I've noticed something. By going far back into the archives of other blogs I like, I've noticed that they never have a true 'first post'. No excited introduction, no awkward bursting through the internet door. It feels like they just started their blog halfway through and I'm missing something.
They just started their blog and began shouting into the Void, no introduction needed. (Or maybe, introduction later deleted.) But I need to introduce myself to the Void that is the internet. Sit the Void down, pass it my resume, let it ask questions about where I see myself in five years. The Void and I are going to have a nice little chat, right here in this post, and then I'll give the Void a firm handshake and be on my merry blog-post-writing way.
Hello Void! This is me! And this is my blog!
I'm very excited to meet you.
And why shouldn’t I be? Life is exciting, man. I know that makes me sound young and naïve, but who cares? Not me, not right now, hopefully not ever. (I'm cringing already while editing this post.)
Life is spanning out in front of me and there are so many paths I can take. And if I ever choose a path and end up hating it, I can start a new path.
I'm Victoria, a college student, a Libra (which is sadly not a mix of a lion and zebra), and a Hufflepuff. I’m a Neuroscience and English double major, but I’m betting myself five dollars that neither of those majors will impact my life much in ten years (that is the trend I'm noticing among most college graduates). Or maybe they will. I guess I’ll have to find out.
I want to keep this blog fairly anonymous, at least until I graduate. You can know my name and whichever country I am in at the moment (and at this moment of writing, it is eastern USA), but I’m going to keep my last name, university, and sorority off this blog for the time being. Eventually I will work my way up to being more transparent (see below: Intention #1), but for now I’m going to play it safe.
So what, at its core, is Vitae Victoria about?
It’s about me. For the next five months it will be about Scotland, then eastern Europe for two-ish months, then back to college for what’s (hopefully) my final year, and from then on it will be about South Korea/Japan/India/Cambodia/Mongolia/Peace Corps/ESL/who knows! At the root of it all, this blog is about me. And books, of course, because books are a part of me, always.
Is that selfish, to want something to be completely about me? By the definition of the term, yes. But I don’t think being selfish is a bad thing, especially for girls, who are taught that they should be selfless above all.
I’m carving out my own space: on the internet, and in this world. If no one ever reads this, then wow that’s kinda sad I was hoping for some back-and-forth dialogue. But it’s still my space.
I don’t want to sell you anything (although I am open to those affiliate links, if I’ve actually used and liked the product), I don’t want to make you feel like your 9-5 job makes you less fulfilled (congrats to you for having a job!), and I definitely, definitely don’t want to inspire you (my beef with people trying to be ‘inspiring’ will be a post for another day).
I’m just going to be here. I’m going to be me.
In more definite terms, I will list out my intentions with this blog. My intentions with you, reader, and with the Void.
- I want to feel more comfortable with demanding my own space, and this blog is a great step in the right direction. Being over-private is one of my vices and this blog terrifies me in that aspect. I’m opening up and letting you in. You could be my mom, my grandma, people who I went to elementary school with, people who I go to college with (this is the scariest of them all, nothing hurts worse than peer judgement), or just a random person on the internet. That’s scary, but I’m working on it.
- I want an open dialogue. Talk to me! Reply to posts! It can be something as simple as an emoji or an in-depth reply with your ~feelings~ and input, which I highly value. I genuinely want your two cents. Hell, give me three cents.
- Improve my writing. I want to keep this blog for years and years and years and see myself develop over time. This blog is my mandatory writing practice. I want to experiment with what works, what doesn’t work, with the ultimate goal of developing my own voice. Because isn’t that what all writers want? A voice that is heard.
- Have a creative outlet. This is basically a blend of #1 and #3.
- Bring the soul back into travel blogging. Now I’m not saying every blog that chooses to monetize is a sell-out. What I am saying is that people who blog with the sole purpose of advertising and making money are boring. I’ve come across so many popular yet mind-numbingly boring blogs. This little bullet point on my list is to publicly ensure that I will never become boring. Please, give me a virtual shin kick via email if I do.