Hello it's me (ha) I'm Cassandra, a 17 teen year old girl based in the Netherlands with a huge admire for writing and photography 🌟Twitter: @alwaysbeperry and instagram: @tbhcassandra 🌟
Three! Weeks! already have passed since I wrote my last post. It’s now almost been a month of living in Manchester and I can finally say that I really feel at home here. I’ve found my routine, I am discovering more and more nice coffee places, vintage stores and even a cat cafe… yes, I know. I am no longer homesick, but I would be lying if I said that that I didn’t miss my cats so much. Just the little fur balls that are always around – yes, you are going to miss that.
But these past few weeks have been amazing. Last week I started my first week at MMU, Manchester Metropolitan University, and despite I got lost and late the first day (…..), I still had a really nice week. I learned a lot already, and also learned that my English may be fluent, but that English on an university level is something else. It’s the first time in years that I have to look up words again and actually check my spelling and grammar… Nonetheless I really enjoyed myself this week. I had classes in Crimes of the Powerful, mental health and sociology and gender rolls and how society affects us in our genders. Totally something different than journalism, but very interesting and I already see ways how I can incorporate things I have learned here in my own work.
Apart from being back in uni, I have also found my way back to the gym. Finally. I took a three month break last summer, just because I wasn’t feeling it anymore and I had to drag myself to go instead of actually going because I wanted to. So I stopped and just enjoyed my summer (which consisted of two weeks walking across Italy and exploring New York in six days.. you can imagine that I haven’t rested for one bit). But not being in the gym, actually made me excited to go back, so last week I took a gym membership. Yes, even a membership! It was only 50 pounds for three months so that was the biggest reason I said yes. But I can happily say that I enjoy it again and that’s its actually fun to go again.
To wrap it all up: I am feeling at home in Manchester. Despite the rain, it’s an amazing city and so happy, alive and diverse.
My first few weeks in Manchester
Three! Weeks! already have passed since I wrote my last post. It’s now almost been a month of living in Manchester and I can finally say that I really feel at home here.
Studying abroad. It’s something I have always wanted to do. Long before I started college and got the opportunity to study abroad. I worked extremely hard the past few mo the to be able to go on a study abroad and here we are…. I am in Manchester, United Kingdom, for four months. I arrived on Wednesday and moved in, in my residence on Thursday. It’s cute, it’s tiny, but it already kind of feels like home. Not home-home yet, but home and that’s a start.
For the upcoming months I’m gonna start studying sociology at the Manchester Metropolitan University and I am very excited, but also a bit nervous. I know my English is fine and I am pretty sure it will be classes and information that interests me; but there’s always that “what if” – “what if I don’t like it” – “what if I can’t find anyone who likes me?” Stupid thoughts. Unnecessary at most. But they are there. I know they’ll fade once I had my first week of school, but now it’s still a week of being a little bit nervous.
Nerves aren’t however the only feelings I feel. I feel happy, pride, excited, but also a little homesick. I miss my cats, my mom and my at home friends (who are amazing and are already planning trips to come and visit me). Nonetheless I am very excited for the upcoming months. I already met some really nice people and it’s good to have some months to really come together again with myself.
As I am writing this I am sitting in Castlefield with strawberries that were discounted to less than one pound and a skinny Starbucks latte, because they didn’t have a normal one. Skinny latte’s aren’t that nice and overpriced. But the sun’s out and in England I know that’s a special occasion, so I’m gonna enjoy it and soak up the last bit of vitamin D before the winter starts again.
❤️
Yes, I am living in Manchester!
Studying abroad. It’s something I have always wanted to do. Long before I started college and got the opportunity to study abroad.
Opinions about this subject are extremely divided and it splits our world in two: pro-life and pro-choice. Which one you choose is completely up to you, because we live in a democracy and we have the freedom that we are entitled to our own opinions. But why are pro-life people not content enough with their own choice? Why do they have to force their opinion on to other people?
New York Fucking City or better known as: my dream city. The people who know me closely, know that I have always wanted to go to America and especially to NYC. Why? I don’t know, the whole vibe it seems to have just attracts me so much. The art, the buildings, the skyline and of course, the Gossip Girl places. Yes, among thousands of others, I also am a huge Gossip Girl fan and always wanted to…
Moving out. It’s happening today. And it’s making me excited and also kind of sad at the time. Or it’s more nerves and nostalgia. I have moved a few times I my life, but I never moved out before.
