Stephanie did yoga this morning at 8, but I slept so well last night I didn’t wake until 8:30 so I missed that. I will definitely make an effort to go tomorrow as it seems really good, considering the environment we are in and the weather seems so nice. I made sure to bring some yoga stuff; we were going to try to persuade Bethan to wear her koala onesie for yoga tomorrow morning because that’ll be really funny.
Today we focused on making some more stuff for our presentations. So, Bethan did some more drawing for the animations we started yesterday and Levi did some really cool 3D print designs whilst I digitally embroidered a tote bag with our ‘Le Chat’ logo on it. It took me a few tries to get right but I got it in the end and it looks really cool, so I’m quite happy with that.
Around 4:30, after Bethan, I had a coaching session with Stephanie in the main Folly Farm building. She asked us questions about our future plans and how we were going to achieve this, but also our current life and how we can reach goals now. It was funny because I started off that session really nervous but came back feeling really empowered to just start working towards my goals and that I am worthy of doing so, so I’m so glad I did that.
After, we all went into one of the other marquees for an ‘Inspire Panel’, on university and apprenticeships. My school friend Poppy and I asked a few questions I think mainly regarding apprenticeships, it was just so useful and insightful on other options you can do once you leave school and the pros and cons of each. They were all so lovely and open to chatting and giving advice which was really nice and refreshing.
By now I was pretty hungry and at 6 we had our dinner in the main dining hall. We had jacket potatoes for lunch, but dinner was this amazing curry I remember sitting with Bethan and trying our first bite and being like “this is good!” We also had some homemade cakes and treats made throughout each day. My absolute favourite had to be the blueberry loaf cake-it was like my mum’s amazing blueberry muffins but in a cake and it was so delicious I wish I had gone for seconds, but I think it was all gone by that time!
Tonight, Levi kindly lent us her cards and we played Uno in my, Poppy, Bethan and Amber’s room with Najma, who is really lovely and had the room next to us. We must’ve been playing for hours, but the time went so quickly it was so fun.
After, Amber, Najma and I went for a mini walk in the woods for some fresh air. It was funny as we kept scaring each other and running after each other. I remember Najma got a bit nervous about the darkness at one point and held onto my arm for a bit as we walked, which I think made us both feel more comfortable, but also definitely gigglier. The biggest giggler had to be Amber though, her laugh is so contagious! She’s so lovely. We all commented on the way back how it was such a shame this was the last night and we are off tomorrow. We’ve all made such a strong circle of friends during the project and having lots of sessions before the retreat really gave us the opportunity to do this.
My closest friends are definitely Bethan and Levi, whom I first really connected to in late Feb when we first started making ideas for our projects and presentations which are tomorrow. We chose a ‘nature’ theme and in the end made our project on animal rights. In my opinion, I couldn’t have had a better match for a group-we all got on so well instantly and had very similar views and that friendship has lasted for months now and literally just made the FLP experience so much better. Everyone just seemed quite friendly there and it had such a nice atmosphere. I’m so grateful for the opportunities the Future Legacy Project team has given to people like me and other young women in Bristol, who are interested in creating a voice and wanting that voice to be heard. It’s also given me the confidence to get out of my comfort zone a bit and the opportunity to make new and long-lasting friendships.
– Daisy
