A life in a day: Natalie O'Hare

This is the first article I had to produce for the features module of the Multi-Media Journalism course at BU. Pictured left is me after coming 4th in an Irish dancing competition at the beginning of the year. (And yes, it is a wig!)

The 18 year old from Abingdon juggles life working as a lifeguard with Irish dancing. She lives with her mother, Julie and father, Tom.

I find waking up one of the hardest things to do. When my alarm blasts out Radio One at 5:15am I find myself pressing the 'snooze' button. To help me through the winter mornings I eat a bowl of coco pops filled to the top with milk otherwise I can't function properly. I put on my lifeguard red and yellows – hung on the radiator to keep them warm - find my whistle and head out the door. Cycling to work is quick it only takes 5 minutes and helps me wake up.

My home is five miles from the cultural city of Oxford. Whenever I meet new people it's easier to say I live in the city rather than the oldest inhabited town in England but the usual response is 'Oooh aren't you posh?!' This is not how I see myself! I live with my Mum and Dad in a four-bedroom house in Abingdon. My brother Daniel now edits & reads the Traffic news in Bristol and my sister Christina hopes to find a designers job in Southampton.

By 6am I'm outside the local leisure centre and find a long queue of early risers ready for their morning swim. It’s hard to understand how anyone can contemplate exercise at stupid O'clock. Once up in the lifeguard chair it’s time to be alert and ready to scan the pool. After an hour on poolside there’s a staff call to go to the ladies loo. Someone has left a nice surprise for me to clean up! It annoys me when people think that a lifeguard's only duty is to sit on their posterior all day - it's just not true! We have to clean windows and walls, sweep and mop floors then set up equipment for various sports sessions and worst of all, scrub body fat and hair from the drains – oh the glamour of it all. My working day finishes at 2:30pm and I leave as the late team arrive to take over.

Once home I make couscous for lunch. It takes minutes and tastes fantastic. Then I pour a glass of orange juice and sit in front of the TV to watch an episode of “Neighbours” with mum. We have watched it since I was little so it has become a bit of a ritual for us when she gets back from work. Hannah always calls for a quick chat on the latest gossip and to make plans for Saturday night. We enjoy clubbing in Oxford because of the vibrant atmosphere and it is always packed with excited students.

“It annoys me when people think that a lifeguard's only duty is to sit on their posterior all day - it's just not true!”

Dinner must be before five on Mondays because I have to get to Swindon for six for an Irish Dancing lesson. This is two hours of hard work and a lot of sweat but I am very passionate about it and have travelled all over the world to compete. The most exciting place was Philadelphia, USA, where I took part in the World Championships preceded by a sneaky trip to New York before I danced.

By the time I get home it is already 9pm so I start getting my things ready for the next day's activities. Before this I make time for an episode of “Waterloo Road” pre-recorded on Sky Plus. This is when my parents and I relax in front of the television without having to think about anything else. It is enjoyable watching because there’s humour in their unrealistic representation of secondary school life. A full blown shoot out wasn’t a regular occurrence at my school so I like to see it as my little bit of drama therapy!

I always try to get to bed by eleven but I usually find other things to do as I believe sleeping is such a waste of time! Although my bed is the comfiest place in the world with its memory foam mattress and plump pillows. I make myself a quick cup of tea – 3 sugars and lots of milk – and climb into bed. Rereading “The Time Traveller's Wife” is a soothing end to the day. By this time it is one O’clock and my drooping head tells me it's time to sleep.