I finally have packed things and now my house is covered in boxes, piles of clothes, bags and suitcases. I know that I am ‘only’ going for three months and that I don’t have to buy furniture, but it surprises me how much stuff I actually have. I have a small room at home-home, but apparently I have loads of things in it because it’s still full while all the bags, suitcases and boxes are also full.
This morning I handed in my last deadline of the semester and as I handed it in, I suddenly got nervous. These last few weeks, months even, I didn’t really realize that I was actually going to move out and having to live for most of the time on my own – without my cats or my mother. It’s not that I am nervous about living on my own, because I know I am independent enough for that, but I am more nervous about missing my home-home and meeting all these new people. But on the other hand: I am excited, excited for this new adventure and very excited to be able to ‘sleep-in’ even when you have an early morning class.
After we packed, what seemed as the whole house, we managed to get it all on the bicycles and into the train. Which was a bit of a struggle. Imagine two people with five big bags and suitcases trying to pass through a narrow train aisle. Yeah – a struggle. But a funny one I do have to say. Pretty sure a lot of people were thinking: where the heck are those to going, on a world trip? Nope! Just moving! Without furniture! Just stuff!
The same thoughts people probably had while we were passing through the train station and into the bus. Again, with narrow aisles. But after a little bit more than an hour we made it to the student house – my house. But moving is never as easy as they make it seem in movies. Firstly, I had to text someone to open the front door and I hate feeling like I am bothering people. Secondly the keys of my own door were with a girl who wasn’t home and wouldn’t be home for hours. Oh. Help. Thankfully we found a spare key that worked. I didn’t even want to think of the idea that I came all this way, with all my stuff, and that I couldn’t enter my room because there was no key. Yeah, I am a worse-case-scenario thinker. I am trying to change that!
So, we finally had a key and could enter the room. Even though I had five bags full of things, it didn’t take long before everything had its own place. I right away lit a scented candle and it made the room smell like home. Also, I hung up over twenty photos from friends, my cats, my mom and more memories. Photos do really make a place feel like home. And it has lights. After that I gave my beloved record player a place and filled the room with the one and only Katy Perry. Obviously.
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But even though I was moving in and making the room my own, my mom was still there. And she wouldn’t be staying. It was a little hard to say goodbye, I think for the both of us. But it’s a ‘good’ sad if that makes sense. I am proud of myself for taking this step.
All wrapped up: it was a good first day and night. I didn’t get time to be sad that I was alone or something like that, instead I got the time to go to a party and finally not having to crash at someone else’s places. Not always having to find a place to sleep after a night out, or not being able to leave whenever you want to leave, is really not nice. It was truly such a nice feeling to bike home and to crawl into my own bed. I think I am going to love it here.
About one and a half week to go till I am going to take the train to Utrecht for a whole other reason than class. It’s so weird that moving out is suddenly becoming real and not something that ‘I would do in the future’. I have been, and still am, so busy with school that I don’t even have the time to stand still by the idea. Which is maybe good because if I think about it too much, I do get…
Writing a blog about it might even be scarier than saying it out loud, because as soon as I post it it’s kind of official. But to be honest, it’s already official. I start paying rent in three weeks, so I guess that makes it real. But yes: I am moving out. Part-time. Due to work here in my hometown and not being able to not see my cats (and my family) every week, I will be traveling back and…
It’s been a while. I’ve had this blog for over two years now, but never really found the time to commit to it one hundred procent. I think the most honest reason for that was that I don’t feel like I have a life ‘worth’ blogging about, I’m not a glamours girl from the USA who constantly travels around the world and goes to this crazy events, I am just me. But a few days ago I started to think…
It’s the day. THE day. The day 10 year old Cassandra never had dared to dream it would actually happen. I am going to meet Katy Perry. It’s the only thought that goes through my mind when our alarm goes. Considering all the crazy times we woke up the past few days, is this 7 am wake up call, a sleep-in. But weirdly enough I don’t feel that exhausted. It’s probably because I am still a baby and I can sleep everywhere and anywhere and didn’t miss out on that much sleep the past few days.
