My 2014 highlights

Hello readers, it's officially 2015!

I've been requested to make a blog post about some of my highlights this year, so here goes. And they are in no particular order.

#1 I've taken my last ever pure chemistry exam and achieved a 2.1 which was a huge surprise and relief.

#2 I've visited and went sightseeing in Liverpool with a friend. I hardly ever go to a different city so this was a nice change. The city itself is breath taking.

#3My grandma and my aunt moved to Somalia permanently. This was very hard for me because I was very close to her my whole life, she used to live down the road from me so I used to go there, have a cup of tea and just chat almost every day. She would almost always tell me embarrassing stories about me whenever I would ask about my childhood. The same with my aunt, she made me an independent woman by giving me lots of responsibility from early on. My aunt used to be in the army, so she's an official bad ass you wouldn't want to mess with- so we didn't. But she's also the fairest and most loving person I've met too. In many ways my personality is like hers and in the ways it isn't, its like my mothers. So letting go of that was very hard. InshaAllah i'll see her this summer holiday. But it will never be the same.

#4 I am now the aunt of two beautiful boys (MashaAllah). My cousin gave birth a little while ago to the most adorable baby I've ever seen. The first time I visited him my cousin told me to change his clothes- which was so scary, it felt like he could break if I stretched his arm. But when I held him - ahhh- he was looking into my eyes and he grabbed my finger in his palm. I fell in love with him. In that moment we just- bonded. He held my heart in his tiny palms, and I knew then that I will never (inshaAllah) allow harm to come his way.


#5 Going back to my old secondary school to do work experience. My last experience at this school was a students one, but things were so different as "staff". I hung out in the "staff room" with some of my old teachers. Some students were calling me miss? I was given responsibility, to work all by my self in the technicians lab. This was all like woah! I got to design my own experiment, and the technicians gave me full credit, used my results and allowed me to explain to other members of staff. I remember calling the senior science technician 'Miss' and she said "you need to stop calling me miss, call me X"(where X would be her first name) and the same thing happened with my GCSE biology teacher, she told me her first name. But I've always felt too awkward to say it. It was the best experience that I have ever had and I wish I could go back and thank every member of staff I worked with. I liked working there so much I tried to apply there for my placement year, unfortunately I wasn't allowed because in order for me to get credits for the year it must be level 5 equivalent. Whatever that means.
From designing an experiment, explaining how practical's work, showing kids how to use microscopes properly, marking work and going to a self defence class. I have to say that going back to my old school was the best decision I could've made.
This is because the lovely staff there all knew that I didn't know what I wanted to do. And all of them gave me advise, especially the technicians I worked with and my GCSE biology teacher. Because of their guidance I know what options I have and which ones will hopefully suit me.


#6 in 2014 I got my grades sorted out, in the years before there was the odd hiccup but Alhamdulilah in 2014 I got the results that I needed. I'm my biggest critic, so I'll almost never say "I got the mark I wanted" But especially this academic year, so far, I haven't had any bad results.

#7 Performing spoken word poetry in front of an audience. The Aston University open mic was my biggest highlight. I used to be a very shy person in front of people I didn't know or wasn't close to. I remember once asking my English teacher to not pick me to answer because I didn't like talking in front of everyone. So for a while since then I've been working on my confidence. Now, there's always a part of me that wants to speak to audiences to motivate them. however, such a platform is hard to find so I thought i'd stick to what I know. Poetry. And that's exactly what I did. Once in a small open mic night in University during freshers week. Where the outcome wasn't huge. Maybe 30-40 people. At Aston however, the hall was pretty full. I performed, with a couple of hiccups, but I got through it.

#8 Holland's revenge against Spain in the world cup. Oh My God, I'm from Holland, so the 2010 world cup final loss scarred me. The last match of the 2010 world cup was the first of the 2014. Holland came in seeking revenge and  what a sweet revenge it was. In 2014, Van Persie became the flying Dutchman.

Those are all that I could think of right now, Alhamdulilah I've learned a lot this year and I hope you all have too. Remember, it isn't always about the destination that your heading towards, sometimes you learn more from the journey. Gathering the strength to jump over boundaries and barriers, overcoming obstacles and negativity on your way to the destination. Sometimes these experiences make you a stronger, better person, who is now better equipped to deal with those problems. Therefore, in the end, you're a much better person than the one that has walked in.

So what are you all waiting for? Be amazing, I know you can.

Best wishes,

Amina :)