Hey!

This is the first time i've ever written a blog, so i think i'll basically just talk about myself to begin with.
I'm Rachael Martin and i'm 14. I live in Edinburgh with my family and life's been pretty good to me so far. I've a brother and a sister, Calum - 12 and Caitlin - 10, who i get on well with most of the time. I also live with my mum, helen, and my dad, david. Who're both great.

School and Friends
I go to Broughton High School. If anyone's heard of this school, then yes the rumours are true. It is a hell hole full of chavs and shit resources but i figure if you're naturally clever, it shouldn't matter which school you go to because you'll excell anywhere. Thankfully our new school is currently being built and looks amazing so far. I go to school with about 980 people i hate which, yes you guessed it, sucks big time. Thankfully the 20 or so people i don't deteste get me through the day. Eloise, Ruby, Louise, Hanah, Rebekah, Jodi and Hannah B. These guys are my buds. Love them all lots and there is another person named Ghufran. OMG you don't know the definition of irritating until you've met this girl. Don't ask me who she is, i just wouldn't be able to tell you. She sort of just came up to us one day and stood next to us whilst we were having a conversation and began to laugh at something she didn't even hear! I really can't stand her. She doesn't EVER say anything interesting and just listens in to what people are saying. She also has a very creepy stare which facinates me lol. I can't help but feel sorry for her though because her last group of friends rejected her unlike us (we're just too kind) and she came to Britain from Iraq having to leave most of her family behind. Her 20 year old bother also died from cancer which must've been so hard for her family. Her ambition was to be an air hostess so she could fly to back to Iraq and bring her family over here. Her family are really nice though and thankfully she's leaving next year in S4! Unless you go to school in Scotland, i doubt you'll understand our school system. It's really not that hard to understand. We go to Primary School aged 4/5 and this is when you'll start P1. The years at Primary school go up to P7. By this time you'll be 11/12. You leave at the end of P7 and move to a Secondary School. Here you start S1 and the process begins again, the same as in Primary. The only difference is you can leave in S4 if you're 16 before the end of the school year or you can choose to stay on until S6 where you'll leave at 17/18 years old. In S1 abd S2 you study 14 subjects: maths, english, history, geography, french, science, craft and technology(C.D.T.), Home Economics(H.E.), I.T., Drama, Music, Art, P.E. and Social Education. At the end of S2 you choose 8 subjects to study for 3rd and 4th year. This must include maths, english, 1 science and S.E. and P.E. are compulsory. In 3rd year there are lots more courses to pick such as spanish, media, administration, travel and tourism, etc. In S4 you sit Standard Grades which you must pass to continue on to S5 and S6. Then in S5 you sit Highers and in S6 you sit Advanced Highers. God that might've been very boring to hear me spraffing about the Scottish education system but i thought some people might want to know. =P

24hr Famine

I'm doing a 24hr sponsored food famine today to help the children of Chennai, India who live on the streets. I started at 1.30pm and it's 2.30 now. I'm excited to see how long i can last! A couple of my friends are doing it too and one is doing a 24hr silence. We'r e meant to only drink water and are allowed a glucose tablet or boiled sweet every 4 hrs but i don't think i will as the point of this famine is to try to understand what it's like to go without food for a day. I've had quite a few sponsors already but i doubt anyone's going to beat Bekah with her £80 because she took the form to church with her. Thankfully the famine takes place overnight so i won't be thinking much about food.

Crieff

Tomorrow i'm going to Crieff Hydro Hotel because we have in-service days on Monday and Tuesday (basically we don't have to go to school, just incase you call it something else) I've been there nearly 150 times because we often drive up for the day to visit our horse Bud. We keep him at the hotel stables where he's looked after and is ridden. I've been horseriding for quite a while now. Probably about 7 or 8 years. We stay in chalets and country houses which are on the grounds of the hotel and this time we're staying at Ferntower Cottage right next to the stables. It's a gorgeous house and we recently got a Lexus which means the 1hr journey there will be more pleasurable. Can't wait and we're leaving on Sunday.

Well this was a blog just to introduce myself and explain my plans for this weekend. I also might've talked a little too much about my school so feel free to skip those bits :)

Thanks for reading this and i'll be entering more blogs soon (probably if i'm bored). Let me know if you want to know anything about me or my life or my family or friends, whatever.

Rachael