2016 - I DID IT!

I began writing this post in August 2016, hence the change in tense. I hope you enjoy the read.

August

2016 has been one of the biggest challenges I've faced so far in life. I think I've felt every emotion possible. But, certainly for the last 6 months, it was one big headache. The journey started back in August, I had a dream and no idea where to start. The dream was to move to Los Angeles, somewhere I'd spent some time earlier in the year.

So, the dream was there, but how do I accomplish this? I did what everyone does, I googled it! I found a number of promising companies offering services that I feel could help me on this journey. I spent weeks and weeks researching all the companies, reading review after review on the websites from people who had the same dream as me.

After a month, I decided on a company that I felt offered exactly what I wanted, and made contact. Initially, I went through a long process of being approved for even starting the program. Not having a physical degree is extremely hard when it comes to proving knowledge and experience. So I continued to plod along completing form after form and obtaining letters of recommendations from current and previous employers. Eventually, I finished all the forms and paid all the money that was required from the company, and so began the long wait...

September

I arrived in LA late September to spend a month learning about the city, experiencing the change in culture and "hopefully" meeting the company I'd potentially work for. A couple of weeks past, and I still hadn't heard anything from my the company handling my papers.. I continued to chase everyday, getting more and more frustrated.. I felt like it was never going to happen. I sat on Zuma Beach in Malibu wondering whether I could actually pull this off. 

October

FINALLY, I heard back from my paper handling company who provided the details of a potential company. I met the company on the 8th October (Which for anyone who knows me is my birthday!), so I thought this would give me some luck! I completed the forms and tests required by the company and also met with the CEO and Supervisor for a small interview; it went well, really well. I left the interview feeling optimistic and excited at the potential venture in front of me. After submitting a small review to the company about my experience and what I can offer them, I began the waiting game again.

Weeks went by, I completed more tests required by the potential company. As I said before, it's hard when you don't have a physical degree; you have to prove everything. I entered my final week in LA. My mood had dropped, I was depressed because I thought this dream was over. And then, while sitting in a brewery at Universal Studios, I received the email I'd been waiting for: "We'd like to offer you the job". I was ecstatic, I couldn't control my excitement.

I flew home later that week and shared the news with my family; who shared my excitement. But, I knew that this was only the start. I had the job, now I needed the visa. I began the second load of paperwork with my paper handling company. Now began the most stressful month of 2016..

November / December

November was a fairly quiet month in regards to this, I was making sure that I had finances in place just incase I was able to pull this off. In order to have everything in place in order to honour my potential start date of the 2nd January 2017, I had to hand my notice in at Capgemini; without knowing if I had a visa. This decision was extremely hard, Cap was a company I'd worked at for nearly 6 years, and I was taking a huge risk giving that up. But, I knew my dream and I was confident in myself, so on the 27th November, I handed my notice of leave to Capgemini. We hit December, and still not word regarding the final documents. I continued to chase, growing more and more frustrated as the days went by. 

On December 14th, I received the final paperwork that I needed. I was now able to book my Visa appointment at the US Embassy.

06:00 London, 21st December. I travelled to London the night before to make sure I was up and mentally prepared for the interview. I walked to the embassy early; my appointment was at 08:30. I'd read about interview experiences and how gruelling the process was for people; this panicked me. I stood in the queue with many other visa hopefuls, and we were allowed in. I filled in yet another form, took my number and sat in what can only be described as church pews. My number was called and I walked to the glass window number 8 (my birthday, bit of luck again I guess). The officer took my finger prints and asked me a few simple questions. I was given a form and was told to join another queue.

I stood and waited for 15-20 minutes as the I creeped slowly towards the front. I was people watching, my favourite game, I watched how the officers were behaving towards other visa hopefuls, I watched how people were approved and denied in a matter of seconds until; it was my turn. I stood and waited to be called to the window, I was shaking and sweating. The officer must have called me forward, but I didn't hear. He shouted "PLEASE come forward!". I walked slowly to the window, dropping my umbrella in the process (Pull it together Dan, I was thinking). He took my forms from me, and began to enter the information into his computer. After a serious of small questions, he took his pen out, signed the form and said the words I'd waited almost 6 months to hear; VISA APPROVED.

The next few moments were almost a blur. I walked out the embassy onto a busy Oxford Street feeling like Will Smith in "The Pursuit Of Happiness", you know? when he gets the job he'd worked so hard for. I cried, a lot.. I cried because I'd been working at this for 6 months, I'd given up my job of 6 years for this, I'd not slept properly out of sheer worry. And finally, I'D DONE IT!

Now, I'm finishing this post 3 months into my adventure, I'd be lying if I said it's been easy, it's one of the toughest things I've ever done. But, I've met some incredible people and I'm determined to make this opportunity count.

Believe in your dreams, and chase them. Times will be hard, you'll struggle emotionally and financially, but in the end, what will be will be.

Regards, Dan. 

Why do you travel?

