How giving up my dream enabled me to find another 🩷 part 2

Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people!

This has kept me going and still does, it reminds me that I still have so much. I have  power, power to change, to grow. It encourages me to be proactive and I hope that today's post will remind you that there is still hope and to never give up❣️

College has been such a whirlwind and growth spurt experience for me. I have always known that college existed but it never was an option for me. I honestly am ashamed to say that I looked down on colleges, the programmes offered and the brave students who enrolled there. Looking back I has such pride and ignorance. I was under the false narrative that college is for failures and stupid people! 

It was when all other avenues had closed for me that I began to see college as a feasible option. I tried to apply to write the National Senior Certificate at age 18. I was turned around at the door and told that I was too young and I should go back to high school instead. At high school, I was told to go back to grade 10 because of the language barrier (I can only speak English and Afrikaans fluently despite being a Black South African) and the fact that the subjects that I did were not available at my local public high schools. The pain that I felt was immense! Imagine being told to back to grade 10, after having past both grades 10 and 11 and intending to move on to grade 12! It felt like a dagger had pierced my heart. The regression, the stagnation!

2021 then became my 'gap year' as it was too late in the academic year to do anything else. This was the year that completely changed my life. I had no absolute choice but to sit with myself and my demons and show up to conquer them. I began to see that my value lies far beyond my education. My value lies within my identity in Christ and my character. 

2021 was a lengthy, difficult year but I finally understood what was meant with the saying, 'education is something that they can never take away from you'. That saying used to irritate the living daylights out of me because there I was at home, having had my education taken away from me. It was only when I started college that I fully understood that my education was in my heart and mind. It changes the way that I see the world. I was at Pick 'N Pay the other day and I saw a man who works for Nestlé and he was looking at how their chocolates should be packed according to a planogram. It was the most exciting thing that I have seen all year, thus far! I was fangirling so hard! Being able to see marketing as my new profession, my passion and something that sparks so much joy in my life was only made possible by my ideal avenue not working out. Giving up my dream of being a veterinarian and putting of dream off studying at university on hold has allowed me to find another.

My mother then discovered Tshwane North College through a poster while she was running errands. I found myself being excited at the idea of a second chance at life. I applied online and I decided to study marketing after looking at the brochure. I felt really drawn to it, so I took a chance and chose it. It was not an easy decision to make as my parents were not initially on board with course that I had chosen but I understood that this is my life and my diploma. Something that my 'gap year', taught me, the importance of self and the ripple effect that one decision can have years later. I am grateful to my mother for supporting me and allowing me to choose a course that I liked even though she initially wanted me to study something else. She allowed me to grow and make an adult decision. 

Both images are from Pinterest 

I do not know what my final year in college has in store for me but I am fully trusting God because your girl is looking for a job! I do not know why I came to my particular college or what opportunities and lessons God has prepared to grow me but also to heal me but I am looking forward to finding out 💕.

In part 3, I'll delve more into my college journey and what going to college as a poor person was actually like and how I managed to overcome! 

Question of the week: Have you ever had an experience that has forced to sit and slow down, if so what did you learn? 

All my love

Ruthy❤️

My thoughts on Miss South Africa 2023 and the Miss South Africa Organization 🇿🇦

Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people! 

I recently wrote about Miss Universe South Africa 2023 and I felt that it was fair to write about Miss S.A. 2023, especially since I have a few concerns as a South African and a pageant lover. 

Miss South Africa 2023 is 25-year-old Natasha Joubert. She is a marketing graduate and clothing business founder. She became Miss S.A. in August 2023 after a long year of filming the organization's new reality TV show, 'Crown Chasers'. 

The night of her coronation is where she made big and bold promises to her country, which came as a huge surprise to me because she did not show any previous interest in education. It became very alarming to me because she had a previous 'advocacy ' , which focused on fashion, which made sense as she claims to be a fashion designer. The fact that, that 'advocacy' was dumped like a hot potato, without any follow-up on the designers who were featured and had their clothing items sold. It became very clear that her 'advocacy' was just to be seen as an eligible candidate to compete at Miss Universe 2020, despite coming 2nd runner-up in Miss South Africa 2020. 

Her new advocacy, which is conveniently named after her, sounds more like a fashion line then a medium to help others. It sounds too self-centered based simply on the title to me, especially considering that she does not have the funds herself to fund students, she as an individual cannot fund any students' studies. 

I am disappointed as I feel like the Miss South Africa brand has declined rapidly after her coronation. The Miss S.A Instagram page feels like a constant advert show, like the ones on DSTV that constantly just play adverts. It doesn't make sense to me, how do these sponsorship and adverts line up? She advertises items that are too expensive for the average South African and that's all that the Miss S.A organization posts. It feels like the Natasha and sponsor show. What happened to Miss South Africa being a role model and an inspiration for positive change in society? Everything feels a little too fabricated and self-serving.

I sincerely hope that things change for the better this year and that charity and helping others can become a key focus of the Miss S.A. brand. There is not enough information nor engagement about her advocacy. Apparently only 51 people are receiving her busary and it's only for one year. That does not make sense to me because why would anyone start a degree that they cannot fund themselves when the busary only covers one year of tuition? Does this busary include food, transport, sanitary needs? It's all about magazine covers and "growth", but what about helping others grow too, as an instrument for positive change as a Miss South Africa. How is leaving someone with a half-baked degree help?!

Beauty is an important factor as this is a beauty pageant but pageantry is about so much more than being the best looking or most hard-working person in the room.

