This is so exciting to me because I love to write and create and share those creations, so now seems like as good a time as any to do so more formally. Despite the massive picture of my face behind the section on the home page called “About Me” the “Me” is really this site, because I imagine if you have gotten here you already know enough about me, Arden, so a reintroduction seems a bit redundant.
But the site! Well first, you may be wondering about the name — Love always, Arden. This comes from one of my favorite books in the world, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. The book is written as if it were a series of letters written by the main character, Charlie, and each of his letters begins with “Dear friend,” and is signed “Love always, Charlie.” I can’t remember when I first read this book, 7th or 8th grade maybe? But ever since then, I have mimicked this signature when addressing letters (given it’s appropriateness to the recipient). Even my email sign off takes on a similar form, though in a more professional tone, with, “Best always, …” (again, if audience appropriate). So here is me given credit where credit is due.
The primary goal with this is to chronicle my experience abroad, but I also don’t want to set any limitations on what this should or could be. Ultimately, I’d even like for this to outlast my time abroad. Blogging to me seems so “cool girl” and I would never been one to label myself that. That isn’t meant to sound self deprecating, I just have a clear image of “cool girl” in my head (an image that is predominantly reflective of the cool people in my life who I call friends and who probably wouldn’t know that I am talking about them right now because they are just that cool). So maybe the timing of abroad is my excuse to bypass the “cool girl” imposter syndrome and just write because, as mentioned above, I truly do enjoy that.
I do want this to be a tad more curated than a word-vomit, diary of sorts (trust me — I already picked up a bright cerulean journal for which I plan to do just that)(confession: I spent an atrociously long time in Paper Source picking it out and I am semi-ashamed at my indecisiveness… moving on). Maybe scrapbook is the right word? A series of out-of-context postcards? Either/or/both?
I’m happy you could make it and I hope you will enjoy all the happenings, whatever they may be.
