About Me — Slow train
Gathering speed as I go
Gathering speed as I go
I chose the name ‘Slow train’ because I often feel like a force. A strong force. A heavy force. But, one that takes time to gather speed.
I’ve thought about writing my entire life, but now, in my 30s, I’m actually doing it.
Defining moments
Volaré, oh-oh, Cantaré
When I was 20 I moved to Madrid from Kentucky. I had never been outside of the U.S., never been to a big city, never ridden a subway. I had been dreaming of the moment for years, and fantasizing about the Spanish lifestyle for months. When I walked out of the airport, my new host mom was waiting for me.
Eva, a caring, anti-establishment, patient, pot-smoking musician from Pamplona took me in. I lived with her and her nine-year-old son for the next year, and it changed everything. It taught me Spanish and how to navigate a city. It made me consider, for the first time, what it was that I really wanted, without worrying about anyone else’s expectations. It taught me I had been right to question the path I thought I was destined for. It showed me what else might be possible.
Because of that year, I spent every year in my twenties moving to a different country. I traveled through Central America, South America, Oceania, and Europe. I learned Spanish and Norwegian. I’m still working on my French. And, I now identify as an American ex-pat who is (somewhat) settled in Norway.
Travel made me watchful of cultural differences and invested in finding out what influences people. It also gave me a passion for international development, which would direct my future career. Because of these influences, I write about the ex-pat experience, language, politics, travel, international development, and cultural expectations.
A Striking Viking
Along the way of moving around the world, learning languages, and finding myself, I met my striking Viking. On Tinder, of all places. In Brussels.
Meeting him changed my life. We took trips together, traveled between Kentucky, Norway, and France. Our lives became intertwined. I had never been focused on “finding the one,” but suddenly, I had him.
I also never thought I wanted to have kids until I realized I did. I now have a daughter that shines joy into my life in a way I didn’t think was possible before. She radiates love, laughter, and poop. She lights me up from the inside out when she smiles.
Navigating parenthood makes it easy to write about pregnancy, parenting, motherhood, and relationships. But, it also makes me critically aware of gendered expectations about what it means to be a mom, and how society views gender roles. I want to write about everything related to being a mom in today’s world, from the challenges of having a newborn to sexism in pop culture.
What am I doing on Medium?
Fostering a writing practice has been a goal for a long time. I’m writing a novel, and I hope to build a following for blogs and articles.
My dream is to write full-time and travel the world with my family. I know lots of people have that dream, and I’m not sure it’s realistic. But, you don’t know until you try, right?
Either way, I’m sure writing on Medium is just the beginning.
Thanks for reading.
