Jan 24, 2017
By Melissa Chiou
Uncertain Hopelessness into An Unforgettable Trip
As a kid, I loved the beach. My dream one day was to take a trip and move to LA and make it big working in TV. This was quite a dream considering that I lived on the East Coast and none of my family is even remotely involved in this industry. To this day, they still don’t really know what I do or why I even bother to do what I do.
Unfortunately, their fear became my fear and I continued to be trapped where I was. It took a bad break-up and some other bad things to happen, to force my hand and make me to do the thing that scared me the most – leave everything behind and move cross-country without a job.
If it was going to happen, it had to happen NOW. Everything was so bad that making a move couldn’t have made anything worse. At that point, I had nothing to lose.
With the help of my dad, we took a trip and drove my car cross-country for 5 days to LA. What an eye-opening experience – seeing the land change between states and seeing the different ways that people lived.
My dad was probably best travel partner. Unlike the rest of my family, he loved to travel and see the world. He, too, loved the ocean. Part of his family history is that his side of the family is from Taiwan, though originally from southern China near the sea. He grew up swimming and fishing.
Maybe that’s where I unconsciously have this longing to always be near the water. It feels like home to me.
It just took traveling and experiencing new things to get there.
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About the Author
Melissa Chiou
Melissa Chiou is a writer, based out of Los Angeles. In her free time, she likes to play pinball and find the best Mom and Pop shops around town.