EmilyGill

Hey,

Well I didn't get to a computer yesterday so I couldn't do a blog sorry guys. But honestly yesterday wasnt very eventful, I've discovered life without an opinion is pretty boring!

Whilst I'm sure it's not as tiring as living off only rice or sleeping in some very uncomfortable places like I know some of the others bloggers have, it is mentally exhausting. Every time I go to speak I have to think it this an opinion? Is it okay if I say this? Ofcourse there have been times when I've been mid sentance and had to stop because I was expressing myself! I must admit I have slipped up a few times.. Today I was trying to have a debate with my boyfriend without expressing my opinion in the end I got so frustrated I was like "It's a fact I'm right so it's not an opinion". He said this was cheating so I've been quiet since:(

Honestly I didn't realise how often in a day my opinion comes out and it has really got me thinking what if every single day every time I spoke I had to think about what I was saying.

For bonfire night I went to see an amazing firework display at Keniworth Castle, I got really into it cheering and clapping away until my mother reminded me this was expressing an opinion too. But from the picture you can imagine it would be hard not too...

Hope you all had a great bonfire night too!

Thanks for reading! x

Hey:)

Well it has never occured to me before all the different ways in which I am able to express my opinion, when starting this challenge I kind of just assumed it would be when I was talking to people I would have to watch what I said but there are so many other options for voicing my opinion- facebook, twitter, blogs like this one, the media, on the radio, writing to my MP etc! The list is endless...

This kind of hit me today when I was reading a friends status about the new student fees proposal (she was ranting!) and I went to like it, when I realised that liking this status would be a form of expressing my opinion... very annoying when I spend most of my time on facebook liking everyones status's!

This might seem obvious to most people but it really brought it back to me how lucky I am that I am able to express myself in so many different ways.

Other than that today has been quite easy for some reason, maybe I've just got used to keeping my opinion to myself or maybe because I have been cheating slightly:( by ranting to my cat! Not that she seems to care too much looking at this photo of her earlier! See not only is this challenge making life quite boring keeping everything to myself but it's also turning me into a crazy cat lady:(

Please comment!

x

Hi!

Well I think the title says it all! Today has most definitely been a struggle:( Giving up my opinion for a week combined with having a horrible chest infection has made me very grumpy and slightly stir crazy having been stuck in the house for almost 3 days solid, so when I finally went out for the first time today all excited I was quickly annoyed again when the news came on the radio about the increase in student fees. Not only did the subject wind me up but the fact I couldn't voice my opinion on it!

So to cheer me up I am going to list everything I have not been able to voice an opinion on today and invite all of you to share your thoughts on these! :-

• Student fees going up to a minimum of £6000 a maximum of £9000 absolutely awful, I wanted to rant all day but I couldn't!
• My brother and his general annoying behaviour!
•  News of the Iranian women who is facing being hung after commiting adultary.
• Somebody's facebook status claiming all teenage mums are after a council flat for free.
• What I would do if I was Gabrielle on desperate house wives... random I know!
• Having to pay for my own prescription for the first time.
• Who's pumpkin is better mine or my boyfriends- (mine is the small cute one on the left not the tall one with the wonky eyes!)

This list could go on forever- today really has been frustrating and I have slipped up at times without even realising it. I guess this comes from having lived my whole life with the opportunity to express my opinion whenever and wherever I want, a basic right so many don't have. Whilst sometimes it is a bit of fun such as who's pumpkin is better (clearly mine) it is still incredibly frustrating especially when I'm not able to comment on things I am really passionate about like the student fees!

It's only day 3 and I am already getting frustrated and the fact that people go through this day after day without ever being able to express their opinion is definitely wrong and needs to change!

Please comment with your thoughts and let me know who's pumpkin is better;)

Thanks for reading:)

x

Hi:)

Well after my first post last night I was quite pleased with myself- I'd managed to let out some of my frustration and was confident I could last without expressing my opinion at least until I went to bed.

Unfortunately this didn't quite go to plan. I decided the best way to keep my opinion to myself was not to talk to anyone so I settled down to watch TV with my boyfriend and his mum thinking surely this will be a nice distraction... Until we decided to watch a BBC documentary on child soliders in the Congo. (The programme was brilliant and really eye opening and if anyone has an hour free I would definitely recommend watching it.) As you can imagine a programme like this would spark some interesting conversation and soon I could feel myself about to express my opinion on what these poor young boys had been forced to go through, so I excused myself to go and make some drinks and I have never felt so frustrated in my life! While my boyfriend and his mum could talk freely about it I wasn't able to say a word.

But while watching it and feeling all sorry for myself that I couldn't rant away I felt really guilty- the people in the programme had no voice, when they voiced their opinions no one had listened. The children who had been stolen from their parents from rebel soldiers hadn't wanted to go but what they wanted didn't matter. The mothers and fathers who had cried and fought to get them back were ignored by the army and government who didn't listen.

I can't imagine how it must feel to be so helpless and not have anyone listen when you ask for help or when you say this needs to stop its wrong.

Realising this made me feel guilty that I have the chance to speak out usually (with the exception of this week!) whilst people all over the world don't get this chance and something needs to be done about it!

So I woke up today with a renewed motivation to promote this challenge to ensure that change does happen for people all over the world just like those children and their families so that their voices do get heard!

Thanks for reading:)

x

Hey,

So before I started this challenge I thought how hard can it be to give up my opinion all I have to do is try not to argue for a week right? Day one of this challenge and I already realise how wrong I was!

Yesterday before the challenge started I found myself deliberately expressing my opinion very loudly on absolutely everything from what Cheryl Cole was wearing on xfactor to what temperature my mum should do her washing at and as I did this I realised people constantly are expressing their opinions whether it’s on massive international issues or just on xfactor ! And then it hit me how frustrating this could be and how frustrating it must be every day for millions of people all over the world who don't have freedom of speech and are oppressed for whatever reason.

So I went to bad last night feeling a bit nervous about how I was going to cope, as anyone who knows me will tell you I am very opinionated and some of them have sponsored me just to keep me quiet for a week. I knew this would be a hard but rewarding challenge.

So today I had my first challenge, when visiting the doctors today there was some kind of weekly clinic running for babies and there was a sign saying "mums: make sure your baby hasn't had an injection in the last 4 weeks before attending this clinic." Normally I wouldn't have noticed a sign like this but being bored and feeling ill with a chest infection in the doctors I did and for some reason it annoyed me. Why was the sign assuming only mothers would take their babies to the doctors, shouldn't father’s be just as involved? What about men who do take their kids, they must be annoyed? And even thought it's not that big a deal that the sign said "mums" not "parents" it drove me crazy because I couldn't say anything to anyone about it! This is when I really realised how frustrating and lonely it is not being able to say what I want when I want!

I'm sure this week will bring more and more challenges and by the end of the week I'll be ready to pull my hair out but if for one week I can show people what so many people are going through all over the world it will definitely be worth giving up my right to a voice!

Thanks for reading :)