To introduce myself?

My first instinct is to introduce myself. Already this gives me pause - especially because the point of this blog, the name of which I have agonised over & changed several times, hopefully gives you the idea that I am about to embark on a period of great change in my life. The goal to still be who I am now, just a generally better, more experienced & worldly form of me! Of course before I float off into daydreams of myself, the consummate experienced traveller, fitting all my luggage into a single carry on bag & arriving at each of my destinations looking as though I've just been transported from some Parisian fashion house, I must stop & give you the right here, right now I'll-be lucky-to-fit-my-clothes-for-one-season-into-two-suitcases version. I do hope that this will be an unfailingly honest narrative - something so that in later life I can look back on this & feel that it was the start of something - hell, hopefully by the end of this I might even have some idea of what 'something' could be !!
Since honesty is my goal I will try now to describe, well, me & give some small introduction about what you as a reader should hope to expect in the coming months.


Like the title of the blog - I'm soon to be 25, single and definitely a nerd. I come from a close-knit wonderful family that I love, mostly without exception. I'm not ashamed to admit that I live at home - haven't ever lived away from home if I'm being really truthful. I have a great job. My dream job in fact, a job that no-one thought I was ready for & that probably shouldn't have come around for a few more years. I work in retail, with books, which have always been one of my true passions & with an amazing team of people around me that I consider to be almost a second family. What I don't have, and what I long for more than anything is to do something different. There's a phrase I say to myself over & over - one that I've used so many times during this process to try & explain myself, "Don't put anything off". I learnt the important lesson fairly early in life that nobody lives forever & you never know what can happen just around the corner. I won't let myself get to the end of my life & be looking back wishing I had done something more.
I suppose that brings me to the heart of the situation. I'm quitting my job - I've given myself a date even, the end of August - only 5 months away now & I'll be done. I'm booking a ticket - one-way to the US. I've applied for & been granted a Canadian twelve-month working visa which I have to take up before March 2013 or forfeit - I won't let it forfeit. Essentially I don't plan on coming back to New Zealand before mid-2014. This is going to be my adventure, hopefully it will be the start of something wonderful & even more hopefully, if I haven't put you off yet - some of you will follow me through this!
If I'm going to be really honest (I'm trying, it's harder than it looks!) 90% of me can't wait & I'm working on that 10% - this year is my time & nothing is going to hold me back!!