Introduction + Leaving for Europe

Hello everyone!

I am starting this blog with encouraging optimism that when I say “everyone” – there are truly more than five people reading this. That does not include my mother, step-dad, siblings or closest friends.

Lil' photo of me, hello!

My name is Chloe and I am a writer. I will be graduating from university in New York City this upcoming May. My degree is a dual English Literature and Marketing major as well as a concentration in Professional Writing. I originally studied International Politics, but alas, the heart wants what it wants. I am in the midst of becoming a teacher, acquiring my international certification, and then pursuing my Master’s Degree!

A little about myself…I’ve been scribbling in journals and writing random poems for as long as I can remember. My favorite color is brown. I hate cheesecake. I am an avid New York Times Crosswords user. I have attempted to become vegetarian at least four times. My favorite novels are House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I teeter on being completely reckless or the most type-A person. Juno is my favorite movie. I am a workaholic. And! I have always wanted to start a blog of some sort. I think that encompasses my personality quite nicely.

I used to write obnoxiously stupid (yet creative) tales about marshmallow soldiers and bubonic plagues growing up, pinning them to my bedroom wall. In kindergarten, I wrote a four-page story about my mom stubbing her toe including my own drawings. What I am trying to say is that, I have been a writer for a far longer time than I realize and before I let myself make the drastic change in university. More than a writer, I’m a reader. I do not say this lightly: stories and novels have held me together during some of the most difficult moments of my adolescent life. I have become emotionally attached to the escape a new book offers me, and I look forward to my reading nook after a long day of socializing and work. Reading and writing encompass a huge part of the joy in my life. Along with that, is traveling. I have been so incredibly blessed to travel as much as I have as a woman in her young 20s. Maybe it’s the fact that I grew up with a very cultural family, or the fact that I truly struggle to stay in one place for more than a minimal amount of time – but traveling has become my lifeline in more ways than one. (This is when I mention I am a Sagittarius). During tough times, I have clung to the fact I will be on a plane soon, far away from any stressing factors. Conclusion: I am a huge proponent of escapism.

Fordham University - Love spending fall mornings reading outside before class

Alas! The birth of this blog, combining the three largest attributes about myself: I’m a nerd, author, and avid plane-hopper. In less than thirty days, I am moving to London for four months. After – while pursuing my CELTA International Teaching Certification, I will be based in Spain for more than a year. Pinch me moment! Many have asked me why am I okay with leaving for my semester abroad my senior year of college, a time where it should be all about rambunctious behavior and who knows what else. I will definitely be making a post about this in itself since it has truly dictated many of my upcoming plans and revelations about myself, but I’ll describe a brief summary now: I did not have the best first three years of college and I have learned N.Y.C was more suffocating than it is freeing at least for me (perhaps my views will change). The disclaimer to this is that I was raised in New York and later right outside the city. I then attended college here. I have grown up in this orbit of a static 9-5 and “New York or Nowhere” mentality. University was meant to be empowering, but I found myself with lacking sense of self and horrible communication / relationship skills. Throughout my first three years of university, I was so focused on maintaining my mental health in an environment equally pushing one to be the most successful yet socialized student. All I wanted to do was sit on my couch reading or hang out with my family. All in all – I can only blame so much on other factors than myself, but I have come to realize that staying in New York, so close to home, did not prove to have the allure I thought it did. I will write an “article” about this soon because I truly believe I have some good points on how difficult it can be to keep up with what’s expected of a young woman in the Big Apple. I know London will be different and good for me so expect plenty of articles surrounding that as well.

My friends Angelica and Stella, my travel partners!

I’m unsure how often I will be posting on this blog, or how I plan to achieve any level of “popularity” with it – but I’ve got time on my hands! I plan on the next few posts being: Photo Diaries from the D.R, Recap of my Girls Trip to Barcelona + Ibiza, Montreal Archives, along with recommended stays, and then a preparing to leave for Europe series. If I was photogenic, and didn’t stutter - perhaps I was meant to be a Youtuber.

My 2023 N.Y.C. summer internship had its office in the heart of Soho.

Along with all these blog posts comes the part I am most excited for: poetry + prose. I plan on uploading PDFs of my published pieces or maybe even photos of cafe napkins where I scribbled a few lines. I’ll also post my published academic essays that I am either truly proud of or think they hold merit in their argumentative points. I hope that when I look back and read them, I’ll see a correlation in my poetry with how I feel where I travel. I know that when I look at my blog - I will smile proudly that I am writing it all down.

Cheers,

Chloe