An English student’s diary

Fighting my worst habit is something I still do and something I struggle with every day because I do not like it at all. My worst habit is biting my nails. I have been doing it since I was a kid and I actually stopped when I was sixteen and started wearing braces. Because I wore my braces for two years I was strong enough to stop that filthy habit and even when I got my braces out I would not bite my nails. But since last year, when my anxiety reached its peak because of the large number of exams and how demanding they were I have been biting them when I was under a lot of stress. To cope with this habit I paint my nails so I prevent myself from biting my nails. It helps because I like to have my nails painted and I know that if I bite them I will destroy how beautiful they look so it helps. I also think about how much bacteria I'm putting into my mouth. Time spent: 8 minutes

Lately, I have been listening to the same music over and over again but I actually have a very diverse taste in music that allows me to listen to almost every genre there is out there. As much as I love listening to every kind of music, I enjoy some types more than others and, of course, some artists more than others. As of right now, I would say that my favourite musicians are Florence and The Machine, Harry Styles, Rosalía, Vetusta Morla and Bad Gyal. I enjoy using Spotify and almost always you will find me using my AirPods to listen to the playlist I create while I have nothing to do. While growing up I started listening to a band that changed everything for me, that band was One Direction. Because of them, I learnt English and I got into music like Arctic Monkeys and Lana del Rey. So I basically owe my taste in music to this boyband. Because of Harry Styles friendship with Florence Welch I started listening to Florence and the Machine, which is nowadays my favourite band. They play...

  Though I try not to be material it's hard for me because I like shopping and the feeling that gifts and new items I have bought bring to me. But there are things that I am proud of owning. As much as I love clothes, none of my favourite possessions is a piece of clothing. My favourite possessions are my books, my record player and my vinyl records. My three favourite books are "La voz dormida" by Dulce Chacón, "Just Kids" by Patti Smith and "Useless Magic" by Florence Welch which is not a conventional book but a book full of her lyrics and poems. These three bring me so much joy and even though I don't have much time for reading, I like having found these. About my record player, my godparents gave it to me as a present for my 18th birthday so it is very special for me. A record player would be nothing without some vinyl records to play in it and even though I do not have many I am lucky to own two of my favourite records ever which are "Fin...

  My childhood is something I enjoy thinking about. I keep many photos from this stage of my life, which makes it easier to remember all the good times I had. Though there are many memories I will never forget, there is one that makes me the happiest. This story goes back to 2007 when I and my family travelled to Bilbao to see a football match from the team I support, Athletic Club de Bilbao, and to do some sightseeing. Even though I was only four years old, I still vividly remember what it was like to enjoy such a beautiful city alongside my family. The anecdote starts on the day of the match. I was not going to be a mere spectator because I had the chance to be on the field and get a picture with the players. My dad had participated in a raffle for me to be able to accompany one of the players and get a picture with the whole team and a bunch of other kids. I still remember how big the field was and thinking that I was about to play a game so I was surprised when I had to get out...

  I am not one who believes hard in something. But, by having a deep look inside myself, I can find the thing I connect with the most. That thing may not be the belief people are used to but it is indeed the one that I find peace with. Something I strongly believe in is energy. I have this belief because even though it is something we can not see, I feel it. I imagine that is what people who have a close relationship with God feel. I never thought much about energies but since last year I started feeling them more and more and that is when I started to introspect and I found the reason why I was feeling like that. When I explain my belief to someone I rather do it with examples, which is what I am about to do. I think we all agree that different people have different vibes, those vibes are something you do not see but feel and, in my opinion, all of them are powered by our own energy. That is why we do not need to communicate sometimes with those we know the most because we share t...

  As someone who loves cinema, I enjoy actors' work a lot. That is why it is hard for me to pick my favourite movie star, but there is always some actor you have a soft spot for. For me, it is Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger was an Australian actor that passed away fourteen years ago in 2008. I first noticed him in the rom-com "10 Things I Hate About You" and looked for his name on the internet. From that day on, I started watching everything he was credited on and found one of my favourite movies ever, "Brokeback Mountain". Because of his magnific acting in that movie, he was nominated for an Academy Award. But his acting skills and his handsome physique were not the only reasons why I was in awe of him. When watching interviews of him it was clear that he was different and that having grown up somewhere far from Hollywood made him value much more what he got besides making him an incredibly humble and down-to-earth person. His loss is still noticeable in today'...

