Interviewing My Friends #1: Louissa

I have talked a lot about myself on my blog, and I know that is what people usually do when they start a blog or something similar, and I wanted to change things up a little. I decided to interview a few of my friends and here is my first interview, with my friend Louissa. 

1. Where are you from and what did you like most and least there?

I’m originally from Brighton and Hove. I’d say one of the things I really like about Brighton is the beach. I also really like the diversity. People from all over the world come to Brighton and it’s so cool that you always hear people talking in another language whenever you go into the centre of town. I’d say one thing I don’t like about Brighton is that some people see it as a place with a bad reputation.

2. You home-schooled? For how long and did you enjoy it?

I home-schooled for four years part-time, and then two years full-time. I enjoyed it, but I’d say I definitely prefer going to school. Even so, I think that the skills I gained doing home-schooling will really help me at university.

3. What was the hardest and easiest part of home-schooling?

The hardest part was definitely the fact that I had to do everything myself, and it required a lot of self-motivation which was a struggle at times. I really missed having classmates and teachers. One of the aspects I really liked about home-schooling was that I could do everything at my own pace, and fit my studying around my week. 

4. You took a year out, before uni, why did you decide to do this and what did you do?

My parents are missionaries, and I wanted to have my own go of doing work like they do, serving God. I took a year out with Youth for Christ. I was placed in Gloucestershire and spent a week doing youth work, in schools and at my church placement. In a typical week, I might help with an assembly, go into a school at lunchtime to chat with the young people, run some clubs and run the Sunday morning youth session at church. 

5. What is your favourite bible verse and why?

I don’t really have one favourite. One of my favourites though is Genesis 50:20. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” This is from my favourite bible story – the story of Joseph. This verse comes at the end of the story when his brothers come to talk to him, scared of how he will treat them because of how they sold him into slavery. In this verse, Joseph tells them that even though what they did was wrong, and hurt him, he now sees how God used that bad thing and turned it around. 

6. If you could go back in time what is one thing you would want to change (in your early years)?

I’d tell myself one of the important lessons I’ve learned this year - to be more content with who I am and to not wish I was like other people. 

7. If you could go back to any period in history, where would you go and why?

I’d probably go back to the Edwardian or Victorian eras. They are some of my favourite periods to study, and it would be so interesting to see it all for real. I’d also love to dress up and go to a ball (although I might need some ballroom dancing lessons first…).

8. So, you like writing? What is your fave genre to write, and when did this hobby start?

I don’t really remember when it started. It came from my love of books. I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember, and have wanted to be an author since I was a little girl. 

As for my favourite genre, I don’t really have one favourite genre. At the moment, I’ve got an idea for a ‘slice out of life’ and a dystopian on the go, and a few other ideas running through my head.

9. What are you excited about and nervous about going to uni?

I’m excited about studying my favourite subject, meeting lots of new people and making friends. I’m excited to join the Christian Union. I’m not really that nervous about anything – I’m trusting in God to look after me. 

10. And finally, what are your study/revision tips and advice?

I’d say that each person should find out what works for them best. Look at a few different ideas, try them out and see what works best for you. Different tactics might work for different subjects. For me, I like using lots of colour on my notes. I like to make spider diagrams, and timelines (for History).

 It’s also important to find the time of day in which you work best. For me, for example, I work best in the morning and in the evenings. 

I’d also recommend looking for revision videos and academic videos on YouTube. For example, I watched a video about the history of the English Language, which really helped me to learn the main points that I needed to know for my exams.

It was really enjoyed doing this interview, with Louissa, and plan to do a couple more on subjects like writing and anxiety. Please comment if you enjoyed this, and some ideas of future posts you would like to see.