07.30
Pretty much first in line. I’m exhausted, cold, hungry but also very very excited. And very nervous, but that’s normal right? I never thought I would be sitting in a line, knowing that I would go in and MEET the artist I would be seeing in concert later that night. Fuck damn, it is actually happening. And the thought of it makes me even more nervous.
13.00
Thomas has his very small, but better than our hostel room, hotel room until 1 so both Renske and I hurry to his room to get our faces a little bit more prepared for this day. We both decided to go with baby faces to the queue this morning, because it’s a hot day and it would melt of before we even would go inside the venue. In 15 minutes I manage to transform my baby face into a somewhat more appropriate look, but leave the things like eyeliner for later, because otherwise they will be on my knees due to the heat when we go in. I give myself a smile into the mirror, because I am maybe the happiest I have ever been at this point. Fuck damn heck. I am meeting Katy Perry.
16.00
You think picking up your meet and greet wristbands would go without stress? Well you’re wrong. In the e-mail we received from KPF we had to go to the ticket box to collect our meet and greet wristbands, but when Renske said her first and lastname the man behind the desk couldn’t find her/our names. A literal heart attack. He looked a second time and found them, but man, we both could cry right that minute. But we are now a few minutes later and we have them. It are green, papier, wristbands that say ‘Katy Perry Witness the Tour’ and it has ‘KC’ written on it, what I think stands for KatyCat. It feels so weird having this wristbands. It feels so weird to be actually that person who is going to meet Katy Perry. In all the years that I have been a fan I have seen people meet her, seeing friends of mine meet her, but it never was ME and now it is. Weird. Very weird.
18.30
We can go in. Even though we have the meet and greet and have to leave a bit after the doors open, we go in and make sure we have a barricade spot. Not center barricade this time, but I am not complaining. It seems like good spot and I know after meeting her, I couldn’t care less what I was standing. Behind us are the two sweetest persons, a mother and a daughter, who are so happy for us and already offered to keep our spots reserved. What a sweethearts.
(Right after the meet and greet I wrote a pretty long story about the meet and greet and everything around it and I will make a whole separated blog post about that)
+/- 21.00
Oh my flipping fuck. I can’t even understand what just all happened. We are now standing against the barricade and I only can laugh. I am so happy. Literally, so so happy. I already know this is gonna be an amazing show, whatever happens.
+/- 23.00
What a show. What a night. I cried, I laughed, I screamed, I sang and as cherry on top: Tamra stood in front of us filming Katy and everyone. The mother and the daughter behind us really seemed like they had the time of their life’s and it was so fun to see. I barely recorded this night, I just enjoyed everything in the moment and was just so insanely happy. I am so tired, but I can’t even bring into words how amazing this song once again was. Seeing Katy on stage, just after you met her, is really really weird. You see her performing these amazing songs, with her amazing voice and all the people singing along and you think: fuck, I actually just stood besides her; hugged her. It’s weird. Very weird. But amazing nonetheless. Onto the next show: STOCKHOLM!
I don’t think I ever experienced tiredness like this but oh well. We need to work in order to afford this crazy rollercoaster. 6 hours of work and then off to Amsterdam to meet Yael, who I never thought I would be meeting this soon because the distance Amsterdam – Israel isn’t the easiest one to break. But it’s actually happening after like what, 3 years of talking? But first, work. I will spare you the details of a work day with very little sleep and a lot of nerves.
15:00
AMSTERDAM! I get out of the train on a very crowded Amsterdam Central Station. What’s new though? However, there are already a LOT of pink themed people for the Toppers in Pink (wow really?) concert that’s this weekend in the arena. I hop on a tram and make a pit stop to score the cheapest short dress at the H&M. It’s unusually hot in Amsterdam and I somehow thought putting on long jeans, long black thick Levi’s jeans, was a smart idea. With my newly bought dress I hop on another tram to the cat cafe. Is it weird to say that I am nervous? It has been ages since I met up with “internet” friends.
21:00
My cat-café date with Yael was genuinely lovely. What a sweet girl she is. Nerves weren’t necessary at all. Talking with her felt so natural and like we have been friends for years. And her purple hair – I am obsessed. I’m now in the hostel, waiting on Renske and Thomas to come back from grocery shopping because if you’re gonna queue all day you’re gonna need food. And drinks. And coffee. Loads of strong coffee. The metro ride to this hostel was quite a ride. We were surrounded by pink and drunk Topper fans. Nothing against them, but I don’t think I can see or hear the word pink anymore after this weekend.