  Smoking is one of the filthiest and most unhealthy habits I can think of still, it is trendy nowadays but I can not wrap my head around it. For this reason, I would ban it from everywhere because most of the time non-smokers are the ones that suffer when someone smokes around them. Banning smoking may sound harsh and non-sense but it would be beneficial for our society. Almost all of my friends, or used to smoke, but now they are all trying to quit and I can see how much they struggle when people smoke by their side. With that being one of the reasons why I would ban it, there are many more that directly affect non-smokers like me. Without any benefit for either smokers or non-smokers, non-smokers have to deal with smoke in their faces and the smell of cigarettes in their clothes and hair, for instance. Besides, it goes without saying how harmful it is to even breathe the smoke from cigarettes. Time spent: 8 minutes

  Biking is very important in my life and it runs in our genes to enjoy and endure cycling. For that reason, I have always been lucky enough to own a bike. Though I have been riding bikes all my life, I don't certainly remember my first bike. However, I do remember a pink bike that my godparents bought me on Christmas when I was about 7 years old. That's the age when I started joining my dad on his bicycle rides. Because I was so into this sport when I grew up, what was quick, my aunt bought me a bigger and better bike when I was 9 years old. That bike was also pink but way more professional and big. I will always be thankful for my parents' love for sports and for my family always giving such great gifts. Nowadays I have a black bike that I don't use that much because I don't have any free time nor do my friends like to go on bike rides so it lies around the house without ever leaving it. Time spent: 7 minutes

Food is a topic that excites me. I could go on and on about my favourite types of food and why I like them because I think there is much more about food than not just its flavours. Eating is also a nice activity to do, sharing food is something that brings me joy and getting to know about different cultures through food is something I'm always willing to do. My favourite type of food without any doubt is Spanish food, mostly because it runs in my family to be a good chef so I'm lucky to have a father whose cooking skills are beyond amazing and a grandmother who is still able to do some of the dishes that not even my dad is capable to emulate. Between Spanish food, we find my favourite dish, the "tortilla de patatas" with onion, of course. It is something I'm always hungry for, besides it is nutritive and leaves you full. It is not so complicated to do one, but it is to do a nice one. The ingredients could not be more Mediterranean since only potatoes, oil, onions ...

  Though many people may think the opposite, discrimination is still present in our everyday lives. Some may not see because of the people they are surrounded by, but, that is why coming out of your comfort zone and realising that everyone is not as lucky as you are will make you realize the actual truth. People get discriminated because of many reasons, because of the colour of their skin, their gender, where they are from, what they work on, how much money they have... But not one of these reasons should be a pretext to make someone feel less valid than another just because they are simply different. Dealing with discrimination is present in our lives since we are kids, we may not recognise it at such a young age, but it is present. For women, it starts when boys would not let them play football, for non-white people when they are not invited to a birthday party, and for people with disabilities when they are taken away from their friends' side because it takes them more time to ...

My first day of school still sounds like a difficult day to me, even though so many years have gone by since that day. Actually, there have been a couple of times when I have been new in a school. The first time I was new was when I was three years old so I certainly do not remember but I remember that the first day of class was always hard for me. Perhaps I did not want to let go of my mother or because I have always loved summer and I did not want it to end, but the reality is that I have never liked it. A few years later, when I was 10, a new school was opened right in front of my house so that was the second time I was new somewhere. I can actually remember that day and I have a nice memory of it because I met the friends I spent the days with for over 8 years. Later, when I was 17 I moved to a new high school where I did not know anyone but it was the best first day I could ever imagine, not because of the day per see but for the friends and memories I have made there in only two ...

  Space travelling and many other technological and scientific progress are causing much debate among those who see it as a functional use of money and those who think it is a waste of money that could be used for many other issues that happen on Earth. Nevertheless, it is undeniable how exciting travelling to space sounds, it also seems dangerous but to be honest if I was given the chance to travel to space I am not sure if I would do it. Although I'm sure it is an unrepeatable experience to see another world and travelling in a rocket it must be really expensive and I'm not so sure if so worth it because at the end of the day there is nothing to see and I would rather see other places in our own planet that have much cultural value.

  Shopping is nowadays a social event, especially for young people that want to meet their friends and do a different activity since it is fun. The shopping experience has evolved because of malls and online shopping and now it is seen as a hobby rather than a task. Shopping for clothes is something I enjoy but it is something that takes a lot of time and money for me. There's something in purchasing clothes or useless things that feels like therapy. An actual reason why people buy so much may be found in that feeling that having something new brings to you. Besides, adverts and the use of social media have a lot to do with consumption since we are exposed to so much information about items that they create a need in us we did not know we needed.

