This is me!!! (February Blogging Challenge)

So here goes... My first proper blog post for the 'February Blogging Challenge'.

I'll start of by introducing myself (I have done an intro before in my very first blog but this is a bit more updated)

Hi, my name is Salma, I am a second year Journalism student with a dream to travel the world. I wanted to become a war journalist at one point in my life as the thrill of going onto war grounds and dodging bullets and ducking behind cars gave me a rush but the more I look into it the more dangerous it looks. But hey ho, life is full of risks right?

But to be on the safe side I have decided that I'll stick to freelancing but in different countries. Should be fun.

I come from a family of eight people – My parents, four sisters & one brother, sometimes nine when my Nan stays over. And I have a cat for a brother. Okay, so I come from a family of ten.

My parents are from Bangladesh but me and my siblings were born and bred in London. East London to be precise.

Salaam Salma – What does my blog name mean? Salaam is an Arabic word سلام which means peace so I thought why not use the use of alliteration to my advantage. My name Salma derived from the word Salaam so jackpot. Salaam Salma – what a contradiction to how I really am. As much as I want peace, I am not very peaceful. Always yapping, singing and bothering those around me :D

Travelling

I love to travel and meet new people from around the world and I have made some life long friends from around the globe. I used to be very active in youth projects and community work but the older I've become the less I've participated. I guess I'm falling out of that youth age.

I've travelled a fair amount compared to some people my age but then again I've gone nowhere compared to other people who have lived out in different countries.

Where have I been?

I have been to... Bangladesh (my mother land) 2002
France (school trip 2008 for a day & Paris for my 14^th birthday) 2009

Morocco (to celebrate the end of my GCSE's) 2011

Morocco - Ourika Valleys

Atlanta (for a conference for Usher's New Look Foundation) 2011

Usher

With Dougie Fresh & the crew representing the UK

Sweden (for an exchange where I made some amazing friends and lived near the lake) 2012 

Greece (for a European Exchange on environment) 2013

People from around Europe... (spot me)

Switzerland (Caux, for a conference) 2013

Then to Paris with family a few months later

And again to Switzerland straight from Paris

With my sisters sitting on a tree

Making a speech in the UN

Arabia (Makkah & Madina for the smaller Islamic pilgrimage – Umrah) 2014

Algeria (to tour) 2014

Monument des Martyrs

Bangladesh (again. To tour this time) 2014

Rickshaws

Lal Bagh Fort

and India (where we went to Kolkata & Darjeeling then back to Bangadesh).

Queen Victoria's memorial in Kolkata

With young girls in Darjeeling

I have always dreamt of going to Egypt. Not too sure why but it just appeals to me. Over the past few years I have been determined to go to Palestine and visit the holy Mosque – Masjid Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. I was meant to go last year but unfortunately I had to cancel my flight due to the bombings. Summer 2014 was a sad one for the civilians of Palestine and for those around the world who showed their support for them. I hope I can make these trips come to life this year. 

Education

Although I hate politics, it surrounds us hence why I need to have an awareness of it. And if I want to become a journalist, I'll need to have an understanding of a little bit of everything. But, Middle Eastern politics interests me more than British Politics. I guess I have always had an interest in the Middle East since my early teenage years and to be quite frank, British Politics is boring.

Goals

I know a month of the new year has already gone but I am actually struggling to accomplish or even make a start on my goals. New years resolutions are weird. Every year I write up goals which I hope to achieve for that year but I end up rewritiing the same goals for the next year.

I accomplished about seven goals out of sixteen in 2014 – To finish the Qur'an, Travel alone, Go Umrah, Go Bangladesh, Be happy and content with life, Appreciate and show gratitude, say Alhamdulillah 'Praise be to Allah' for everything. Small but doable. And every year for about six years, the one goal I've written everywhere is 'LOSE WEIGHT' and 'BE MORE HEALTHY'. I'll get there one day.

Some of my goals for 2015, apart from losing weight and being healthy are: To start and pass my driving, Make my blog bigger and better, Volunteer abroad, Go Palestine, Learn Arabic, Learn more on religions, and to be Happy. It is important that I remind myself to be happy especially during times I feel low. I need to remember that someone out there will probably do anything to be in my shoes so I should have no reason to complain and be sad about life.

So this is me. Salma.

Just an East Side girl livin' in a huge world.

I hope y’all enjoyed that.

Next blog will be this Friday around 9pm.

I look forward to it.

Follow me on:

Instagram: SalmaKhatun95 & SalaamSalma

Twitter: SalmaKhatun95