Your Stories

In 2009, I am really hoping to buy the flat me and my boyfriend are living in, and to make it a lovely home by doing a bit of DIY.

I would love to make a dent in some of the debt I have acquired during my travels and buying my first car! I hope to continue being happy in my relationship and in my job and to develop my role at Show Racism the Red Card. My biggest fear is not to achieve anything or move forward in my life this year.

I simply couldn't live without my family and friends, there is a song in the musical Wicked called 'For good' and the lyrics are all about how much knowing a person can make you who you are, this song means a lot to me as I feel it is so true for my life.

I am definitely who I am today because I know my best friends and my soul mate Joanna and of course my family. All of the positive things about my character, my personality, the things I have achieved and been lucky enough to experience are most definitely down to my family and friends, and without them I would not be where, or who, I am today.

There are many things that make me angry and upset, Injustice being the main one. So many people experiencing unnecessary unhappiness, pain and suffering when they have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.

Obviously solving world poverty or finding a cure for Cancer or HIV/AIDS isn't simple, if it was it would have been done, but there is so much injustice in that there is enough money, food, water and medicine to go around, yet a child dies of Malaria every 30 seconds.

Someone like my nanny lived the most selfless life and had endless amounts of love for everyone and everything, yet she got Alzheimers and we watched as she slowly lost all the things that made her so special, and the ability to live her life.

On a lighter note, I absolutely hate the hic-cups, and have a total irrational fear that when I get them I will never get rid of them! When I get them I get myself worked up and usually cry!

Emotional, open and greedy-guts.

The best thing about my job is that it is so worthwhile, it is very satisfying doing something that you feel passionate about and that is hopefully making a difference, no matter how small, to the world that we live in. Also, the people I work with are amazing.

I live five minutes walk from the beach, and in fact if you stand on your very tip-toes and it is a really, really clear day we have a sea view from our bedroom!

Now that the sun has got its hat on, my boyfriend Andy and I have enjoyed many lovely walks in the evening down to the sea and along the leas. I always feel looking at the sea makes problems feel really very small, plus we get delicious ice creams from Minchellas every time we go down!

I have two, one of course has to be my eight months spent as a health education volunteer in Uganda, where I lived and worked in a rural village teaching in schools and the community about sexual health and preventing HIV/Aids and Malaria.

It is difficult to describe this experience and how it has changed me. I have also been banned from talking about it by my poor family who are understandably sick of hearing anything that starts with the words 'When I was in Uganda...'

My second greatest achievement is passing my driving test, this was undoubtably the hardest thing I have ever done, which may sound dramatic, but I had a real practical and personal struggle with it.

Luckily, after 10 years, three instructors, approximately one million lessons and four tests, I passed - woo! I still find myself feeling happy and proud about it now when I am driving around in my first car! Persevering with it, even though I found it so hard, has also taught me valuable lessons that have been useful in other areas of my life.

I find this question almost impossible to answer as I have been lucky enough to have so many happy memories! Some of my happiest memories are of time spent with my lovely nanny before she got Alzheimers. She was so much fun and loved nothing more then being with all of her family.

Another happy memory that comes to mind is from when I was at university. A meteorite shower had been forecast so my friends and I got up in the night, got wrapped up and went and lay down on the grass in the garden. It was incredible, like seeing thousands of shooting stars, it was a really inspiring sight and to be there, more or less care-free, with some very special people was amazing and very memorable.

I can be quite jealous and have a tendancy to compare myself to other people. I know how unhelpful it is, but I just can't help it. My experiences in Africa have definitely made me realise how lucky we are and I genuinely do appreciate how lucky I am.

But sometimes when you're walking down the street and you see someone who has better hair, cooler clothes or is a bit thinner ... I have to remind myself of this! Another bad habit is that I get bored really easily and don't like to be on my own.

My ambition is to be happy and to experience as much as I can.

Worrying about not achieving my ambitions! Oh and the lamp post that shines directly into our bedroom window!

Disclaimer: The people taking part have all given their own account of life as they see it and the views expressed are their own and not the BBC's.