5 things I achieved when I was 15

My sixteenth birthday is tomorrow, bringing a whole new year of madness into my already chaotic life. This in mind, I thought I would share with you 5 things that my 15-year-old self has achieved:

1. Settled into a school 200 miles away from my home

Those of you who are new here may be thinking that I travel 200 miles to school every day – that’s not what I meant! Last year I moved 200 miles from sunny Wales to a slightly sunnier England, thereby starting at a new secondary school (you can read my post about it here).  This was very difficult for me, but given little time I felt a lot more comfortable in my new surroundings – having met some amazing people who made me feel right at home. Even if the place I still consider home is hundreds of miles away.

2. Travelled across Britain alone via train

In the Easter of this year I went back home for a week. Staying with my grandparents, I had an incredibly busy week seeing a lot of friends in various different parts of the county.

But, of course, I had to get there somehow. My brother was going away on scout camp that week and with my parents working they could not bring me down themselves. This lead to me, with violin, suitcase and backpack in tow, heading across half of England through to South Wales where I would meet my grandparents at their tiny local station.

This was a big thing for me, as, while I was very used to trains and the way they worked, I would be totally alone. By myself, and among strangers. I felt comfortable during the journey, but it was tiring and afterwards I felt relieved that it was over.

3. Written 24,500 words of a novel!

I started writing this novel about 5/6 months ago and ever since I have fallen in love with my characters. I actually wrote a post about how I wish I could have more time with them, but life inevitably gets in the way and I can’t have my way. But, hopefully, it will be completed by this time next year.

4. Gained self-confidence

When I first became 15 I was not in a very self-confident state of mind. Having just moved 200 miles away from the place I call home, I knew little about the people I now call my friends and felt very insecure about myself as a person. Now, I consider self-love, self-respect and self-confidence to be a journey. Yes, I have used the dreaded J-word. Maybe at some point in the future I'll write a whole blog post about this, seeing as it does deserve more than just a paragraph. However, I am proud of the steps I have taken in the past year to feel comfortable and happy in both my body and my mind and  am sure that what I have learnt about myself will remain with me for a good long while.

5. I started a blog!

7 months into my 15^th year I created a new small space on the Internet, that I could fill with all my thoughts, dreams, opinions and musings. I fell in love with everything that surrounds blogging. I called my blog Another Ranting Reader and I started posting on there 3 times a week. And I won’t be stopping any time soon.

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