Joseph Jarrett

Hey, divas! Did you miss me? I was a busy woman this holiday weekend, as Sabrina Carpenter would say. The Fourth of July is my second favorite holiday, so I could not focus on anything professional while I was living my best life with my family in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While you may think that my holiday plans have nothing to do with my blogs, it is actually very relevant to today’s.

            You see, I’ve been around the world a few times. Being a former flight attendant and the child of parents who live for traveling, I’ve been luckier than most. Some of my greatest and worst memories are in cities and places that I have never called home. Some I could’ve seen becoming home, while others never will. Each place I have visited has left me with something, either good or bad, and those pieces have helped me get to where I am. Now, let’s jet.

Chicago, Illinois

            Oh, my beloved She-Cago. How I love that city. Chicago is home to a lot of really great memories, the kind that leaves a pang of nostalgia in my heart and mind when I think about them. While I do not think I’d ever officially move to Chicago, it does feel like a city I called home because of how much I grew there. Being based out of the O’Hare International Airport was so exciting, but it really helped me to mature and grow up. Chicago is a much larger and crazier city than Jacksonville, Florida, so I had no choice but to step up my game. If it weren’t for my time here, I’d probably still be afraid to use public transportation in new cities by myself. The Blue Line ended up becoming my favorite method of travel. I got a grip on my situational awareness, built up my navigation skills, and became tougher when people seemed off. I also loved all of the fun things I got to do there. Halloween pop-ups in the city with my friends, baseball games at Wrigley, and coffee by the famous Chicago Bean. The short amount of time I spent there really did something amazing for me, and I cannot take that for granted. I think I need to book myself a ticket!

Albany, New York

            I hope by now that everyone who has followed my story has read Mishaps & Mistakes, and if you haven’t, you’re missing out on a ton of the lore. One of the big events in my memoir takes place in the capital city of New York. The beginning of the end, or the point of return involving my relationship with Gabe. When we traveled there together, I had never been to Albany before. I went in intrigued and excited, but left shattered and pale. Looking back now, it was the perfect place for our story to end. The downtown area is reminiscent of a movie you’ve seen a hundred times, the people are entertaining, and there’s actually plenty to keep you busy. If I had known that everything I wanted was going to be ripped from my hands like a rug under my feet while visiting, I don’t think I would have gotten on the plane. At twenty-three, I was still naïve and madly in love with this boy. I thought he was the one. Of course I wouldn’t have gone if I knew how the ending would unfold. But it happened, and it needed to happen. There’s no reason for me to ever go back to Albany, and I don’t think I’d ever want to. You know how Taylor Swift said she couldn’t bring herself to do a Reputation (Taylor’s Version) because she couldn’t relive the events she lays out in that album? That’s how I feel about Albany. I don’t ever want to relive anything that I felt or did there ever again.

Barcelona, Spain

            You really thought I was going to write an entire post about cities that changed me and not cover the place I died? Come on, now. As horrific as my adventure to Barcelona was, I know for a fact I am not through with that city yet. I never imagined that my first solo trip outside of my home country would turn into a week-long hospital stay, but it happened. Even though it was absolutely terrifying in the moment, I am ultimately grateful for what occurred in Barcelona. Had I never gone through my DKA battle, I never would have gotten on the right track with both my physical and mental health. I matured so much afterwards. Now, I just hope that I can go back one day and actually strut like I mean it through Park Guell. Everyone, say thank you to The Cheetah Girls for that inspiration! We all wanna live it! It’s still a bucket list item for me.

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            There are plenty of other cities that I could lay out my opinions and experiences on. Maybe I should? Part Two later this week? I guess you’ll just have to wait and see!