A Small Town City Girl

<div></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWgVq62p43M/TchX1tn4OhI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/wVkPi97-Ujs/s1600/city.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"> </a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWgVq62p43M/TchX1tn4OhI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/wVkPi97-Ujs/s1600/city.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604826316554123794" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWgVq62p43M/TchX1tn4OhI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/wVkPi97-Ujs/s1600/city.jpg" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, serif; line-height: 26px;"></span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br /><br /></span>Growing up in my pink little bubble in Small Town, SA, I was quite oblivious to the bigger and some what intimidating world out there. Although not technically a farm, we have the luxury of breathing in fresh, unpolluted air, live amidst green open fields, peaceful streets and picturesque mountains. The furthest you have to drive to go anywhere is 5 minutes, In fact, you could even safely walk to your destination. The only kind of traffic you'd have to worry about are the small herds of cows or goats, that harmoniously reside amongst the lush meadows and cozy residences. Everyone knows everyone in the hamlet, which can be advantageous, because theres always a helping hand literally around the corner. On the other hand, it can be slightly annoying with the entire population always knowing your every move.<br /><br /><br /><br />City Slickers live under the misconception that we on the countryside, or 'rural areas' as it's been called, don't have basic amenities such as electricity & running water. This is far from the truth, as we have most of what they have, just on a much smaller & simpler scale. We may not be able to pop down to Woolworths Food to purchase organic strawberries, but better still, we can get it from our local grocer, newly picked from a nearby farm, and at half the price too. Another countryside component people ask me about is how we survive without any malls, cinemas and fancy restaurants. I suppose when you grow up without extravagant entertainment options, you make the best of what you have.<br /><br /><br /><br />My school down the road, not only offered a solid, dual medium education, but also provided a social playground. Kids grow up playing outside without fancy gadgets and without shoes, riding their bikes across leafy streets, camping out on weekends & enjoying the innocence and beauty of childhood. Instead of shopping for designer clothes to wear to the movies, friends got together to play sports & boardgames, or watch DVD's & have slumber parties. It didn't matter what clothes you wore, what kind of mobile phone you owned or if you even had one, or what social background you came from. You were accepted and liked for who you are. It was a blissful, carefree life, the only one I had known...well, until I began the “Campus Girl” Chapter of my life.<br /><br /><br /><br />Moving to The City had me wrapped up in an anxious knot, excited by relocation but also fearing the unknown. I had often made many weekend visits to the City of Gold, and vacationed at the Cape & KZN Coast, but actually living in a city left me feeling a little jellyfish out of water. My first week of orientation as a bemused Bachelor of Arts student was a complete culture shock. Verdant valleys & picket fences long forgotten, I had stepped into a concrete world of shadowing skyscrapers & reckless roadsters. Besides the smoggy air clogging up my lungs, the nightmarish traffic turned a 20 minute journey to university into an hour long, snail paced drive. The cool crowd on campus would only be friends with you if you 'fit in' to their savvy city lifestyles; wearing the right brands, cruising around in fancy cars and hanging out at the hottest venues, all armed with street conceit smart attitudes. I refused to be consumed by it all, afraid I would lose my sense of self & forget the unpretentious world I came from. I became disillusioned with the bright lights, fast lives and freeways. Far from what I had anticipated, I began to research the benefits of long distance learning.<br /><br /><br /><br />Upon receiving the campus diary & lecture schedule, I tried to decipher the cryptic subject codes & allocated time slots. I longed for straightforward school days where your form teacher told where you had to be at what time and that ENG 154 was just English and not linguistics or lexicography. My spirits were drowned, rather than dampened when I found out, in order to receive the required credits, I needed to take up 26 modules. In One Year. I had back to back, overlapping, hour long classes in different, distant venues & adding to the stress of it all, poetry at university level made my entire Matric syllabus look like a preschool nursery rhyme. Returning my copy of Norton's Anthology, I took up Anthropology instead. It was then, I wondered whether if it was too late to take a gap year.<br /><br /><br /><br />However, once my the first set of lectures began, a new wave of creative encouragement aerated my deflated aspirations. I was inspired by the compelling contents of my study material, knowledgeable lecturers, and even the vast, dusty lecture halls filled with students just as confused as I was. It was here that I met my kindred spirits, both also studying Journalism. Once the initial 'Hello's' and introductions were exchanged, we instantly clicked, connected by our love for all things Glamour, Cosmo, frills and thrills. They became my support system, my home away from home, ensuring that my 4 year stay in the city was an unforgettable one.<br /><br /><br /><br />My metamorphosis from Small Town to City Girl became an amazing adventure, fulfilled by mall-hopping, class skipping, note copying, faithful friendship and of course, some studying in between.<br /><br /><br /><br />I realised that living a city life doesn't change who you are, as I will always a small town girl at heart.</span></div>

