40 days and 40 nights of a meat eater turned Pescatarian

   

For Lent this year as I do every year, I decided to give up chocolate; the horrible painful 40 days and 40 nights of restricting myself from, what I consider to be, a staple ingredient to a healthy balanced diet.

I went on a lovely/well needed and deserved trip to Devon with the boyfriend. It was perfect, perfect weather, perfect break, perfect walks, perfect food, simply perfect. We visited Exmouth, bought some mouth watering fudge in just about every flavour they offered, from Roly's Fudge, and finished off with fish and chips.

On the last day, after a long walk, we went for a Sunday Carvery at the local pub, The Fisherman’s Cot, an absolute gem in Bickleigh Village. The kind chef piled on an astonishing amount of meat on each of our plates. Somehow, we both managed to fit everything in, and finished our plates – which resulted in us needing a long nap afterwards.

This Sunday Roast left me baffled at how I managed to fit in all that meat, and made me think (outloud). ‘You know, I think giving up meat for lent would be soso difficult’. Lightbulb. There and then, I had said it, and once it was said I had to keep to it. I had decided to give up meat for lent – and the boyfriend agreed to do it with me. So together, us big meat eaters, are now, temporarily, Pescatarian.

This has been such a challenge, seeing as my family cannot quite grasp the concept of a meat-less meal.

It has resulted in us both trying out all sorts of different recipes, which has been exciting, I will post up some of the recipes we have tried and now love!

9 days left and counting.

The end of third year is slowly approaching, which creates the worry of what comes after; finishing your dissertation, panicking through your exams, dressing up in your gowns, and finally getting your certificate. It is the beginning of entering the big, scary, real world.

It is tough to know how to fill the first few months you have left your comfortable student bubble. That is, if you haven't bagged yourself a job, or made plans to go find yourself in Thailand, and help the sea turtles in Africa, check David Attenboroughs Africa series - may convince you to go do just that. 

If you are in the position where you don't know what to do after University, don't want to walk straight into a job, or have graduated and feeling slightly lost; I have listed a few advantages of bulking up your CV with an internship!

• It gives you the opportunity to explore and ‘test drive’ potential career paths. If you are unsure of the industry/position/department you want to go into, an internship allows you to try it out – and if it’s not for you, at least you haven’t made any long-term commitments. Consider an internship a job sample, giving you an insight into typical days within that company or industry.

• It can help get your foot in the door with a company. Some companies use internships as a tool to find a full time employee - so in some cases, they can be an extended assessment centre!

• The experience gained in a work place will look great on your CV and become a magnet for potential employers. What I found when job searching, was a lot of companies prefer potential employees to have experienced some sort of internship. An internship shows the employer the candidate is comfortable in a working environment.

• With qualifications only being one area employer’s look at – an internship will give you that competitive advantage. It will give you the chance to demonstrate what you are capable of in the work place – making those competency based questions in interviews much easier to answer!

• Having experience in a working environment will also increase your confidence working in an office. It is somewhere you can learn from your mistakes

• It can make the transition from student life to working life easier. Although you’re given responsibilities, it is understood that you are there to gain experience and to learn – therefore a smoother shift.                

Best of luck to any of you applying for jobs or internships!

H x

The Move

After having used this space to record my journey whilst raising money for an amazing charity, Trekstock, 

I am taking a turn, transforming this blog into my room on the internet for general ramblings of an intern, including life outside of work, my temporary move to becoming a pescatarian, and my endless to do lists.

Much Love,

H x