learn in different ways, but it could be useful to add something new to your revision schedule to change things up a little! I did a similar post this time last year on general exam revision tips which I would highly recommend reading if you haven't already, so this post will focus more on specific techniques I use to better my understanding of topics and memorise important sections.

New Year's Resolutions

2015 has been full of unforgettable moments and has brought some amazing people into my life who I now can't imagine living without. I am much happier now than I was this time last year, and I have achieved some amazing things including getting AAAA in my AS levels, applying to university, getting my first job, finally recovering from an eating disorder, cutting off 16 inches of my hair for charity, getting rid of toxic people from my life and falling in love. 

2016 is going to be a big year for me, as I'll be turning 18 in May and going off to university in September, and I know there will be some huge changes to my life. I am a little bit terrified but mostly excited for what this year has to offer and how I'll grow as a person faced with new challenges. I've made a couple of resolutions to keep me on track towards a happy, healthy me, which I intend to look back on over the course of the year to make sure I'm still fulfilling them.

1. Eat healthily - I know this is a very clichéd resolution, but I want to ensure I don't fall back into any unhealthy habits this year such as skipping meals or eating junk food out of convenience. I always feel and work a lot better when I eat properly, which is going to be more important than ever this year as I'm doing my A levels and starting university. However, this doesn't mean I'm going to be avoiding "unhealthy" foods altogether, as I know it is healthy to have them in moderation with the right mindset.

2. Tone up - Unfortunately when I lost a lot of weight a few years back I also lost my muscle definition from years of competitive swimming and gymnastics. I think this year I will be able to approach fitness with a healthy mindset, and exercise to tone up rather than to lose weight.

3. Save money - I am an absolute shopaholic and often turn to shopping when I'm stressed, sad or bored. I end up purchasing things I'll never get around to wearing as my closet is already absolutely stuffed, when I could be saving the money to spend on experiences, holidays, festivals and university. I'm going to put myself on a spending ban apart from items which are absolutely essential, refrain from online browsing and steer clear of the city centre as much as possible.

4. Keep room tidy - Having a messy room really stresses me out and makes me anxious, but as I don't have a lot of free time aside from college and my job, my mess often piles up because I just leave things lying around. I'm going to try my best to put everything back in its place after using it, and throwing out everything I don't use (this involves a huge wardrobe clear out in the new year!)

5. Work hard - To be fair, I do this already and my mum often has to tell me to STOP revising at night and give myself a break! However, this year is really important work wise and I'd hate to fall at the final hurdle due to not doing enough revision for my exams.

6. Relax - Anyone who knows me knows I hardly ever give myself time to relax, and I often overload myself with work and plans to the point that I physically can't even fit in 8 hours of sleep a night. I really need to work on giving myself some downtime to reload and make sure I stay sane.

7. Appreciate people - I think all of us overlook those around us to some extent and often don't make it clear how grateful we are to have people in our life. This year I am going to try and show my friends, family and boyfriend how much I love them every day and never take them for granted.

Do you have any New Year's Resolutions? Please share them in the comments below! I'd love to hear what goals you're setting yourselves for 2016.

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Christmas 2015 Wishlist

Christmas Wishlist by joiedejodie

Christmas is my favourite time of the year, and since I was little I've always put together a wishlist of things I'd like to receive as gifts (although it used to be in the form of a letter to Santa!) Obviously I don't expect to get everything, but I find it's nice to give people an idea of the kind of things you like in case they are struggling to decide what to get for you.

14 Empowering Quotes for Strong Independent Women

 "Success or failure is caused more by mental attitude than by mental capacity." - Walter Scott

"The best project you’ll ever work on is you." 

Must-Have "Coffee Table Books"

Although I am a complete literature nerd, I also have an overwhelming love for "coffee table books", those beautifully bound, picture heavy books that you can just flick through to spark some inspiration. I am always drawn to pink and white, so my collection is rather aesthetically pleasing and I thought it might be of interest for those of you who have a gap in your life (or room) which needs to be filled with pretty pages of fashion and beauty.

Sixth-Form Survival Guide: Checklist & Tips

I am one of those people who really enjoys organising things; from filing sheets of paper away neatly into ringbinders to colour-coding notes to writing detailed to-do lists. I can think of nothing more exciting than the annual back to school shop, when you stock up for the year on coloured pens, notepads, highlighters, pencil cases, folders and the all important academic diary (or is that just me?) 

1-Minute Festival Hairstyles

Festivals are the perfect opportunity to experiment a little more with your hair, to achieve that perfect boho messy-but-still-cute vibe. You'll want to use styles that keep hair off your face and that with stay in place whatever the weather (which will probably be rain, let's be honest). For this post, I have put together 3 hairstyles, one for each day of a weekend festival. Each style uses the same base and they won't take you more than a minute to transition from one to the other, so you won't miss any of the music!

Morocco: Holiday Outfit #3 (Tennis)

The resort we stayed at in Morocco had two amazing clay tennis courts, which nobody was playing on because it was far too hot (45 degrees Celcius!) My brother is absolutely tennis crazy, so we decided to wake up early every day to play tennis before the heat became too unbearable.

Morocco: Holiday Outfit #1 (Pool)

I've just come back from an amazing 11 day holiday to Marrakech, Morocco with my family. I took a few photos while I was out there, of some of the outfits I wore, the beautiful hotel and the interesting city itself. I've decided to do a short series of posts, showing you just a snippet of the lovely time I had.

July Favourites

Words cannot describe how happy I am that it's finally summer! I am actually currently on a much-needed holiday in Morocco, but I wrote this favourites post in advance so I could still round-up all of the products I've been loving this month. I'm planning to do some holiday diary and outfit posts when I get back, so keep an eye out for those during August (or even better, follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss out!)