London Meets Chicago

This is my first blog/ first blog post ever.  For the longest time, the idea frightened me.  Sharing my innermost thoughts and idea to the public?  Hell to the no.  Still, as I’m writing this I am slightly bewildered by two things.  Either A- no one will ever read anything I write and I will essentially be writing an online diary.  Or B- I’ll write about something personal and somehow someone that I wouldn’t want to know such information will find me out.  I realize that both fears are not only irrational but completely irrelevant.  If no one reads this blog then so what?  I still would have tried something new and no doubt would have gotten something out of it.  If someone reads something personal about me…. well, what do I have to hide?  I’m going to be my honest self on this thing and I need to let go of my insecurities and allow myself to be vulnerable. Anywho, I suppose I should tell you a little bit about myself.  I was born and raised in Chicago, USA and have spent the overwhelming majority of my life there.  Even for my undergrad, I only ventured out to a university that was at the most 30 miles south of the Chi.  Needles to say, I needed to venture the fuck out.  This brings me to my current living situation.  For the past 11 months I have been living, studying, and working in London.  During the last year of my undergrad, while I was deciding what I wanted the next stage of my life to be, I started to explore the idea of studying abroad for my grad school.  After months of research, I applied to several universities.  Eventually, I made the decision to study in London. For the longest time, living abroad  (really living anywhere outside of Chicago) and going to grad school was something that I didn’t think was possible for myself.  I assumed because money was tight in my family meant that something like this was way too ambitious and foolish.  As I gained confidence, it was apparent that this could be a reality.  It’s not always easy being so far away from my home, but this has been my most rewarding life experience thus far.  I feel like I have grown so much and have learned the most about myself. Next month, i will be celebrating my 26th birthday, as well as my one year anniversary in this country.  I do not know what the next step of my life will be.  It’s possible I will extend my stay in London.  It’s equally possible that I will move back home to Chicago or move somewhere else entirely.  I hope this blog will be helpful to others and look forward to receiving feedback.  I also look forward to updating you on my progress. Much Love