I Couldn't Put The Pen Down...

Forrest Gump’s mother was definitely on to something when she said “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get”.

I know that it’s a little cliché to start off a new blog with this quote, but it’s so true, and I’m not afraid to admit that I enjoy a quote or two every now and then.

I’ve said it before, when I named my last blog “Nothing Like I Imagined”, but you really can’t predict what is going to happen in life and I think that’s half the fun of it. I love looking back and realising that I had no idea what would happen next – I never imagined I would ever live in America, yet here I am shopping at WalMart, enjoying free refills of Coke at restaurants, and driving on the right side of the road to work every day. Which brings me to the subject of this post…

The United States of America. The Land of the Free/Opportunity/Dreams (circle whichever one you like). So how did I end up here, when just over a year ago I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life?

For anyone who followed my previous blog during my English University Exchange you may remember me writing a post called “Inspired” where I had finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life – I was lacking motivation as I neared the end of my time at university, but found a new direction and suddenly my study had a higher purpose than just completing my degree. In case you were unaware, that direction was the discovery of a company that I wanted to work for, whose vision I related to, and whose potential excited me. I applied for a position, never once getting my hopes up that I would be selected, but this particular dream was actually realised and now I’m in Kentucky with a full time job.

It’s safe to say this has been a pretty extreme lifestyle change for me, which is not surprising considering I’ve gone from having one lecture a day when I studied in England, to working from 8am to 5pm, five days a week. My social calendar is also a lot emptier than it used to be and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it. Fortunately I rarely get time to think about what used to be, between training for my job, exploring the what I can of the States, and meeting with my personal trainer regularly (yep, something has to be done in order to reverse one of the negative side effects of university – weight gain).

Not only has my day-to-day lifestyle changed, but again so has the environment I live in and the culture I’m surrounded by. When I’m experiencing foreign countries, I love to meet new people, see new places and have my eyes opened to how people stumble through this life in different ways. Naturally, America is no different, and I’ve learned that “diary” and “planner” is not interchangeable here, especially when it belongs to a man. I’ve also found out that “indicators” are “turn signals”, although they don’t even really need a name here as they are rarely used; and that putting petrol (or gas) into your car isn’t nearly as painful when it is around $2.00US per gallon (i.e. $0.50US per litre). I’ve learned a whole lot more, however that will have to wait for another blog post.

But the idea for this blog from here on out is not about my job, or the company I work for – it is intended to write about my journey and my adventures, wherever they may take place. I loved writing my last blog, and truthfully I have missed it since writing my last piece in July 2015. So if you choose to read it, I hope I can keep you entertained and please bear with me as I get back into the swing of writing. If you choose not to, I certainly won’t be offended (mainly because I actually won’t know unless you tell me).

As in my last blog, I will be honest and hopefully humourous when I can, and as always please let me know what you think.

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you – it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you…Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Anthony Bourdain

That's all for now,

Jordyn x