Me

So how many people have sat here, like me and thought ‘how the HELL I am going to start this blog?’

I want to make it interesting and I want people to read it and think ‘yeah she’s cool’

I’m over thinking this already aren’t I??

So let’s start at the beginning. Why am I writing a blog?

I know what I want to do and I know what I want to be and I’m trying hard to make it happen. So I guess it would be nice to note some stuff down every now and then, things that I like and things that inspire me, things that I don’t like, maybe, if I’m in a negative mood which occasionally happens, (probably more than occasionally actually!) But also to show you what I’m up to.

So here goes, it’s the year 2012, which everyone seems to be ranting and raving about and I believe starting a blog was one of my new year’s resolutions, along with many other things…

Im 21 now. A bit of a mile stone (is that what they say?.. mile stone)… adulthood? Career? Not being an adult at all…

So yeah I think it’s a good time to start a blog.

So a little bit about me. My name is Holly Dwight and something that I think defines me, was travelling around the world for a year in 2010. I went on my own when I was 19 (2 years ago now, which has honestly flown by) but I remember every minute, and think about that year every day, so here’s a tiny overview.

Why did I go on my own? Non of my friends seemed that interested. And I wasn’t scared to go on my own either, I saw it as an adventure. I wanted to get away from my home town I guess and have a break from day to day life. Me and my boyfriend went tits up so that gave me a push in the right direction… away. So that was it, I was off… first stop Thailand. It was just so different to England, the culture, the people, the climate… I could sit here and type for hours about it. The temples were out of this world and really humbling, no shoes, women covered up, silence. Then outside the temples walls was this crazy city, Bangkok, you can’t not mention the smell…. Jeez… but little tut tut’s bombing around, mopeds, monkeys.. a crazy city.

Then there were the islands. Literally paradise! Apart from the full moon party which can also only be described as CRAZY. Buckets of god knows what, blaring music, neon paint and skipping ropes on fire... (yes that is me below)

So then onto Australia. Travelling the East Coast was incredible. Im glad I got to see the Great Barrier Reef while I could (as they say it will disappear in the next 25 years, I think that’s what they say anyway) I met some lovely people, lived in Miami beach and Surfers Paradise where I worked in a diner. Had such a fun time but the novelty wore off after 3 months so I was persuaded to do a ski season just outside of Melbourne, Mount Hotham (‘time of my life’ as me and Tamara would say. I met her when I worked in the Billy’s, the diner, and we never looked back, inseparable on our travels from that point onwards… ahhh) 

Well I couldn’t ski or snowboard but I thought snowboarding looked and sounded better so I bought the gear and then had to rope some lucky boys into teaching me. (When I say lucky boys I mean poor boys.) It took me about 2 weeks of falling on them and my arse (which I padded with jogging bottoms) for me to master it. 5 very drunken, very cold months went by in which I made some of the bestest friends and literally had ‘the time of my life’ (que cringe) I then travelled around in a caravan for a while, Melbourne to Brisbane and back, stopping in one of my favourite places Byron Bay, had a near Wolf Creek experience, was then dropped off in Sydney for a week and then back on a plane off to NZ.

New Zealand. North Island, like Wales, green, hilly and over populated with sheep. I wasn’t all that impressed. But the South Island. WOW! The mountains and lakes were beautiful, it really was like being in a film. You never think you’ll actually see something that beautiful with your own eyes but you will if you go to New Zealand. The kiwi bus AKA the big green f**k truck definitely did NOT live up to expectations if you were a heterosexual female, as there were 45 girls and about 5 boys… and the one fit bloke… yes he was travelling with his equally fit girlfriend. Boo!!!

Fiji. No hotels. Just locals. Tamara and I went to stay with a family. They cooked us three beautiful and fresh meals a day. Fruit and fish. We snorkelled, went to the local school, read, drank what tasted like muddy water also known as Kava and hung out with the locals, who sang a lot and were so happy and ate/drank lots of coconuts. Again it was very different to England but in a really good way. The people there would go out of their way to help you, just because they were so kind.

Last stop California. So I had to leave Tamara who was heading back to Australia before going home to Devon. (That was like losing a limb!!) But meeting me at LAX was my dad and brother. And at this point I shall take a breath to say how much I missed my family and friends that year. I did have the most amazing time but I didn’t ever feel quite at home while I was away. Home is where your family and friends are so no matter where you are in the world and no matter how refreshing it is, it will never be home and there was always that pull inside me to get back there.

So there’s me at LAX airport (not as fancy as I thought it was going to be) waiting for my dad and brother. A 3 hour wait though it felt more like 10. Mum is petrified of flying so she said she wasn’t coming but there was that tiny bit of hope that I tried to suppress, that she would be there. And she was. I cried. A LOT. We all hugged for ages and people starred, wondering what all the tears were about. After a year of travelling the world with only myself to rely on I was safe and sound and back with my family, to the absolute joy and relief of my dad.

I didn’t have many preconceptions of LA but it was what you would imagine and more. California girls, beaches, volley ball, roller skates, gyms. I loved it. Although, there were lots of homeless people I couldn’t help but think it must be the best place to be homeless right??

The Grand Canyon was, by far, the best thing I have ever seen in my life. Vegas was all I imagined it to be, very bright. San Francisco. It takes a bit of looking round but once you find the good parts with lanes full of coffee shops and boutiques you realise it is a really magical city.. (definitely do the Alcatraz tour if you go there.) 


MUG SHOT

So that’s my ‘tiny’ travel diary done. Although I do feel the need to tell you that I wanted to be as ‘extreme’ as possible while I travelling because it seemed like the right thing to do. So I did a sky dive, bungy jump, white water rafting, black water rafting and a canyon swing. Which made me feel like superwomen!! Yay!!

So I got home, content with my time off/away and set about pursuing my dream! The thing that I’ve known I’ve wanted to do since I was 14 years old. Be a presenter!!

How do I do that?? Well I still don’t know as I’m not there yet but I think, and I bloody hope I’m heading in the right direction. And this is also how this blog has come about.

So to tell you what I’m up to at the moment… I spent months doing work experience in London at the BBC and Company Pictures, un-paid. So I worked my arse of as a waitress back home to fund my travel into London every day. While I was at Company (who produce programmes such as Skins, Shameless and Wild at Heart) I went to have a look around where they edit their rushes after filming on set. The Farm Group. That is where I met, my now boss, Mark. He liked me and asked if I wanted a job, I said yes please.

So I am now a fully fledged runner AKA professional tea maker, toast cooker, lunch fetcher, tape collector and general dogs body.

But… I love my job, I’m passionate about TV production and I’m meeting directors, producers and creative people that inspire me every day, so this cant be a bad thing.

I love working in London. Grey but colourful. Old but urban. And certainly never boring!!

I hope that soon someone will see the potential in me to be a presenter on your TV screens.

Please follow my interests, inspiration and journey into the unknown world of presenting…