3/14/2019 Newark

Hello friends and family, and random people who might creep just because they're nosey or bored. I suppose I should start out by openly acknowledging that Facebook is a perfect format for what I intend this separate blog to do. However, I personally do not want to monopolize everyone's timelines with updates intended for my family to keep up with where I am which is why I made this blog. Now anyone who actually wants to keep up with me can (hit the subscribe button and it should send you notifications on when I post things) and the people who I haven't seen since the playground in second grade don't have to get annoyed with my posts if they don't want to. To be honest this is partly for me as well so I can keep up with my memories when I'm old and have dementia.

Today I am writing from the airport in Newark, NJ. By the time you're reading this, I will probably be in route to Switzerland. When I graduated in December I had made up my mind that I was not ready to get a job that locks me down in an office 9-5 everyday. I also knew that I wanted to continue playing soccer. So basically I just knew I wasn't ready to "grow up" yet. With the help of Carolyn, one of the coaches I had in high school, I was able to find this opportunity. I will be playing soccer for FC Muri from now through the month of June, living in Zurich with two Brazilian teammates, and really trying to explore and learn as about the world, about soccer, and about myself as possible. The coaches and staff have been very gracious in helping me out with somewhere to live and a team to play with. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I plan to take full advantage of it.

After an evening (last night) of staying on hold with the airlines for over an hour, and then being given all the incorrect information, my morning was a bit hectic. Both my flights got changed thanks to the snownado in the Midwest and I had a lot of trouble with baggage. I was very flustered. I landed here in Newark about three hours ago and I was still pretty flustered. That's when I realized I hadn't eaten anything since about 8:30 this morning and also hadn't had an ounce of caffeine. Turns out my mood changes very quickly when I eat and drink coffee. The good thing about this flight situation is that my first game is within the first day of me landing which means I get the chance to hit the ground running. I'm holding out hope that I can somehow kick the jet-lag rather quickly and play well.  

I've met some very interesting people today. The first was the man who sat next to me on my flight who was instructing me on how beneficial it is to live a minimalistic life and to never chase money and to live as simply as possible. He also tried to tell me how he believed George Washington probably had a tail. As physics would have it; the second person I met was a kind lady in the terminal who was telling me about all of her free vacations and her investment money and her lawsuits. Basically emphasizing how I need to learn to make and keep money and that nothing and no one goes around this world without it. She's writing a book and signing it to send to me. It is very safe to say that my brain is confused in regards to contemplating my future financial planning. The lady did give me a magnet that says, "I'm not insane. My mother had me tested!" Not that I have much use for a fridge magnet but maybe the Brazilian girls like The Big Bang Theory.

I won't have the same opportunities to communicate with everyone while I'm there so I'm hoping this will help keep people in the loop even if I am seeming negligent. I learned from my recent graduation that I still have an army of quiet supporters keeping up with me and cheering me on from afar and I really appreciate that support so I hope this will work well for everyone. Time to hop across the pond!