check yo self

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i guess i should start with the basics.
my name is anna and i'm 18.
i'm from the states but don't want to return there.
i'll probably look back on this as my dramatic attempt to get to know myself.
the excitement of towns and land for me to explore,
over hearing different languages while walking.

this is much more to me than just an adventure with pretty landscapes
and blurring of nights and days.
because if i don't start seeing the simple beauty in things,
i'm doomed.
so i've made it from Philadelphia, PA to Manchester, UK.
over 3,000 miles. i've been residing in the UK for 3 months
and plan on staying another 3 months.

i would have just up and went and just started europe,
but my mental and physical states weren't ready.
so i've gradually been introduced to traveling and cultural differences.
although England isn't very different,
everything i'm doing is in a different country,
far away from what i once knew,
which is good enough for me.

In the past month i've been
-back to the states
-jamaica
-New York City for christmas
- Manchester
-Amsterdam for new years

it's gotten me more ancy then ever to start traveling.
my mother did the same thing when she was my age,
except she was raised in France and went to America searching for something better.

what do i hope to accomplish at the end of all this?

a sense of self.
i'd like to know my next step. i'm still young but if i want to go to school i need to make my mind up. i'd like to be more happy with myself and feel like i'm worth something. i'd like to sit back in europe and remember the days of being young and uptight, wanting nothing more than to travel europe- having accomplished it.

i'd also like to have met many people whose lifestyles and occupations have influenced me into not going into the commuting day time job field.

this is the far fetched part. the hopeless romantic in me. the girl who believes movie story lines can come true. after having 2 boyfriends bail on joining me to travel europe, even though i offered pay, i'd like to meet the guy of my dreams while traveling. maybe he would be doing the same thing as me, and we could go together.

^^^^the way i see it, is everything happens for a reason.
so although i felt great heart ache from the rejection of my past 2 boyfriends,
maybe life has a bigger and better plan than that for me.
i'm sure i'm meant to do this alone to find the right person on the path.

i've been doing a lot of reasearch
following the eurorail line and reading about which towns i should go
in which country.
i dont want to do all the touristy stuff
but i do want to go into it somewhat organized
so i can save money, and worriness.

sometimes i get a little nervous.
i mean this is HUGE. this isn't like traveling across england, this is all of Europe.
i know some French, a little, but i'm going to go through so many different languages when i'm on the go.
the world is huge, it really is.

so i decided to start this travel blog.
me, my video camera and my nikon D40
should all make an interesting trio for updates.

writing is my passion,
and if i can document this well,
then maybe i can write a book when i'm older- or make a movie.

my life has pretty interesting so far,
painful- yet it was self inflicted pain,
so let's see how i reward myself.

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