About me … In 6 segments

1) Introduction

My story begins in a small Torbay Devonshire town known as Torquay. I had previously been working only short shifts and struggling to make ends meet. Having graduated in 2016 in Human Biology from Worcester and not planning on taking any time out of study or work how had I ended up here ?

Following my degree I wanted to keep up my science studies and use my knowledge base for a lucrative career. Dietetics was where my applications were focused and I was getting ready to start the course following a PGCE.

Teaching just wasn’t for me …

It was making me unhealthy. This was through using every stress relief method imaginable to help me through it. Everyday was sole destroying without any real reward or job satisfaction.
Some of the children were nice, don’t get me wrong and it made my day one day when a student noticed me in a supermarket. This didn’t outweigh the exertion though.

2) I needed a change … Post graduate life

In January, after discussing and agreeing this was best with my course supervisors I was free for the first time since I was 5 having quit the course.

For a 21 year old this is a big deal !!!

Education …. Then nothing or everything is what it felt like.

Things were strange. Nothing really had any significance or purpose anymore since what my purpose was needed clarity. I did everything I thought would make me happy in my endless free time whilst applying for jobs but nothing for the long term did.

I needed more commitments. I worked for an agency doing stewarding which got me into work and gave my life some purpose for 1 day a week. I also worked at the Cheltenham gold festival cleaning at a champagne bar.

Having been to a few interviews with a couple of cleaning and catering trial shifts in the meantime, nothing had really come off. My bursary and patience began to run a bit thin.

I spent more and more time focusing on my job applications taking time away from some writing I had hoped to publish by March.

By now I had experience bar cleaning, cleaning outdoors and stewarding in over 3 locations including Worcester, Bromsgrove and Birmingham. All of a sudden my CV looked a little more enticing. For a couple of weeks however following a birthday break, there were no texts of further work. Life was a bit of an abyss for 2 weeks.
I was just bimbling along with a part time personal training course with no real income.

I was trawling through Google and was very bored. It was probably a dull day like a grey depressing Tuesday. I then had one of my normal ” random ideas”.

3) Excitement restored

Why not become a movie extra ???

I then took some photos, created a profile on each website I could find expecting nothing in response as usual. A few days later I got an invite to work in Bristol in a laurel and hardy film to which I was delighted.

I booked up the train, booked up a hostel and went.

It was a great first day. Trying on costumes whilst getting fitted and even paid to have my haircut. The sun was out and Bristol was nice. The hostel was sociable ( home stay Bristol) as reviewed on the blog and things seemed good.

I publicised my experiences on social media and got some positive vibes in return. Life seemed good. Having been “heavily pencilled” for 3 days work I had factored this into keeping the trip profitable.

What I hadn’t factored in was the admin fee in addition to the commission I was expected to pay. This meant that my 110 day rate which seemed fair had an onslaught of hidden fees and costs which almost gave me a meltdown thinking I had lost money.

To make matters worse, the following day I was not called so lost 110 in wages meaning my trip was virtually break even.

On the upside which took me till I reached Worcester again to realise, was that I had done something many people perceive as glamorous. I had experienced a new job, a new location and inspired myself to write and document my travels which I had not previously encountered.

Taking photos of a new place only added to the ” I’m on holiday appeal”.

Having wanted to see more places I was tempted, if reluctant, to continue applying for more extra work due to uncertainty, hidden costs and the time commitments and stress associated with travel.

” It just wasn’t practical”

4) How it began …

I got home unsure what to try next. Before my story began in Torquay I again surfed the web looking for anything which caught my eye under an ” events” search since I had worked at events before with the stewarding.

There were a few key themes for all the events advertised. One was alcohol, music and the other was food.

The websites detailed many staff were employed or rather roped in, on a voluntary basis which looks great for experience but not for making ends meet.
I contacted a few websites which did not list volunteers as employees through the contact emails provided not expecting any responses other than …

” Thank you for your enquiry but unfortunately …”

I had experienced these monotonous droning responses in abundance since graduation.
1 email to my astonishment came back as positive however from a gin festival company stating how there was work this weekend ( the weekend after I had worked Bristol) in Torquay.

This gave me a hugely tight timescale to arrange things since it was already Wednesday and the work was from Saturday.
I researched transport, accommodation and walk times between work and hostels etc and costs and calculated it was profitable as well as an adventure to go.

So I did …

I went to Torquay where I experienced my longest ever work shift of 12 hours doing perhaps the most physical labour I ever thought possible carrying ice sacks constantly or emptying bins.

5) Berny

Meeting people there though made it all worthwhile. Everyone was a team and I quickly got into the groove of the role I was given. I met a girl named Berny who was perhaps the most characterful and bubbly character I had ever experienced.

She explained to me her enthusiasm for gin had brought her there and how she had a blog about gin.

I laughed in disbelief. Turns out she actually has and on reading I actually enjoyed her story and passion for it. After seeing her at the next festival in Nottingham I then was inspired to start my own blog.

She had so why couldn’t I ? …

I transferred the accommodation reviews I had wrote for Torquay, Nottingham and Bristol to the blog and began reviewing ciders ( my favourite alcohol), to match my restaurant, film and travel reviews I already had complied. This again was because of her.

Without Berny then I would not have began this blog and you wouldn’t be reading this now so a big thank you to her. My review repertoire is ever expanding and I am using my enjoyment of writing once more which faded a little after graduation.

I am now enjoying life and seeing every trip as an adventure. The blog hopefully will inform you of the benefits of various locations and products as well as take you on a virtual journey to the places I have been.

6) Random quotes I invented I think …
“If you are still reading I admire your dedication and you’ll go far in life. If not you will not, but you won’t see this anyway and what you can’t see, can’t hurt you.

“Nobody can tell you what you should be doing in life but what you should be doing will show everybody what you can do. “