We also have not seen any of the Miss S.A. team being posted on the official Miss South Africa Instagram page like they used to be in the past. It was lovely to see and hear from the team and get to know all the people who make Miss South Africa, the most looked forward to pageant nationally and even overseas, our production is top-tier.🇿🇦 Why have the Miss S.A. team stopped receiving their flowers?

Question of the week: What are you thoughts on Miss South Africa 2023?

All my love ♥️

Ruthy 

January Reflections

Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people!

The longest month of the year is finally over!

I wanted to share what I learned during the first month of the year! 

Losing a negative person is still a loss 

I have heard more times than I can count that losing a negative/bad is not a loss and instead they lose you. I honestly disagree with this statement because I feel when we believe this, we no longer allow ourselves to be honest. The truth is sometimes we keep bad people in our lives for long periods of time because of one of three things:

1) We love them

2) We need them

3) We wish that they would change, see the wrong in their ways and repent. See the value in what we share and not throw it away. 

(This applies to both romantic and platonic relationships)

It's more than okay to feel this way. I do not honestly believe that you can let go of or lose someone that you felt either of the above for and not potentially feel as if you have lost something/someone. So, if you do feel this way, know that it's completely normal and 

I want to be aware of your hurt and your ache. Be aware of the vulnerability caused by their absence and please do not get into a rebound relationship. Give yourself enough time to heal, grieve and feel whatever you feel. 

Keep the faith 

God will never forsake you. Life is unpredictable and challenging. The first three months of the year are usually filled with me trying my best to find my way and anchor myself. Sometimes it's easy to wonder when will the pain end, the discomfort, the never-ending sea? When will I finally step out onto dry land? Keep the faith, the faith that God loves you and has a beautiful plan for your life. Keep the faith, even your current situation appears doubtful. 

The power of little prayers

Prayer is how you maintain a relationship with God and prayer does not have to be intense or long or perfect. It's more than okay to go to God when you don't really know what to say. God is like no other, He sees your heart, not just your words unlike anyone else. So, just go before Him, with whatever is on mind or heart. It does not have to be just for the "important stuff" but the regular degular seemingly small things. Tell Him about your day, your crush, your hurt, your pain. Tell Him about the person who pushed you in the queue and how that made you feel. Talk to Him how you would converse with a trusted friend. 

It's important to anchor yourself but let the waves be waves

You will not always feel your best. Some days will truly feel heavier than others and on those days it's important to slow down and remember who you are choosing to be. Know that the person that you are is a choice. You wake up each day and choose kindness  choose love, choose patience. Know that on some days it will absolutely be a choice, there will be says where you will prone to anger or resentment or overwhelm. I am talking about those days, on those days, take things slowly. Be slow to anger, slow to take offense, slow to say whatever thought enters your head. Breathe in and out and just do the next right thing. 

Question of the week: What did you learn during the month of January?

Journaling also helps too! 

All pictures used in today's blog post are fro. Pinterest!

All my love♥️

Ruthy

How giving up my dream enabled me to find another 🩷 part 1

Good morning/afternoon/evening, you beautiful people!

Opening up this month of love, I would like to talk about giving up something that I loved and how it changed my life.

I know that February is the month of love and is stereotypical seen as the month of romantic love but to me (someone who is currently single) I view as a month of self-love, loving what I do and loving those around me. 

I am grateful to have developed a passion for what I do. I am studying a National Certificate Vocational in Marketing and after three years, with this being my third and final year. I will have a LEVEL 4 NCV Marketing certification! I am immensely grateful to have grown in knowledge and passion for my chosen course.

 The truth is that it was not always this way. From the age of 4, I knew that I wanted to work with animals, wildlife to be specific and in nature. My two favourite TV channels growing up were Animal Planet and the Disney Channel. With my favourite shows being, Bondi Vet, Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse🐀🐹. Watching Bondi Vet, it inspired me to follow in Doctor Chris Brown's steps and become a veterinarian as well. 

At age 16, I gave up my dream of 12 years, the dream of being a veterinarian. It was one of the most painful things that I have ever done but I knew that it was the right thing to do. I was going through a lot during that time in my life and my head was everywhere other than in my books. I decided to switch out pure mathematics and sciences for mathematical literacy and economic and management sciences. It was not an easy decision but I knew that I was not putting in the work and dedication to achieve the needed results. I also did not have the proper support at that time, so changing to lighter subjects was necessary at that time for me. 

It was also the year that I started actually blogging and I realized that I have a passion and talent for writing. I realized that writing is what I want to do with my life and that I can still be of aid to the environment that I love so dearly. Giving up on my dream of being a veterinarian did not mean that I had to give up on my dream of helping wildlife and nature. 

Writing, cultivating awareness and educating others is also very important and a crucial factor to change. 

I came to realize that giving up something that I had loved and treasured for so long was not the end but a beautiful beginning, a blessing in disguise. It did not seem that way at first and once in a blue moon it hurts, just a little. It was all I ever wanted for 12 full years and as the years go by it hurts a little less, especially knowing that I would make the same decision again. Looking at my life today and how far God has brought me, I am grateful because I know that God has a plan for my life. I may not see the full picture but I trust the Author and Finisher of my faith.

So, I want you to know that it's okay to be single! It does not mean that there is anything wrong with you, dating is a big deal and it's important to wait for the right time and the right person and it's equally as important for you to become the right person. 

I also want you to know that life happens and it's okay to take a detour and for life not to be as you expected, try to look for the rainbow 🌈 after the rain because you did not go through all these difficulties for nothing.🩷

 Image Credit: Pinterest 

Part 2 will posted on the last Sunday of this month and I will touch on how I got into college, my experiences, struggles and more!

Question of the week:What have you had to give up and how has it changed your life? (You don't have to sugarcoat it!)

All my love♥️

Ruthy