2014: Birmingham, Placement Depression & Future Plans!

Life can be a funny thing, at this current time I feel like I'm a in a waiting room, I'm not exactly waiting for anything but for my degree to be completed. I had visions of this year being stress free but things crop up when we least expect them to happen. For such reasons I don't feel its appropriate to divulge at this current moment or at all really. For now anyway, I'll have to wait!

I'm not going to lie there are a lot going on at the moment for me both academically and personally but I am a fighter! Have you ever felt like you're stuck in a waiting room of some sort? In a manner of speaking University College Birmingham could be classed as my waiting room at this current time. I'm in my fourth and final year of BA Hons Hospitality and Tourism Management degree and the intensity has been turned up a few notches to boiling point. Call me dramatic but I would love to go back to first year, no stresses and no worries about getting a 10,000 word dissertation started. Going backwards isn't what I really want to do but things get tough every once in while so I know it will all be worth it. I only have to spend two days in university due to my timetable being focused around two modules and my dissertation. I've got Operations Management and Strategic Management this semester! I want to go now!

The photo above is from my third year when things didn't feel serious, times do change! The dissertation is a 10,000 word research project that I must complete by April 2014, so no pressure! Things have been hectic for me over the last week but I'm keeping tight lipped for once, trust I like to talk! Gone are the days where I can turn up to a lecture hungover from the previous night or even still intoxicated its time to wake and get on with things. No way! Strategic Management has to be my ultimate foe at the moment, we have a group presentation to put together and I'm not enjoying this module. I know that eventually this module will be wrapped up in time for the Christmas holidays so I can switch off for two whole weeks and forget non of this business ever happened! I've already got a deadline for an assignment and my dissertation proposal has to be in on the 23rd of October! I have stepped up to the plate to tackle all of these obstacles, instead of breaking up I'll stay!

Like waiting for a train I just feel that all the fun has to wait for another time. I admit that things are getting crazy at the moment but I just want the simple things to resurface, just to have a day our without thinking about university. Captured to the right is the view from the Empire State Building in NYC, its a sight that took courage to enjoy so I'm going put madness into my method. This blog was born because of my American and Canadian adventures during 2012 and early 2013 so its been a bitter pill to swallow to not get on a train and see somewhere new. I have to remember that I pretty much coasted through last semester so that blasé approach will no doubt return in due course. I'll get a grip eventually! Time's going to keep on turning for a new horizon isn't far away! I haven't strictly been completely truthful because all being well I will be in Liverpool for my 23rd birthday! I'm going to enjoy this time period. Go B!

I am really looking forward to getting away for the night to shake Birmingham away for a little while. I would like to rewind time back to my placement year as I had structured working times and used most of my days off to visit New York City and lots of other exciting places, after my summer of adventure I almost feel I can't say no to my university work and go to Lichfield for the afternoon to blog about it. I suppose this leads back to my situation, being in the waiting room for the next few months where I will get all the necessary things completed. I can't say that things are all bad at the moment or for the next few months because like I have said about Liverpool I have some exciting things planned! December's going to be good because I'm going to the pantomime and paying a visit to the German market in Birmingham as well. If my finances permit I would love to visit Manchester for the weekend to get inspiration for my dissertation. I'll find one way or another to get out!

Could Dubai be my destiny?! If I put things into perspective and stop being such a little diva about things I don't have a problem sitting in this waiting room. I have the desire to become a flight attendant for Emirates Airline, all being that the interview and everything else going well I could be living the Dubai life! Looking at the photo captured to the left I could get used to stressing about modules and my dissertation if it means I could have the chance to live in the dazzling Middle Eastern metropolis that is Dubai! Essentially, everything will be about having my priorities in their rightful places. I want my degree more than anything but just need to get real with all of the studying, I have friends that graduated this September and have revealed that they can do anything after concurring the dreaded dissertation. I know in my heart that my Middle Eastern dream has every chance to become a reality. Let's see what will happen?

I know a back up plan should be something to consider but I have everything covered! Here's goes the next eight months, a period of time that will change my life for the better because there's no other way its going to go! Okay so I'll have to limit the amount of day trips I make out of Birmingham this next year and get over working stupid hours on my research project but I want to be standing there with my degree at graduation looking over everyone else and thinking 'Bitches I did this!' Life does throw horrid things in our faces, some of these things may cause us to have set backs but we have to be stronger than yesterday and just get back up and survive! I should be a motivational speaker sometimes because I talk utter rubbish! I know achieving what I want will take lots of study that may put Desperately Seeking Adventure on the back burner, but I will endeavour to squeeze out maybe one or two extra blogs per month because I use blogging like therapy. Patience is a virtue!

Time Goes By So Slowly!

Joseph Harrison