Probably the most common question I've seen travel bloggers answer. Why do you travel? Now, we all travel for different reasons. But, the most common reason that stands out when I read these blogs is that fact people seem to be scared. Scared at life behind a desk, scared to fall into routines, scared of commitment, scared at the lack of freedom. 

For me, I'm not running away from problems when I travel. I'm the type of person that strives to deal with problems head on, it's the only way you can learn from a situation, good or bad. How can you take your own life seriously if all you ever do is run? 

I'm young and in many aspects inexperienced in life. The two aspects of why I travel, in a strange way, kind of contradict each other, but hear me out... 

The first reason I travel is because I want to experience these wonderful places while I'm young enough to do it, without too many financial repercussions. Travelling has allowed me to meet so many people that have become so important in my life. It's helped me learn from other peoples upbringings and experiences, and I genuinely feel that I would not be the person I am today without those people, so thank you!

The second reason I travel is, and I said it would slightly contradict the first reason, is to help me along the journey towards self-reliance. The British Education System is extremely structured up to the point of leaving Secondary School. I remember arriving at college and being completely gobsmacked at all the freedom I had, what do you mean I can 'decide' if I want to go to class? I don't get told off if I don't go? it shocked me and if I'm honest, I didn't like it. I wasn't self-reliant, I relied on that constant structure from either my teachers or my parents - granted the structure from my parents was still there, but you get the picture. Back to the point! Travelling by yourself is a fantastic way to learn what you can cope with. I always tell my friends that "you learn the most about yourself when you feel uncomfortable", and it's a quote I pretty much live by. To start with, nothing scared me more than getting on a place by myself, but now it's second nature! After feeling intentionally uncomfortable, for me, there is nothing better now than taking a flight by yourself, headphones in, gazing out of the plane window, nothing but you and your thoughts, no one to rely on but yourself. Yes, it's scary, but life's scary!

If you don't feel like you're ready to travel by yourself, don't worry! I'm still learning, I have friends around the world which help me to take that journey towards self-reliance in baby steps. A flight by yourself is a good place to start, knowing you need to be somewhere for a certain time, and knowing that you need to get yourself there. It may not seem like much to you now, and you may feel uncomfortable doing it, but it's a damn good place to start..

Self-reliance isn't something that will happen overnight, it is something that is developed in stages as we get older, shaped by experiences you have and the goal of becoming more and more independent.

Travelling will help you shape the rest of your life, so don't be scared! DO IT!

Feel free to share your views and tell me, why do you travel? 

Regards, Dan.

Copenhagen - Day One!

Anybody who knows me well will confirm that I am not a morning person. I will make every excuse possible to avoid waking up before the sun does. Fortunately, or should I say unfortunately, the world of work has forced me to become better at dealing with this. But, I'd warn you to approach with caution before 7am! That being said, the morning of the 2nd of June was a morning I had no problem waking up for. We had an early morning flight from Luton to Copenhagen to catch, so a 5am alarm was imperative!

We left dull and rainy England and were welcomed by glorious sun in Copenhagen. Passport control was a breeze and with no bags to collect, we made our way to the metro.

Now, normally, when you're in foreign country or infact anywhere for the first time, navigation can be a daunting task, even with the ever-growing number of navigation apps you can get for your mobile phone. Copenhagen is one of the few cities I've been to where navigation was not an issue. We managed to find a wonderful apartment on Pilestaede, 0.5km walk from Kongens Nytorv metro station. We found our Airbnb apartment with ease, ditched the bags and began exploring!

They say first impressions are key, so as we started to explore the city I was blown away by the cleanliness of the streets and it really showed a pride in the city that I feel our cities lack at home. London, for all it's glory, really lacks this and it was really refreshing to be somewhere where the people respected their city. "Happy People, Happy City!"

We decided to experience traditional Scandinavian food when we ate out on the first night. Aamanns Deli, located in the north of the city, was our choice. After studying the menu for sometime, We chose to have the Whole Lemon Sole, served with artichokes, new carrots, marjoram and beurre blanc, and a selection of three Smorrebrod (Scandinavian open sandwiches), the selection for that day were Potato Salad, Chicken Salad and Salmon. The food was artistically presented and made with extreme care and thought, it really made you appreciate the fantastic taste knowing how much time went into preparing these dishes, I could not recommend this restaurant enough!


Once we'd finished our meal, we decided to have a stroll around the north of the city. I've always been fascinated by Scandinavian architecture and it's simplistic form. Even though we were still technically in the "city centre", we came across a small neighbourhood of beautifully designed town houses. What made us fall in love with this city was the real sense of community that again, most of our cities at home lack. For example, we started to walk down the street to find communal picnic tables and sandpits for residents to use at their convenience. These communal facilities did not impede the road, you could tell that these streets were built to provide a sense of community to the residents. I was also surprised at how peaceful this part of the city was, these streets provided a blissful getaway from the bustling city centre. Taking in the sights of this part of the city was a perfect way to end a great first day in Copenhagen.

I have a few posts lined up about our trip to Copenhagen including, Freetown Christiania, Food Markets and the Louisiana Museum, so please stay tuned for those!

Regards, Dan.