Fundraising for charity

I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the one that walked 1000 miles to help so many desperate souls...

I AM FUNDRAISING FOR CHARITY

I don't like New Year's resolutions. You shouldn't just try to be a better version of yourself because a new year has started. You should try to improve every single day. The 31st of December and the 1st of January are days like any other. Life goes on. Other lives end. People take their lives. Particularly in the days around Christmas and NYE many people see suicide as their only option. 1 in 4 people suffers from mental health problems such as depression. Organisations such as Mind - The Mental Health Charity try their best to help those who need it. But it's just not enough. There are too many people out there suffering, too many people that don't have anybody to turn to and definitely too many people that are still ashamed about mental health issues and just don't ask for help. That is exactly why charities like Mind need to grow. Not only do people need them as somebody to turn to, but our society is also in desperate need to educate. Mental health is a serious issue; it is as serious as physical health. With a quarter of all people suffering with a mental illness we all are affected somehow, either because it is us or someone around us who feels that way.

This is why I chose to fundraise for charity!

Throught the year 2017 I am walking 1000 miles. For this, I am not counting the steps and walks I would do anyways. I am just including walks I specifically do for this project. Why did I choose to walk 1000 miles instead of doing a cake sale or something similar? I really wanted to challenge myself! With my project I am doing three things at the same time:

1.  I am raising money for a good cause
2.  I am exercising, and therefore doing something good for my physical health
3.  I give myself time to think and reflect, therefore doing something good for my mental health

Whilst I am walking my 1000 miles I am posting regular updates to my fundraising page.

You can sponsor me and donate money, which will go straight to Mind.

I have created a YouTube video which explains this a little bit more and also gives information what Mind does and highlights why this is such an important cause.

Mind also has a seperate online community Elefriends where members can anonymously talk about their experiences and feelings, help and listen to each other, and get support from the big Ele, trained workers from Mind. This works a bit like group therapy. It is a safe virtual world for people that struggle with the outside world. Everybody should have available support like this. If you want to help me and support this cause, Mind shows you what even a small donation can achieve:

I am very proud to support Mind and Elefriends and making the world a teeny tiny bit better.

I would be so incredibly grateful if you could help as well.

Here is the link to my fundraising page:

JustGiving

And please, please, please spread the word.

If any of you needs somebody to talk to:

Thank you so much for reading this!

See you next week

Lots of love

Jen

xxx

My favourite Youtubers

I LOVE Youtube!
I have stopped watching TV a couple of years ago, I only watch the occasional "Tatort" with my parents. Only Germans will get that one ;) Instead I started watching DVDs. I don't have Netflix or any other similar streaming account and I don't watch films online. I am pretty oldschool when it comes to media, no matter if it's books, films or music. I like to own them or borrow them. But recently I haven't watched a lot of movies either, instead I only watch my series (at the moment NCIS) with my lunch and dinner. But I watch a lot of YouTube. And today I want to share my favourite Youtubers with you:

1. Brogan
Brogan is an award winning blogger and youtuber and an absolute Disney fan. I love her for her down-to-earth weekly vlogs, her real-life advise and her motivation. She is absolutley amazing, always replies to comments and really cares for her supporters. I love love love her videos!

2. CDTSimon
Simon is my best friend. He does fancy travel vlogs and weekly vlogs filled with loads of delicious cooking. Together with his friends he has a very successful dominoes channel. I personally am not interested in dominoes at all, but their videos and domino challenges are simply fascinating!

3. Mirellativegal 
Mirella is a German Youtuber that does a lot of different formats. She has amazing travel vlogs, advise on life, comedy and "Määäcker-Montag", as well as some podcasts and very special unboxing videos, in which she "unboxes" other Youtubers. I really love the variety of her videos.

4. Itsbinkybee 
Bianca and I went to Boarding School together. She had a couple of different YouTube channels and blogs, but Itsbinkybee is her current one. She showed us her journey of getting a nose job, moving house, struggling with university and jobs and and and. I love her for her real-ness and her weekly vlogs.

5. SophieBelle 
Sophie is the loveliest Youtuber and Disney fan I have ever seen. If you are a Disney addict and tea-lover like I am, you definitely have to watch her videos! I am really excited for her and her fiancé's Disney holiday planning videos!

6. Wanted Adventure 
Dana is an American that moved to the Czech Republic and now lives in Germany. She does very cultural and educating, yet at the same time funny and entertaining, videos about the differences between Germany and the US, the German language and English, and all her experiences. Sometimes you even get to see "Mr. Germanman" in her videos ;)

7. Ash Hardell 
Ash is an LGBTQ+ youtuber that explains a lot about that topic and does amazing poetry slam at the same time. She recently got married to her wife Grace and did a lovely series on their engagement, their wedding and their vows.

Click on their names to see their channel and subscribe.
You see I spend a lot of time on YouTube. Not only watching but trying to build up my own channel.
Have you seen my latest video? I spent a lovely weekend trip in London and Milton Keynes where I visited my friend and roommate back from boarding school.

If you want to support me in my 1000miles as fundraising for charity and donate money to

Mind - The Mental Health Charity click on the link.

See you next week

Love

Jen

xx

Cambridge

Autumn last year my friend and I went on an excursion with the Catholic Community of our university. Together with other parishes from South-East England we met up in Cambridge to go to mass together, learn about Cambridge's history and do a bit of sightseeing.

 







I really liked that beautiful old town with all its historic buildings and monuments, I definitely wanna go there again. And I must say I enjoyed Cambridge a lot more than Oxford. It just had this mesmerising charme. We walked around the town for about two hours and got shown all the different colleges and churches. I heard of punting for the first time. It's a bit like those gondulas in Venice. My friend and I obviously had to try that out!!! We were in a boat together with a family for about one hour. I was so scared at the beginning, you wouldn't believe it! And I don't even know why I was so scared, I swim very well and the water wasn't deep anyways. But I guess it's just that loss of control :D If you ever go to Cambridge you should definitely do that, it is so lovely, especially in the summer I imagine.

We ended the lovely day with some mulled wine in a cosy pub. I really hope to go on more excursions like that. I wanna see Canterbury and Bath... Any recommendations where else I should go?

Also, I am really busy making my holiday plans for this year!! So far I know my Dad is coming to visit me at the end of March. I am flying home to Cologne at the end of April and from there my Mum and I are driving to Paris to spend my 23rd birthday in Disneyland!! I am so thrilled!! I also plan to meet up with my friend from boarding school and I might go on holidays with my best friend this year. Let's see, shall we? I am really excited for this year and all the trips and experiences it holds for me!

If you want to support me in my 1000miles as fundraising for charity and donate money to Mind-The Mental Health Charity:

Donate for MIND - The Mental Health Charity 

Have you seen my latest YouTube video?
It's my monthly gratitude project: 

 

Love
Jen