Life Lately: Holidays, A New Job & A New Flat

It’s been a while! Damn, I really can’t express how good it feels writing up a blog post. Since I’ve started working full time, I’ve had a few people ask me what’s going to happen to this blog; when I say – it’s not going anywhere – I really mean it. Blogging is literally part of me, over a week without it and I swear I’m having withdrawal symptoms. Plus, it brings so many opportunities, between uploading, e-mails, collaborations and trying to brand Skylish I feel like I’m running my own little part-time business. Anyhow, it’s been a while since I’ve done a ‘life lately’ post; obviously I’ve been a bit of a ghost around here, so follow the jump to see exactly what I’ve been getting up to…

I went on three holidays
I knew that I’d have a few months off before I dived straight into a full time job after uni, so I utilised that time and spent it travelling! The morning after my final exam I flew off to Portugal for a week, and over the next two months I found myself in Miami and ended my travels in Malta. You can click on any of those links to read more about each holiday. I can definitely say it was my best summer ever, and whilst I’m working full time I’ll be utilising every bank holiday to get out of England and get myself abroad!

Beaches
Without a doubt, Portugal had the best beaches. My boyfriend and I went to Lagos in the Algarve, especially because we’d heard about how their beaches are the best in Portugal. They absolutely did not disappoint; at this point in my life I’ve never seen beaches more beautiful. South Beach Miami definitely comes in second, chilling on the sun lounges there made me feel that little bit more glamorous. Plus, the water was so lovely and warm, which is rarely the case in Europe. Malta beaches were very rocky, so not the best, but still a great place to relax.

Food
Portugal again was where I feel I had the nicest food! Even the ingredients and vegetables we used to cook on a few days tasted better than they do in England. I’m not too sure what Portugal is famous for when it comes to food, but every restaurant we went to whether they were doing burgers, or chinese food, was amazing. I also loved the food in Miami, where else can you get such good standard burgers and chips but in America? The only thing is the portion sizes – eating dinner in Miami always left me feeling like a whale. Maltese food was really not too bad either, one of my friends cooked us all up the most delicious dinner for most nights, however we did spend a lot of time on the look out for the perfect chicken ceaser salad for lunch which we never ended up finding.

Nightlife
Ideally, Miami should sit here in first place, and you know what, if we had gone at a different time (we went very early in the summer), I think it would’ve been better! So, I was a little disappointed by the nightlife in Miami, but I’m definitely due a trip back at a better time to truly enjoy what they have to offer. In terms of going out I had the best time in Malta, the crowd was quite young, but just being carefree with my girls made it fun. Lagos Portugal was pretty dry for nightlife, but given I was there with my boyfriend I wasn’t necessarily looking to get extra turned up anyway!

People
Portugal had some of the nicest people I’ve ever met! Sometimes when I go to Europe (for example, when I went to Rome last year), the people really aren’t as nice and I’m accustomed to a few stares from people who aren’t used to seeing black people. In Portugal the people were so kind, helpful, and there was no staring. I always find the people in America to be really nice and up for helping, so that’s exactly what I expected and got in Miami. The boys in Miami were extra confident – A “hey shawtyyy” when you’re going about your day was a regular occurrence!

Each of the places were fun and unique for their own different reasons, I’d for sure recommend visiting all of them!

2. I started a new job
Well, I started training for one. As you probably know I’m going into a graduate role in investment banking, however, to even hit the desk you need to become ‘approved’ by the financial services regulator. Thus, these past three weeks we had all been doing some very last minute studying to pass three regulatory exams. I’m happy to say I passed all first time, as did all my friends, but there were definitely a few stressful, last-minute-revision days over the past few weeks! This week we had two exams crammed into 5 days, which meant I had no time to do anything but sit down and work. I even ended up back in my uni’s library… again. We still have 4 more weeks until we officially hit the desk, and next week we’ll be doing a lot of team building and voluntary activities which I’m excited about. I’m definitely loving this time to chill a bit before the real hard work starts mid-September! Otherwise, I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds, getting stuck in, and being more financially free.

I got a new flat
As I wrote in my last last lately post, I’d been contemplating moving back home to save for a little while. After a discussion with my parents, we decided it was best for me to continue living out just because I’ll be working so hard at work and that living this far out from the City just really isn’t practical, I also get to keep my independence. So, me and my friend got to flat hunting and we genuinely found, within two days, our dream flat! I’m talking balcony, integrated kitchen, 15 minutes walk from work in a place that is modern and entirely full of new builds! To top it off – we bargained the price down. I’m so excited to be moving in there for good in the next week, and I feel so blessed that I am even able to move out there and still save money.

And of course… I graduated! Read my university takeaways here.

It’s safe to say, at the moment, I’m in a very happy place! Life seems to just be going exactly the way I want it to. I’m home this weekend to see my family, enjoy some home cooking and just relax. I’m very excited to be back to blogging and getting stuck into Skylish again!