Routine?

I am about to write an entirely selfish post, but hopefully, an interesting one =D! I'm sitting here with a massive mug of hot chocolate, and I can't sleep... so its clearly time to write a blog about ME, and more specifically, my routine.

Here's how my English life is turning out:

2 1/2 days a week I work at the Co-op; a local retail store. I'm working in the Bakery, which is actually pretty fun (you've got it... I get to wear doctor's gloves, one of those sexy Jazz hats and an apron!) the people are friendly and fun, but most importantly... I HAVE A PAYING JOB!  Ohh yeah!

The rest of the week is shared between my horses (usually afternoons), studying for my Yachtmaster exam in four weeks time, socializing with friends and family, strumming on my guitar, and doing Parelli Social Media.

Many of the Parelli Social Media team in Colorado: Brett, Me, Gina, Elizabeth, Mackenzie, Nicole, Mark, Petra, and Sabine! (Sharon, Marta, Sue and Beth are missing from this pic!)

I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 month internship in Colorado with Parelli (social media section) and I'm VERY pleased that I've been asked to continue doing Social Media from home! I'm pretty involved with ParelliTube, but will also be moving within the blogging sphere! I LOVE this job :) 

The Social Media office at Parelli Central, Colorado: pictures of the team-members based in different countries - left to right:Beth (UK) Marta (POLAND) Gina (USA) Me (UK)

Things can be deeper than they seem....

This year I learnt how to dive. I've never had a deep desire to learn how to dive, neither has it been a big goal in my life. I just found myself in the right place, at the right time, with the right kind of funds. What I didn't realize by taking a 5 day diving course, is that I would learn SO much more than diving....You see, I've had a lot of fun on top of the water. Sailing, surfing, body boarding, and swimming are just a few things that come to mind.
When I saw the world under the sea that I was reminded that there is more than one way to see and experience the world. In this case:Diagonally and Horizontally. Neither of these ways are right or wrong, but they're worlds apart.

Sometimes, we approach life with the wrong mindset. We view what's meant to be seen Horizontally as Diagonal.

Sometimes, the things slapping you in the face, the things that make you stumble, the things that you want so badly... but never seem to happen... need to be viewed differently. Don't be afraid to dive down, dear reader, and experience the world below the surface. There are corals down there, and beautiful wildlife. Will you dare to trust?

life, and the things inside it

I must apologize for not writing a blog in what feels like... years! I don't really have a decent excuse, apart from I've been living life to the maximum, and internet to the minimum. I'm happy to report that I've gone from being jobless to definately having one job, hopefully two! I'll be joining my sister working at a co-operative retail store. It will be a bit like happy families, apart from the fact that we aren't allowed to work the same shifts... two Koetsier's may be a little too much dynamite in one day! The other job will be looking after horses for someone in the village.

I'm excited about life at the moment. Many of you will remember that maths has been an old nemesis of mine. Anyway, near the end of last year I decided to overcome my old issues, by taking a GCSE in maths. After completing the first 2 modules (and exams) I started travelling... and not doing maths... and travelling again... and not doing maths again! Anyway, two weeks ago I thought it might be an idea to get in touch with the lady organizing the GCSE to see whether I could complete the final module - only to find that she'd signed me up for final exams this week (this is the point where I racked my brain to find that we had actually discussed this in June, and this is also the point where I began to stress slightly!) So I have to say that the past 2 weeks have generally been full of numbers. There's nothing like cramming 6 months worth of work into 2 weeks, but there's also something really exhilarating about focused study time!

First exam was today, and I think I pretty much owned it! Yay! I'll have my final exam on Friday!

My latest hobbies have been playing guitar (I can now play some songs too!) and learning more about the continent of Africa. I'm now able to place and name ALL the countries in Africa, and most of the capitals of countries in southern africa and western africa. My next goal is to make the countries more than just names, and one of the great ways to do this is by reading books ! I read an awesome book about Zimbabwe, followed by the autobiography of South Africa journalist Donald Woods (who was later banned because of his fight for South Africa's liberation from Apartheid) and I'm currently reading a biography about Steve Biko, also written by Donald Woods.

I'm loving my horses. Blaine and I are focusing on developing in all four savvies - our latest focus has been Liberty (without a halter/any restraint). Bertie is such a lovely chappy! We've done all sorts of things over that past 2 weeks... walks on the road, leaned across his back, teaching him the seven games (Parelli) and generally showing him the world! He needs to learn how to respond to pressure, but he mostly takes everything in his stride.