A Small Town City Girl

Growing up in my pink little bubble in Small Town, SA, I was quite oblivious to the bigger and some what intimidating world out there. Alth...

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Dream Jobs

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am considering re-entering the working world, as the novelty of 'a luxe student life' has worn off. In Small Town, SA, job opportunities are very limited, unless you're an engineer of some sort. I would have to move to The City in order to pursue a career in my field. Even then, the world of fashion journalism is a very fickle and competitive one. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's great disparity between the job you want and the job you get. We usually end up in a job we didn't really want, but settled for anyway. Only a few of us get to have a career that we absolutely love. A job that makes waking up at 6am every morning something to look forward to. A Dream Job. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, as glamourous as some dream jobs may seem, there are pros <i>and</i> cons to consider.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnk6qZfuKOrp1mpQifNIehptTY4j7-C2iTdc51iegyxuHo3YLOW33XPbaZojzOjWUxmzr5FoMMN3O1sKtEM2zYOm72yYITyxccaByV0v3_TFOLdDNRd8YtAeZcj97lN269tO-DFyQ7f0k/s1600/dream+jobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnk6qZfuKOrp1mpQifNIehptTY4j7-C2iTdc51iegyxuHo3YLOW33XPbaZojzOjWUxmzr5FoMMN3O1sKtEM2zYOm72yYITyxccaByV0v3_TFOLdDNRd8YtAeZcj97lN269tO-DFyQ7f0k/s640/dream+jobs.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">Jobs I Can Only Dream Of...</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0;">The Coffee Connoisseur </span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's no secret that I am a coffee-addict, so being a gourmet coffee expert would suit me perfectly. A barista has to learn the taste profiles of different coffee beans from around the world and then try out various flavour combinations to create the perfect blend.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Up Side:</b> Drinking copious cups of coffee all day long.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Down Side:</b> Not being able to ever fall asleep due to the constant caffeine high.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0;">A Fashion Stylist for <i>Gossip Girl</i></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Styling the Queen Bees of the Upper East Side on the set of the uber-popular <i>Gossip Girl.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Up Side:</b> Initiating ingenious fashion trends and working with designer clothing and exquisite couture. I would love select the on-screen wardrobes of Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen; whose style is admired all over the fashion world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Down Side:</b> Not being able to keep any of the clothes <i>or</i> having to fight Blake Lively and Leighton Meester for them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0;">A Travel Presenter</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The job requires you to be an insightful tourist who travels all over world on a never-ending vacation. Who could turn this down?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Up Side:</b> Free flights to exotic locations, fabulous food, getting to meet interesting people and exploring new cities and cultures.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Down Side:</b> Some of the food may not be all that fabulous, as the cuisine in some countries can be stomach-churning. In remote regions, the accommodation may be no more than a leafy mattress underneath the stars. Also, you may have to face your worst fears - bungee jumping, claustrophobic caves, deep sea diving, cockroach-infested hotel rooms,etc</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0;">A Professional Photographer</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A photographer has to have a great amount of skill and dexterity as well as a great eye for detail. Gain fame in the field and <i>Vogue</i> could come knocking on your door.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Up Side:</b> Taking pictures of beautiful surroundings and working on artsy magazine shoots. All you have to really do is aim well and click. Not much exertion required.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Down Side:</b> The long hours it takes to get the perfect shot and working with difficult subjects (aka temperamental supermodels).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0;">Creator Director for MAC</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Creating new colours and ranges for this popular makeup brand would be a fun and exciting career. MAC constantly updates their vast makeup range with delightful and desirable collections. You can invent unusual shades of eyeshadow, try out new lipgloss formulas and conjure up fantasy themes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Up Side:</b> Bringing your colourful imagination to life and adding your original touch to the brand. With access to free make up & MAC makeup artists - you would look amazing and airbrushed all the time.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Down Side:</b> Testing new make-up concoctions on yourself may cause severe allergic reactions and side-effects. Ouch. A Masters in chemistry is probably also required.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /></span></span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #c27ba0;">The Best-Selling Author</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just one brilliant book idea could earn you millions. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Up Side:</b> Your start up costs are low. All you need is a computer and a good imagination. You can work from the comfort of your own home, far away from office politics and demanding bosses.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Down Side:</b> If your book turns out <span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">not</span> to be the best seller you hoped for, you will be dropped by your publisher and have to look for another job. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is said that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">'No dreamer is ever too small and no dream is ever too big'</span>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I will dream big and work hard...you never know when the job you actually want will become the one you get.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><span id="goog_1351459988"></span><span id="goog_1351459989"></span>

