When people ask me where I am from I usually say Chicago but then pause and change my answer to Minnesota. I grew up in Marshall, MN, a small town in Southwest Minnesota and that small town life has made me so much of who I am. I grew up a tomboy always playing any game I could find outside or living in my swimsuit at the pool.
I traveled a lot as a kid to New York, Maine and other states in the U.S. which made me realize there was a much bigger world outside of the small town I was raised in. I got bored of living in such a small town and wanted to see what the big city life was like so I moved to Chicago at age 18. In college I lived in the “dorms” which were located across the street from Millennium Park. Moving to Chicago was a huge culture shock for me. Everything was so expensive and so much busier. Throughout the next 6 years me and my roommate Alissa would move to 3 different apartments with a few other roommates.
In college I went on a fashion trip of Europe spanning England, Scotland and France and that started my travel itch. I have been to many U.S. states and over 20 countries since then. When I learned about Remote Year and found out I could travel throughout Asia for 4 months I jumped on that experience.
I have since been back for 4 months and feel like I have changed so much but am still the same curious, adventurous kid I have always been.
I have to thank my parents for always giving me what I needed, allowing me to play every sport, instrument and activity that I wanted. Even when I would quit some very quickly. I learned the hard way that I was terrible at playing the drums when I ruined an entire concert. Sorry…
Going home sometimes means coming back to Chicago to my condo or visiting my family in Minnesota. Home to me feels like being surrounded by the people I love, wherever that may be at the time.
Free to Wander 