Live More, Travel More

As all the adults head back to work and all the youngsters enjoy their last week of freedom, I felt that reviving my blog would be a great way to celebrate the new year.

2012 was truly one of the best years of my life, not many people can say they got to live in a foreign country and travel Europe with three of their best friends. It wasn't all happy times though, we were truly being tested almost everyday we woke up in London, whether it be us waking up snuggled together on one bed in a friends home, or waking up in a bug infested hostel, or in a raging, steroid taking landlord's home, we knew we would always pull through in the end. Even after being jobless for the first month and living off Tesco's microwave dinners shared among the four of us, giving up was not an option. We were lucky enough to find a job which recruited us to various 5 star hotels, things only got better from then on.

I made a list of my favorite moments in 2012:

• The first day I walked in Oxford Circus, experiencing Primark, Top Shop and H&M for the first time.
• Our short trip to Camden Town, definitely my favorite place in London.
• Easter at Hillsong London
• My trip to Manchester United's Old Trafford, Everton v.s. United 4-4 possibly the best day of my life.
• Being employed
• Working at The W hotel.
• Moving into our first house share, thrilling at first devastating at the end
• Our trip to Amsterdam
• Seeing a couple of famous people from the likes of Cheryl Cole, Will.I.Am, Princess Anne (The Queen's sister) and Bryan Habana.
• The arrival of Jody
• Our Trip to Barcelona and Ibiza, where we partied to Calvin Harris & Paul Van Dyk at Amnesia
• Nikita, Adee and I's drunken pool party in Ibiza 
• Moving into our new, beautiful home.
• The arrival of Nico and Mike
• Coco-Cola at The Langham Hotel London for the 2012 Olympics.
• Watching the Olympic Women's Volleyball semi-final game: Brazil v.s. South Korea
• Our trip to Madeira
• Watching Steve Aoki in Madeira, possibly the best night of my life.
• When Felix and JJ moved in as well as meeting a whole bunch of new friends.
• Shopping time with Bee in Primark
• My first purchase at Top Shop
• The bus rides home from The Langham, honestly involved the craziest conversations.
• Roaming in Trafalgar Square after nights out, damn I love that city!
• Watching the sunrise behind the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament
• Sing-a-long's and sitting on YouTube for hours in Club Felix
• KING'S Cup
• Making my first omelette with the help of Felix.
• My trip to the V&A Design Museum and Tate Modern.
• Underground Drum and Base party at Fire.
• Our final trip to Paris and Rome.
• Putting a lock on Lock Bridge in Paris with BANA (Bianca, Adriana, Nikita and Anuschka) written on it.
• My trip to the Louvre and The Vatican Museum.
• The Numbers Warehouse Party
• Seeing art from the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, Michelangelo as well as pattern design by William Morris and architecture by Gaudi.
• Surprising my family and friends when I arrived home in Cape Town earlier than expected.
• The year ended off perfectly as we got to spend New Years with all our friends at Rezonance outdoor festival.

2012 wasn't just about what I experienced but rather about what I have learnt, it wasn't just about the people I met but about the relationships I have built, it wasn't just about the countries I visited, it was about the goals I set and accomplished, it wasn't just about the hotels I worked for, but about the teams I worked with, it wasn't just about the art I saw but about the emotions I felt and it wasn't just about the friends I arrived with, but about the sisters I left with. 

I will forever be grateful for the year I had and would like to personally thank everyone that helped us through our toughest times, and those who celebrated with us during our happiest times! I'm looking forward to what 2013 has in store for me.