Let's Git Started!

 I'm starting a digital journal of my travels. 

A log 📚of what I see👀, smell 👃, learn 💡, and experience 😎. There's lots to see in this world and my hope is to be a part of all of it as much and for as long as I can. 

It's also very responsible of me to share what I learn as I go along. In this post I express my initial departure from my American life and a learning note of house sharing. 

Mu future posts will be more exciting and have photo's 📷🎥, exciting tales and stories 📚, and I'll share what I've learned with you, so wait for it.... I'll keep it interesting...after this post 😁

I'm a single female in my early 50's....nuff said, BUT have dreamed of moving abroad for years; I am a writer 🖉 by nature and have had some works published 📖. Recently self-publishing a small book of poems on Amazon Kindle called 'A Little Life with Big Words', and I have other pieces I continue to work on, I hope to earn my income while living abroad by writing, any way I can.

It's not day 1 of my adventures but it's the beginning of this blog and I am a big fan of writing down everything, to look back on and remember; they'll be diary entries, poems, prose, and short stories intertwined with valuable information for the potential traveler or at least for those who want to live vicariously through me. These adventures will be accompanied with photographs 📷and videos 🎥 for our viewing and learning pleasure❗

So, let's catch up. 💨

The day of departure from Florida came along fast. I had waited, worked, planned, and anticipated the day with excited anxiety. The months leading up to this day were filled with mixed emotions and experiences. 

I had moved from the toxic house share to live over the next few months with friends and family. I was determined to succeed with my plans to move abroad and needed as much time as I could living and dwelling as inexpensively as possible to save as much money as I could before my departure. 

There were conversations about finding value in the current life I led, the potential opportunities with the medical practice I was employed by, and what a continued lifestyle could look like if I stayed in Florida. In the end, moving on was what  I knew I was meant to do, one way or another. 

I had the support of a partner and friend 👫, a ticket to fly ✈, and a new life to embark on 🌄.

For me it was not an emotional departure, my great American life had become a trial, the grind of working and striving for better, seemed a black hole 🌌 that had presented as an endless struggle. My brave face 😇and sunny disposition where beginning to be more of a mask than my true feelings 👹 of how I was living my life. 

It was time to move on. 

My last day in Florida was filled with work, and with saying goodbye, I then made my way North. I had an exam to sit for that evening, it was important and the certification would greatly enhance my international work options.

As I drove North to Orlando from Sebastian, Florida, I had mixed emotions; excitement and anxiety but ready to go.

I was on my way! Adventure started.

House Sharing 101

House share's can be really wonderful, if you find the right one 😜. There are learning curves when you are investigating this option for yourself. Let's review some key factors.

1) Do your research. 

    Where do you want to live? Neighborhood, community, new town, new state; all are considered.

    How long are you anticipating living there? 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year....or longer.

    If you are living with friends or in a friends house, you will want to modify these considerations but     still have a conversation that touches on many of these factors.

2) How many roommates are you willing to live with?

    Consider living with males and females, you'll have more options, however, take care to have the            availability to interview all the house mates. If you do live with the opposite sex, make sure you            have your own bathroom or a shared bath with a female.

3) What amenities are looking for? 

Washer/dryer on property (paid or free?), kitchen and cupboard space/use, living room accessibility (TV/cable/gaming hook ups, etc.), Wifi (free? Accessible/fast? The conversation about cost of utilities and amenities should be your part of your initial conversation with the property owner or *lead renter. 

CLUE: *Many households have a 'lead renter', someone who rents the whole house and sublets the rooms. Research should be done, in this case, as to whether or not the city/town/neighborhood allows for the permitting of the house to be a house share. Reason? You may get evicted at anytime should the municipal find out an illegal household as been established and then, yup, you guessed it! You're homeless.... bummer.

4) Noise factor. 

Always, always have a conversation about noise boundaries, depending on your lifestyle. House parties, guests, boyfriend/girlfriend(s) visiting. Ask who is adjacent to your room and find out what their habits are; work hours, nighttime hours, friends/friends with bene's visiting...yup, sex noises should be considered.

5) Use of the common areas. 

Dining area for special occasions, living room for game night or binge watching Stranger Things, outdoor patio/BBQ/lawn for summer fun, all these need to be discussed before hand depending on your interests, use, and time living in the house. Sometimes there is a schedule within the household for use of these areas but definitely there will be conversations depending on the communication between house mates.

6) Finally, cleanliness matters and it should be a big part of the conversation with all the house mates. 

The kitchen, shared bathroom, living room space and personal space. Yes, that nasty smell coming        from your next door neighbor's room needs to be discussed early on and no scented candle can            mask it 👺.

Is there a cleaning lady or company that comes in or does everyone pitch in and if that's the case            how do the household cleaning jobs get scheduled and completed? Who is the unfortunate roommate    that has to dig out nasty, slimy wads of hair from the tub or shower drain or empty the overflowing        kitchen trash, filled with take out containers (not yours!), don't get me started on the vacuuming,          mopping, and dusting duties.

*Yard/property responsibilities. Who clears the snow? Plowing, shoveling (fine, I have to dig out my       own car). Mowing the lawn? How often? Who takes care of broken windows, appliances, faucets,           etc.?

These are all very real parts of the conversation you need to have depending on your stay in the household. Gauge your participation and longevity of your stay to navigate how you will approach these topics.

Good luck!