Abbreviations are fun. Especially when something you're trying to promote becomes something you don't want your kids to understand... I love it.
Friday 14 September 2007
Monday 10 September 2007
A year later....
Looking back, I didn't really expect to be here at this point in my life. It's odd to discover that what had made you 'you' was just something that had been comfortably familiar. The people who surrounded you, the clothes you wore, the room you slept in, the car you drove - these I truly believed made me Jocelyn. But when you shed all of these and moved across the ocean with two suitcases and a few ideas - who, then, were you? You had to make new friends from all over the world, with different accents, hair styles, and visions, politics, and ideas. You had to find comfort in a bed that didn't seem like yours and use an umbrella, rather than a car, when it rained.
It's been a year since I moved to London. I imagined I'd be back in Boston now, perhaps getting a job there, or moving on to New York or San Francisco. I flew over on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Not a date many would want to fly out of Logan airport. Yet, I did it not expecting to return until Christmas. And I'm still here, not expecting to return until Christmas. And then be back in time for New Years.
Home is a place as familiar as anything can be. You know where you lay your bag down at the end of the day. Where you keep the wine opener. How to work the washing machine and that the Brita filter needs to be changed at the end of the month. That your flatmate will either be in a great mood, or maybe tired and cranky. This is home now. It went from two suitcases, to a collection of crap. It went from knowing no one, to knowing many new faces, people, and friends. To having a 'local', to learning to spell in British English, not just American English. It went to getting a first salary paying job - in the pound, not the dollar. Learning how to pay rent on time can be easier than understanding why English men are more difficult than American men.
And being in my mid-twenties in a fabulous city outside of my old comfort zone could have been the greatest decision I ever made. It's funny to look at my old life, and think of how frustrated I would be. Wondering where I was going, and when my big break would be, as my friends grew up around me, got jobs, bought houses, got engaged and settled down. I'm proud of them. But I'm also proud that I didn't just sit back and watch them grow up. I decided to grow up on my own. I'm learning how to take care of myself, what makes me happy, what pisses me off, how to get around, and how much (little) money I can survive on without having to ask for help.
Where will I be next year? Some things haven't changed. I still love surprises. I'll be content waiting until then. Who knows where I'll be, what I'll be doing, and who I'll be surrounded by. But, I'm pretty sure if I know myself yet, I'll be happy. Or, at the very least, comfortable.
Happy Anniversary, Jocelyn. London is more than you were banking on. And that's a good thing.
It's been a year since I moved to London. I imagined I'd be back in Boston now, perhaps getting a job there, or moving on to New York or San Francisco. I flew over on the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Not a date many would want to fly out of Logan airport. Yet, I did it not expecting to return until Christmas. And I'm still here, not expecting to return until Christmas. And then be back in time for New Years.
Home is a place as familiar as anything can be. You know where you lay your bag down at the end of the day. Where you keep the wine opener. How to work the washing machine and that the Brita filter needs to be changed at the end of the month. That your flatmate will either be in a great mood, or maybe tired and cranky. This is home now. It went from two suitcases, to a collection of crap. It went from knowing no one, to knowing many new faces, people, and friends. To having a 'local', to learning to spell in British English, not just American English. It went to getting a first salary paying job - in the pound, not the dollar. Learning how to pay rent on time can be easier than understanding why English men are more difficult than American men.
And being in my mid-twenties in a fabulous city outside of my old comfort zone could have been the greatest decision I ever made. It's funny to look at my old life, and think of how frustrated I would be. Wondering where I was going, and when my big break would be, as my friends grew up around me, got jobs, bought houses, got engaged and settled down. I'm proud of them. But I'm also proud that I didn't just sit back and watch them grow up. I decided to grow up on my own. I'm learning how to take care of myself, what makes me happy, what pisses me off, how to get around, and how much (little) money I can survive on without having to ask for help.
Where will I be next year? Some things haven't changed. I still love surprises. I'll be content waiting until then. Who knows where I'll be, what I'll be doing, and who I'll be surrounded by. But, I'm pretty sure if I know myself yet, I'll be happy. Or, at the very least, comfortable.
Happy Anniversary, Jocelyn. London is more than you were banking on. And that's a good thing.
Friday 7 September 2007
We are so small
This picture is so amazing. I am currently waiting for a client to get back to me and really don't have much else going on, so I'm exploring 6 Sept's 'Interestingness' photos on Flickr.
This picture was taken in New Brunswick, and I think it's just so gorgeous. It makes me feel really amazed at how beautiful nature can be. It also makes me want to get out of the city for the day. But alas, I'm stuck in the office.
Hope you appreciate this picture as much as I do. Happy Friday!
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