21:30
We are in the room and it isn’t even that bad. Renske and I claim the big bed, because… well because we are gonna meet Katy this weekend and we need a good night rest? Something like that. Anyway, Renske managed to arrange that we were all in the same room together and it actually worked out. We drop our stuff and go out to find something to eat. We end up at Domino’s, where the weirdest atmosphere is hanging. As soon as we have our pizza’s, we head back to the hostel where Patrick and Emma join us. The pizza was delicious by the way.
22:00
Nervous. I am definitely nervous. And also exhausted. Dead exhausted. And we still have 6 shows to go. But I couldn’t be more hyped.
06:00
Our alarm goes off a little bit later than in Antwerp, but you still can’t call it sleeping in. We jump in our outfits and head to the Ziggo Dome. I don’t think I’m lying when I’m saying that we are all a little bit nervous. Amsterdam is our hometown show and when you get up at a crazy time like this, you do wanna be the first. And we are the first. Number 1-2-3-4-5-6. I can finally breath a bit again and maybe sleep a bit again, because I am tired.
08:00
“Why are we doing this again?” Is the little sentence that spooked around in my head this past two hours. Sleeping isn’t gonna happen anymore, so we kill the time with eating, feeling sorry for ourselves, but most off all being very excited for tonight. After the Antwerp-drama, I make sure I feed myself every two hours because we don’t want that to happen ever again.
12:00
On a bandage-mission I leave the queue to go to the hostel. I can’t deny that I’m not nervous leaving the queue, despite all my friends still being in it. I get on the metro, that’s again FULL of pink people. I’m actually scared of the color pink now. And disgusted by the beer smell. I get out at the stop, quickly change in the room and go downstairs to ask for a scissor to actually cut the bandages. The girl doesn’t speak Dutch so the conversation is partly English and partly hand gestures, but she eventually gets what I mean.
15:00
Two hours to go. The worst part I didn’t even tell you yet. We actually do not have our tickets yet. Our physical tickets that we NEED to get inside the arena. We still have to pick them up at the ticketbox, that won’t open until 4 PM. Originally it wouldn’t open until 5 PM, but I think after all the complain e-mails and tweets they received about that, they changed it to 4 PM. Thankfully it goes without too much stress. It’s now half an hour later and we actually have our tickets in our hand. Diamond Witness. Dropzone. Amsterdam. Ziggo Dome. 275 euro’s. The last time i’m just trying to forget.
17:00
We are INSIDE. Well, not inside-inside yet, but we are in the hallway of the Ziggo Dome. Right across the merchandise AND close to the toilets, which is for me with the peanut-bladder, very nice. We have our blue-glittery wristbands on and have our VIP-bag with all the VIP-goodies. I’m already terrified of dropping that mug.
19:00
A school class going somewhere. That’s how I would describe the queue. Arm in arm, two by two and in one long line we WALK (yes, actually WALK) the arena in and the dropzone in. We are actually the first to enter that dropzone. But still, I only have the feeling that I can breath again, when I touch the barrier. Mainstage barrier. Center Mainstage barrier.
19:30
Tove! I had to get used to her music and style, but I start to really like her. And she’s so cute.
21:00 – 23:00
“Hot ‘N Cold in dutch?” Im pretty sure I almost pushed my insides out while leaning so far over the barrier as soon as I realized she was asking it to me. Me. I didn’t know what was happening around me, I didn’t even see the big camera that was right in my face, I was just busy trying to make Katy understand what is “Hot ‘N Cold” in Dutch. Obviously the over emotional Cassandra broke down in tears after this. Bare with me.
23:00
My dear God. What a show. What. A. Show. I know that Katy likes, loves, Amsterdam and that she loves the legal weed and the coffee shops and what not, but I didn’t know she could be THIS happy during a show. And to not even mention all the laughs, smiles, interactions and.. weird hand gestures during California Gurls. I love her.
00:00
With a huge ass smile Renske and I are laying in our EMTPY 6-PERSONS SHARED BEDROOM. Empty. Not one pink Topper fan to see. I don’t know how it happened the room is empty, but I’m not complaining at all.
WITNESS THE TOUR: 25/26.05.2018
07:30 I don’t think I ever experienced tiredness like this but oh well. We need to work in order to afford this crazy rollercoaster.
