My naam is Ina Brink (nee Crous) en ek het in 1990 gematrikuleer. My skoolhoof was Me. Le Roux (of Daisy soos ons haar genoem het). Sy en me. Schoeman was my inspirasie en die skool het my toegerus en gemotiveer om te volhard deur die goeie en slegte tye wat na skool sou volg. Die bande wat gesmee is met vriendinne is ook vandag nog so sterk soos 32 jaar terug. Al hierdie dames het in suksesvolle, sterk en onafhanklike vroue ontwikkel en ek glo vas die omgewing waarin ons by La Rochelle toegelaat en aangemoedig is om te groei, het ‘n groot rol hierin gespeel.
Below would be the best way to convey the mentality that La Rochelle had established in me and so many other young ladies that have walked through those beautiful gates.
Chasing dreams…
It seems surreal to finally hold a copy of my first published novel in my hands, to run my fingers through the pages, to smell the intoxicating smell of invitation, to read the mysteries that are printed on the pages and the sheer weight of the book. I have to keep reminding myself that I did this, I spent hours on it, I had to make sacrifices to find the time to invest in this dream of publishing my work and the acknowledgement that my work was worthy of publication.
So today I have this advice for anyone with a dream. Dreams are called dreams for a reason, as it is the longing of ones heart, it needs to be challenging and you need to feel as if it is nearly impossible to reach it, for it to be a dream. Those who truly want to chase their dreams will find a way and even if they do not reach it, it will put you on a path of discovery, growth, evolving and ultimately accomplishing things that would not have been possible, if you did not start chasing that dream in the first place. Chasing dreams will always lead you to a path of self-discovery, as it may lead you to a new path in your life or new opportunities, as you need to knock on doors, do research and practice new skills which will showcase your strengths and weaknesses that you did not even know you possessed.
Accepting where you are will always leave you exactly where you are, but chasing a dream will always take you forward. So, make time, religiously focus on it and like with many dreams, if it evolves into a new one, invest in it. Be fluid and do not stop, for even if you do not accomplish your initial dream, you will have made memories, you will accomplish personal goals, grow and you will have moved forward in life.
So, chase that dream, even if you do it one step at a time. It might just lead you on a beautiful and fulfilling path and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
La Rochelle is die bedding, so Larrie, blom blom!
