Tenerife airport disaster anniversary

On this day 36 years ago, the world's deadliest accident in aviation history occurred. Two Boeing 747 passenger aircraft collided on the runway of Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands, resulting in 583 fatalities.

I was totally unaware of this tragedy until a friend of mine told me about it last week. We were being particularly morbid and talking about how we would react if you were ever in a major disaster, and what we would do to try and survive. I thought I was very strange as I do often have these thoughts when I travel but the group of friends I was with admitted to similar apprehensions. Maybe it is a human instinct to prepare yourself for the worst. I have to say I am lucky in the fact that apart from a couple of unscheduled stops due to medical emergencies, I've never had to even experience an emergency landing aboard a plane, and I have taken several flights every year since I was a few months old. I remember when I was a child always being fascinated by air travel and getting excited about flying. Even though these days flying to me is pretty mundane, I still find it amazing that in a few hours you can be in a completely new destination, thousand of miles and oceans apart from where you took off. That is probably one of the reasons why I love travelling so much.

Going back to the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster, even though it was a horrific event, it highlighted problems in aviation procedures which have since been rectified so that a disaster on this scale should never happen again. If you are like me and find these incidents historically interesting then check out this mini documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1SWe_zi4-o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Mothering Sunday

Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK. This is a Christian day celebrated on the 4^th Sunday in Lent, therefore this day changes every year, along with the time of Easter.  In the USA, Canada and several other countries, however, ‘Mother’s Day’ is celebrated on the 2^nd Sunday of May due to a modernisation of the day.

This made me laugh!

Since my Mother is in the UK, I am celebrating today. Hopefully my Mum has received her card and flowers. Thankfully, due to the wonders of modern technology, it is very straight forward and easy to sort out, which is great as sometimes I can be slightly forgetful and disorganised. I do feel very bad that I cannot spend this day with my Mum. I haven’t been able to be with her for the past two Mother’s day and birthdays, therefore I would like to dedicate this blog post to my wonderful Mother as a way of hopefully making up for my absence.

Not only am I extremely grateful to have such a loving and brilliant Mother, she is also one of the most amazing and inspirational people I have ever met, and I am very lucky to have her in my life. She has always taught me to be a strong, independent woman and encouraged me to achieve anything I’ve wanted to. Anyone that knows my Mum will tell you that she is not only wise but full of funny stories, with an infectious personality to boot. How she managed to put up with myself and older brothers when we were younger, I don’t know, but I have the utmost respect for her.

Happy Mother’s Day Rona

My Mum and I at the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Taken when I was still a student!

Writing this blog has made me realise I need some nicer pictures of myself and my Mum lol, and has also got me emotional and nostalgic which doesn't happen a lot.

Have a lovely day Mum, and if I end up looking like you when I'm older, I'll be very happy lol :-)

R.I.P Hugo Chavez

Officials in Venezuela have called for peace and unity after President Hugo Chavez's death yesterday. Vice President Nicolas Maduro will assume the presidency in the interim, before elections will be held in 30 days.

The future of Venezuela is uncertain but whether or not you agree with Chavez's policies, he will have a lasting legacy in his beloved country. Chavez was President from 1999 until his death. During this time Chavez, following the political ideology of Bolivarianism and 'socialism of the 21st century', implemented sweeping constitutional reforms, nationalisation of several key industries, such as oil, and increased government funding of health care and education. 

Chavez had not only supporters and opposers within his country but also abroad. I personally advocate him for making a positive change in his country for the benefit of the majority of Venezuelan people. In a Western world anyone in left-wing politics is open to criticism. One of the most resonating quotes by Chavez is as follows:

Democracy is impossible in a capitalist system. Capitalism is the realm of injustice and a tyranny of the richest against the poorest. Rousseau said, 'Between the powerful and the weak all freedom is oppressed. Only the rule of law sets you free.' That's why the only way to save the world is through socialism, a democratic socialism... [Democracy is not just turning up to vote every five or four years], it's much more than that, it's a way of life, it's giving power to the people... it is not the government of the rich over the people, which is what's happening in almost all the so-called democratic Western capitalist countries.

As someone who is a true believer in democracy, I think it speaks volumes. My hope for the future of Venezuela is that democracy will prevail and the people get the representation they want.


I end this blog on a musical note, courtesy of the wonderful Arkells: