I had numerous blogs. First one, on my first trip to the United States, on my school vacation to work at the YMCA in North Carolina, I remember it used to call “Where the hell Joana?” like I was a big world traveler or some sort of Carmen San Diego of the students abroad. I was not. I was only 21 and it the first time I ever left my country. It only lasted a couple of months and I abandoned.
I tried to write a few times more and when I got to Australia, I wrote a little, on the same blog name, but I guess I didn’t continue because of the censorship of my mother. She is a very opinionated lady and, after reading my post, she used to ramble like she was my editor, “Don’t write this, change that. This is not nice.” I abandoned again. A few years later I started a blog about Asian recipes. Again, never been to Asia, only worked in Asian restaurants and absolutely love their food and culture. How to make Orange Chicken! Hooray!
After spending money and never being able to get the ingredients to cook for the week because I was in Marietta and the Asian neighborhood was 40 minutes away, I gave up after a few weeks. I still have the package to make the Bow. It’s just a reminder of the blog I couldn’t keep up.
A couple of years later, I decided to write, again, about traveling and the immigrant life in America. The blog would have tips of cheap places to stay and eat, cool places to visit, and it would be most likely for Brazilians who wanted to visit America and have fun. It had everything to work. Except for the part I couldn’t be traveling as much as I wanted or needed. My husband wanted to go on adventures with me, but he was a full-time student, at chiropractic school, after 6 months and a few trips in, I deleted. And this one was painful to let go. I spent too much time on it, money and dedication, to see it go down the drain. Life happens. From this blog, I got the fantastic idea of finally applying to creative writing, that I have been wanting for years. I love telling stories and learn how to write in proper English has always been in my plans. I also read a lot, at least I think I do, and I would enjoy giving myself some real purpose in life.
This time I will try not to abandon it. I think I found my voice and what I want to write about, I don’t want to be anybody’s life coach. I’m only 32. I currently relocated to Chicago and I love to explore the city. I love telling stories, either mine or someone else’s. I have been a waitress for the past 6 years, and I’m a story collector.
JS
