Something More

Greetings and Welcome to my very 1st blog! First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who’s taking time out of their busy days to read my posts & stay connected with me while I travel. I have been dreaming of traveling & writing for as long as I can remember so it truly means the world to me that you’re coming along for the ride =)

Second, I think I owe everyone a nice, big explanation! I can only imagine that my out-of-nowhere letter about me leaving the country for 3 months left many of you with lots of questions. Why is she leaving her family & friends? Why is she quitting a good job to come home to NO JOB and NO MONEY!? Why is she going alone? What the heck is she going to do in Europe for 3 months?!

I am a planner & have been for pretty much my entire life. I am always looking ahead, preparing for the future. “What’s next?” “What am I doing tomorrow?” “What will I do when I graduate?” “What do I need to do now to get to where I want to be later?” These are the type of questions that float around my mind every single day. In a way, I am thankful that I am this way. Having this type of mindset has allowed me to excel at school, work & in other important aspects of my life.

So, what happens when you do all of these things to get to where you want to be- where you should be but you don’t know where that place is? After changing majors 100 times & working just as many odd jobs, I graduated college In May of 2011. Since then I have nannied, worked for an insurance company & I currently work as a legal assistant for a law firm. Through each of these jobs I have learned such an immense amount about myself, my strengths, my weaknesses, likes/dislikes. I have met some really AMAZING people & I can’t say I would go back & change anything if I had the chance. But to be frank, none of these fields interest me one bit. Do I love kids & want to be a mom one day? YES. Do I enjoy talking with people & sorting through their problems? YES. Do I enjoy walking to my office every morning & making a cup of coffee to start my day? I sure do. But at the end of every day I can’t help but think that there has got to be something more. Something more important than the auto policy I just sold, something more than the promissory note I just revised. SOMETHING MORE than a paycheck every two weeks.

Most people my age would be perfectly content with where I’m at. I have a steady job, a decent income, a nice apartment, a car that runs. There is nothing wrong with this lifestyle. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. But personally, I am not cut out for this lifestyle. In my mind, monotony scares me more than I can begin to even write about. The mere thought of going to work every day without meaning, purpose and most importantly, PASSION, is enough to give me hives. I remember my mom always telling me, “Hannah, don’t work for money. Work for something you care about.” Thanks, mom. I finally get it!

I wish I was one of the very few who graduate college & know right away what they are passionate about. But since I’m not (& not many are), I have decided to follow my passion for traveling. I have/had an undying desire for such a long time to see the world. I have a thirst to leave my comfort zone & explore uncharted territory. I want to meet people that don’t talk like me or like the same things as me. I want to make friends with strangers (the nice ones of course!). I want to eat exotic food. I want to learn & grow & gain a better understanding of this beautiful world.

My goal of traveling is not to party in Prague or meet handsome French men in Paris (although I’m not opposed!). What I want is to learn about myself & develop an understanding for things that are bigger than me. I want to take advantage of the fact that I have NOTHING holding me back at this point in my life - a point in my life that I will never get back again.

For those of you who are still worrying (sorry gram), please rest assured that my trip is very well planned, my parents did in fact instill common sense & morals into my head & I will always have your voice in the back of my head reminding me to be safe!

I am SO very excited to start my travels. I am equally excited that I get to share my experiences with the ones I love most. My flight leaves JFK on September 4^th at 5:45. Please don’t forget a neck pillow & snacks. It’s going to be a long flight =)