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THREAD #ErasMUST.
I always say that making languages personal is key to igniting motivation. So, I’m going to share my personal story in support of #ErasMUST.
Meet this 16-year old girl, weighing in at 33kg, with round the clock care, unable to do the most basic of tasks. 1/
I always say that making languages personal is key to igniting motivation. So, I’m going to share my personal story in support of #ErasMUST.
Meet this 16-year old girl, weighing in at 33kg, with round the clock care, unable to do the most basic of tasks. 1/
Lost, forlorn, broken and ready to give up. Forced to skip a year of school, daughter of an absent father, sister of one severely depressed young girl, and over 250 blood tests, over 300 community nurse visits, 150 dietician visits, 100s of weigh-ins... 2/
& 1000s of painful, tear-filled meals later, you find this 19-year old girl starting at @cardiffmlang – somehow. BA English Literature and Italian. Note, Cardiff University was not her university of choice, but a necessity in order that she could stay at home & be cared for. 3/
ZERO regrets! Her MO for the first 2 years of university: survive and do well, as always. Excel academically, and survive the rest. I’ll skip to third year for sake of a punchy narrative (irony intended). Third year, the year abroad. 4/
A terrified, now 23-year old girl reluctantly takes a September Ryanair flight from Stansted to Milan. Only her 3rd time ever leaving the UK. Her first time travelling alone. She arrives in Parma some many hours later devastated & distraught. How was she supposed to live here? 5/
Tears. Skypes. Texts. A return home to care for her Nan in the last stages of cancer. Bereavement. Loss. Heartache. Months later she returns to Parma. The cold has passed, its March, and Parma looks different now. More tears. More Skypes. More texts. 6/
As she counted down the days, ticking them off solemnly in her Welsh Rugby notepad, she decided enough was enough. She wanted more. Stop hiding. Start living. She fought herself to do everything her mind was telling her not to do. She met people. She drank espresso.... 7/
She ate aperitivio on Piazza Garibaldi. She took day trips to Cinque Terre. She sunbathed in Citadella. She started to think she was worth something. She LIVED. But why? Some 7/8 years of strife, 5 psychologists, too many counselling sessions to count... 8/
too many food plans to remember, too many anxieties and too many tearful meals, what was it about this place that made her want more? It’s quite simple really, looking back. 9/
It would seem that the possibility of seeing the world through someone else’s lens, through the slow, sun-soaked days of Italian life (in her case) allows you to see yourself differently. To have the chance to reinvent yourself. To discover a different version of yourself. 10/
To take liberties with who you want to be. To see a different way to eat and live. To enjoy a new way of socialising. To see yourself as part of something much bigger than the next plate of food. And so began the rest of her life, many years lost, but so many years REgained. 11/
Firstly, I don’t want your pity or judgement. We all struggle through life and encounter obstacles. These are just some of mine. Secondly, I don’t take for granted the help I received along the way... 12/
from the incredible NHS (despite the best efforts of the government to under-fund mental health services) and my family. I am still here because of them. Thirdly, I tell this story not to say that mental illness can be overcome by a jaunt abroad, far from it... 13/
I know the darkness that enshrouds mental illness. The battle is long, painful and arduous, but it can be overcome and you can be victorious. I tell this story in support of #ErasMUST because for me it was life-changing. 14/
I am the person I am today (love it or hate it!) because of my struggles, but also because of those months I spent in Parma, Italy. Because of the people I met, the love I found, the world I encountered & even the espressos I drank. They allowed me to find my way. 15/
So for the first time, that terrified 16-year old girl, now 30-year old woman, wanted to grab life with both hands. She is the fierce, stubborn, confident, hard-working, and impassioned person you see before you. For better or worse. 16/
So for this year, I have 3 ambitions. 1, help save #ErasMUST (bold, but heck, it’s now or never!). 2, help other people with eating disorders to see there is a really bright light at the end of the tunnel and that it is worth fighting for. 17/
3, to never underestimate the power of one experience to change someone’s world.
So, if you need me (which means you made it this far - chapeau!!) you’ll find me (mentally at least) sipping a ‘sex on the beach’ (great cocktail name) at Le Malve, Via Farini, Parma... 18/
So, if you need me (which means you made it this far - chapeau!!) you’ll find me (mentally at least) sipping a ‘sex on the beach’ (great cocktail name) at Le Malve, Via Farini, Parma... 18/
eating my body weight in Aperitvio, all for 7 euros, living my best #ErasMUST life.
Anyone with me? @UCML @MFLMentoring @BCouncil_Wales @EUErasmusPlus @erasmusplusUK @RoutesCymru @meits_owri @HEGoingGlobal @branwenjeffreys @AbbieWightwick @cardiffuni @BeatEating @UUKIntl
Anyone with me? @UCML @MFLMentoring @BCouncil_Wales @EUErasmusPlus @erasmusplusUK @RoutesCymru @meits_owri @HEGoingGlobal @branwenjeffreys @AbbieWightwick @cardiffuni @BeatEating @UUKIntl