Dream Jobs

I am considering re-entering the working world, as the novelty of 'a luxe student life' has worn off. In Small Town, SA, job opportu...

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Finding My Forte

<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">The Fashion Designer</span></span></b></span></span><br /><br /><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">So Near Yet Sew Far</span></span></b></i><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span> </i></b></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmteuO_vKZ2m_PlvhFCjrCuqb7eDGV6VS-CCFoicrq1XjidJ9Nbrk5QxxG19cKv2y0xDbYhpm93u05hVmQcYdK8Qa4m1fg48UEGyzdANjEHedC_Cy3QRpZiy4mvlK1CXK7EfHErRdkqck/s1600/Sewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmteuO_vKZ2m_PlvhFCjrCuqb7eDGV6VS-CCFoicrq1XjidJ9Nbrk5QxxG19cKv2y0xDbYhpm93u05hVmQcYdK8Qa4m1fg48UEGyzdANjEHedC_Cy3QRpZiy4mvlK1CXK7EfHErRdkqck/s1600/Sewing.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span> </i></b></span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From the time I was was old enough to hold a pencil, I have been designing clothes. Newspaper, old notebooks, scraps of paper, I would draw on anything I could get hold of.  I would design fairytale dresses for my dolls, couture for my future runway shows & outfits I'd like to wear myself. I knew that, without a doubt, I was going to become a fashion designer someday. I was enthralled by the imaginative world of fashion, sketching, colour, fabric & design. I love the way beautiful clothes can make an ordinary girl (like me) feel extraordinary. This was what I loved doing, it was my only ambition & I enjoyed every minute of it. So, fashion design </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">must</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> be my calling, right?</span><br /><br /><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, at 10 years old, my dream was going to get a kickstart, as I took up sewing classes in school. I could barely contain my excitement, as once I had learnt how to sew, I could bring my designs to life. That is pretty much where the dream turned into a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. Sewing was not as glamourous & simple as I expected it to be. It took me over 20 minutes to thread a needle, my stitching was appalling & my fabric was massacred by the sewing machine. I couldn't even cut the material straight, let alone a ready-made pattern. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If Needlework was an examinable subject, I would get an 'F' on my report & be banned from returning to class; as I had put this textile art to shame. If zigzag hemlines, lopsided pockets, missing button-holes & asymmetrical pants were fashionable, then maybe I would have a chance. However, 'Raggedy' will never be a trend and sewing is definitely not my forte. I had a flair for design, but lacked the talent to tailor. Unfortunately for me, in order to be a fashion designer, you have to be able to sew.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although my hopes were dashed, I continued designing. Hundreds of designs and ten years later, I decided to study Fashion Merchandising. It was the closest thing to fashion design, without having any pins and needles involved. I've realised that even though you may love doing something, in reality, you may not be very good at it. However, there are always alternate ways to make your passion a part of your life. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some Fashionable Careers: Retail Merchandising, Fashion Photography, Textile design, Pattern drafting, Modelling, Catwalk Choreography, being a Stylist, Fashion Editor, Design Technician or Seamstress and of course, a Fashion Designer. (Just as long as you can sew.)</span></div>

Finding My Forte

The Fashion Designer So Near Yet Sew Far From the time I was was old enough to hold a pencil, I have been designing clothes. Newspaper, ol...

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