Story People

The other day I came across something I wrote back in September, after first starting at Leeds...

And so my new world has begun and it consists of promo flyers, re-used socks and losing my keys. Despite what some may tell you, freshers is not the life. Ive never felt so un-fresh and dazed and grim. My whole body is full of alcohol and toast. 

And I decide that after the 1st term I am still filled with cheap vodka and burnt bread but now I have learnt that a little squash and pesto make it far better. (at the start of this term I had decided I would give it a term and then catch the first flight to India, however in my bemused and muddled state I asked for a stethoscope for Christmas and even joined the panto)

I found a lovely project by the artist Brian Andreas who created 'Story People'. The world he created along with other artists is all about possibility and imagination and healing- and it reminds me of a child's view on the world because they look up more at the sky or the ceiling. Here are a few of my favourite stories from the project:

We’re already in the new age, she said to me. What does that mean? I said & she laughed. It means you can stop waiting & start living, she said, but after she left I waited a little while more just to be safe

She went everywhere with a basket filled daily with a fresh blueberry muffin. It’s either that or cigarettes, she said. I am only strong enough for a life of partial virtue.

This looks like swing dancing but really it’s just moving around the floor trying not to bump into anybody else

Calling on the flying things of the universe & hoping not too many of them are pigeons

Thinking with her body, so there's lots of spontaneous dancing involved

The art of 'Winging It'

One thing that Zimbabwe taught me was that planning in advance is often overrated. To begin with, we would meticulously organise our lessons and as a result they would rarely go to plan at all. Infact, one event that we completely 'wung' (the red squiggly line tells me that is grammatically wrong but you get the idea) turned out to be one of the most successful days of placement. After meeting with some village elders on the Wednesday, they suggested that we do a football tournament on Saturday in order to overcome our problem of centralising the youth. Slightly crazy with the thought that something constructive was actually going to come about so soon, we scribbled down some lines on coloured A4 paper: 'FOOTBALL AND NETBALL TOURNAMENT: SATURDAY. COME AND MEET THE KHIWAS FROM RESTLESS DEVELOPMENT. PRIZES' Little did we know what we had let ourselves in for. On that Saturday, after waiting for almost 4 hours for anyone to show up (we weren't yet accustomed to 'Africa Time'), the footballers, netballers and villagers turned up in their hundreds to see what these crazy khiwas were up to. And it was brilliant. After the initial panic, we suddenly realised that somehow we were in charge of all these people and therefore had to do something about that. So the games began, and we squinted into the dust as the sun lay lower in the sky- probably shrinking away from the all the bolshy competitiveness. People cheering, dancing, singing PRAISE THEEE LAWD for these marvelous games that had brought everyone together. We had completely wung it, and it was a giant success better than we could have ever anticipated. 

And so, as I embark on my next adventure across the world, I will be trying very hard to 'wing it' as much as possible and see what comes up (much to Mum's horror). The next couple of months I will continue trying to earn as much as I can so that money cannot limit me too much. My dream of the circus will have to be put on hold, as the thought of staying around Stroud for much longer is making me go slightly mad. (I will save it for a time when I have some uni exams I want to run away from).

Perhaps, by expecting less, you discover more. So until I have to be back for Leeds this September, I am going to be practicing the art of 'winging it' and find out if its as ridiculous an idea as it sounds.

The other end of the screen!!

-I am an 18 year old student (now 19 year old gap yah-er), who lives in the Cotswolds- but not that kind of Cotswolds, more of a Stroudy kind. (those of you have ever visited Stroud will understand that adjective)

-Whilst at sixth form, I studies the sciences and spanish. With this little knowledge of how things work, I have applied to study medicine at university. Helping others is something that I have always been passionate about, and in some selfish way it also gives me a satisfaction like no other. I want to get to the root of someone's problem and make it better for them.

-Horse riding is another massive part of my life. It gives me a sort of therapy. There are many times when I believe that horses have saved my life in many ways, (more of a figurative kind of way than literally) but more on that later! 

-TRAVELLING!! Ive caught the bug but its not made me sick- except maybe a bit more crazy.

-I love the whole organic/green thing

-I have a fringe. With a cowlick (GREAT word!). I have had this fringe my whole life. I swear I was even born with this fringe. One day, I hope to get rid of this damn fringe. ***after note--- After many months of hard work and fluctuating forehead confidence, I am proud to announce that IT IS GONE. IT. IS. GONE. (three cheers please) ***

It says on the right hand side of the webpage that my name is Alice. People say that it suits me, thanks to Lewis Caroll who created my fictional day-dreaming counterpart in Wonderland.
I am still metaphorically searching for that rabbit hole down to the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat, but I know that there are many deep, dark tunnels to tumble down before I get there.

What I Expect

People nowadays are too quick to keep to what they know, or what they think they know. I want people to open their minds to the possibility of... possibility. Of a new concept and way of thinking. Character building is achieved through challenges- so set yourself challenges and grow taller than the Eiffel Tower!! The purpose of this blog is to get people to build on themselves, piecing together their own human puzzle into something quite extraordinary. I aim to learn as much as I can from this one chance we get on Earth, and if I can share some of my experiences or challenges- then perhaps some of you will be able to learn from them too.

There was a stage where I didn't have any words of my own to say, which is an odd concept. Nowadays, I have more than enough to say and I thought that I would try and force it upon all who will listen (ha!).

So here's a snip of what to expect...

-travelling the world
-bucket lists
-campaigns and activism in the UK
-poetry, literature, art and photography

...there may be more, there may be less depending on how much of a potato I am