Personal Reflection

So this week I have been completing activities from my Induction week before I start studying on Monday. One of the activities I had to complete was a Personal Reflection Essay...

I chose to apply through IDI because IDI allows me the opportunity to complete my BA online, which allows me to still, keep all of my daily responsibilities with my work.

Since I completed my previous Level 5 BTEC Diploma in 2012, I always wanted to be able to get my BA Degree but unfortunately that wasn’t a possibility in South Africa. In South Africa the closets BA I could get is an BA in Fine Arts specialising in Photography. Which was not an option for me as that includes drawing, sculpturing and painting etc. and I am not a very good artist..

I moved to the UK 9 months ago to work as an Au Pair with the hopes of maybe working on getting my degree in photography. When I moved to my new host family in the beginning of 2017 within 2 weeks I was online researching my options in order to get my degree. I wasn’t expecting to start so soon as I thought I would have to wait and save up before I could start but then I came across IDI and they offered all the options I would need in order for me to start studying earlier and while I was working.

IDI gives me the opportunity to start studying earlier than I was expecting as well as the opportunities to study online part time and they allow me the option to pay monthly. After finding all this information about IDI I spoke to both my Parents and my host family to see if they would be ok with me studying, and they all said go for it as long as it doesn’t interfere with my job.

Within a few short weeks from first researching I started the Application Process with IDI.

One of the reasons I want and have always wanted to get my degree is so that I can actually teach photography to others either children or adults I don’t mind as long as I am able to share my love with others. When I was a child I always thought I would be a Teacher, as I have always been told I am very good at explaining things and that I am patient when teaching people how to do something.

Since completing my Photography Diploma in 2012, I have always worked in the creative field. I have worked as a Freelance Photographer for about 6 years now and I have worked as a both an photography and journalist intern for an online publication in South Africa. I am also worked as a Web Designer for a UK Web Design Company for over a year, which is something I really enjoyed doing. I have always enjoyed jobs that are in the creative field as I am a creative person. I am currently working as an Au Pair which is something I am really enjoying, as I love working with children and because being an Au Pair gives me the opportunity to be able to get my BA.

In my spare time I love spending time with my family and friends. I love camping, going out with friends, going to the movies, live theatre shows etc. I enjoy drawing, writing and especially reading I LOVE to read. I like my own space but I also enjoy spending time with others.

I believe that everything happens for a reason even when we don’t know what the reason is. I never used to believe this until 3 years ago when my whole life dream changed, so since then I have had to learn to believe that specific saying, as it was the only way I could get past and move on. After completing my diploma my dream career was to work on the cruise liners as a photographer. I passed all the requirements that they called for and was just waiting for my flight tickets to arrive, but 2 weeks before I was due to leave I received an email from my agent letting me know that the head office had decided to deny my application and terminated my letter of employment, they refused to give an actual reason but I had a pretty good idea why they did and that is because they saw in my medical that I had a history of Kidney Stones and because I am not on any medication to control it they didn’t want to take a chance on me working on board one of their liners even though it is easily controlled by a healthy diet and lots of water. So I was devastated and within 2 weeks I had a new path I wanted to follow and I was enrolled to study a year course in Journalism and started at college I even also found a flat and moved into my flat all within 2 weeks.

So because of this and a lot of other things that have happened in my life, I now live by the saying “Everything Happens For A Reason”.

The best advice I have received in the past is that as one door closes another door always opens and the other saying is what is meant to be will be. I am always reminding my family that “everything happens for a reason” even when we have no idea what that reason is and that sometimes it really comes at the most in appropriate times, but still there’s a reason why everything happens in our lives we might never know what the reason is but there is always a reason.

Currently the only things I know I want to happen in the future is to receive my BA and start teaching and sharing my love for photography to others, also I can’t wait to have my own house which is mine to do as I please. I would like to one day have my own studio and darkroom so that I can process my own 35mm film and print my own 35mm prints. I also want to do a lot more traveling and exploring other countries and cultures.