  As someone who has had friends her whole life, I recognise the importance of having someone to count on. There are many types of friends but the hardest one to find is without any doubt, a good friend. As I have already said, there are many types of friends. For instance, there are those that you only salute when you see each other at a party, friends from your childhood whom you do not talk to as often as you would like to but whenever you see them it seems like not a single day has gone by since you last saw them, and then there are good friends. A good friend is someone who is always there, through thick and thin. They always have the best intentions and even though you may not talk to each other every day, it is not necessary because you know that your bond can't ever be broken. I am lucky enough to say that I have many good friends that make my days worthwhile and I am proud of that because what kind of friends you have also says something about yourself. 

  Getting married should be a well-thought idea, since love by itself, in this case, is not enough. That is why, from my point of view age and being mature is important when it comes to such an important commitment as getting married. When thinking about people getting married I think about people that are at least in their late twenties. My parents and almost every couple that surround me got married when they were older than twenty-five years old. Marriage is not only about loving each other, but being honest is the only thing you can think of when you are ready to take that step. However, there should be many other aspects of marriage that you should think of like financial issues, having kids, living together, and how compatible your jobs are... For that reason, to get married you should have lived your life and been taught some lessons about reality from life itself that come easy to you when you are past twenty-five years old.

You are officially a teenager when you turn 10 years old, and you are no longer a teenager when you turn 20. This stage in our lives is a difficult one since many changes are involved. Not only physical which are the ones that we can see but psychological and those are the most drastic ones. First of all, we got to admit that there's discrimination when it comes to teenagers. Adults act like they went straight from kids to adults and like to make fun of teenagers, which is a terrible mistake while being at such a delicate age. No one prepares you for everything that is about to happen in your life and the worst thing is that nobody cares, if you are lucky and have caring parents maybe you will be able to talk about it all with them but if not, you are left with your own problems and doubts. That's why friends are so important, especially during this period of time but here comes another problem, not everyone has friends, as harsh as it sound it's the absolute truth. Then th...

  As incredible as it may sound, there are still people who don't use cell phones. They refuse to let an electronic device take on their lives and have to look at it for almost every task you can imagine nowadays. I don't see the problem with having a cell phone if you know how to use it. Times have evolved and so has technology so, why not take advantage of it? It can be a very useful tool, you just need to be careful and learn about it from day one. Being able to communicate with each other is the main function of this device but there are many uses for it. From taking photos to online shopping, I can not even start naming all the possibilities that you can take advantage of from a phone. Maybe it's not the best to have every tool we will ever need in your hands, literally, but, maybe it is. Time spent: 6 minutes

  As outdated as I may sound, using e-mail is still as trendy as it has always been. Asides from being a more professional tool than social media, it is very useful since you keep all your information in one account where everything can be easily found. I don't use e-mail as a way to communicate with others, at least not with my friends or family, but I use it when it comes to university or to talk with corporations when I have a doubt or when I am expecting a package. Then, it's the most useful app on my phone because with it you can keep track of it. There are worse things to using e-mail like you can run out of space as happened to me not long ago, that would never happen on Instagram or on WhatsApp. But, it is needed still to contact more professional people. Time spent: 7 minutes

  Making mistakes is a human thing we all do once in a while or all the time. But what no one can say is that they have never been mistaken because they are afraid to be. Talking about mistakes, I once made one that I am really embarrassed about. It's probably one of the things you could think of, it's one of these topics everyone jokes about but no one has actually gone through it, well, it happened to me. First of all, I was way younger, I was about 9 years old but still, I remember it so vividly. I was doing groceries with my mom when she bumped into an old friend of hers and started talking, within a few minutes I got introduced to ger and here is where the mistake comes in. I couldn't help but look at her belly, the belly of a pregnant woman or at least, that was what I thought she was, so I asked her about the sex of her baby only to find that she wasn't actually pregnant and that was her actual belly. I got so embarrassed I wanted to cry and hide but the woman la...

  Working as a student can be hard but for some, it is necessary since maybe their parents cannot support them financially anymore because a degree is very expensive. Understanding that not everyone has the same opportunities and that for some students going to college is a big expense is something everyone should wrap their head around. Most of the time the problem lies in society and why the so-called, public university is not actually free so that more people can study so they can get more job opportunities. This is why scholarships are important and should be given to those in need. It is true that working can give you a sense of maturity and it helps you to grow and face problems another way and most importantly, it makes you value money and the effort that it takes to obtain what you want.  Time spent: 10 minutes