My name is Jay and I'm a 24 year old American.
I made my way to Steem after delving into the cryptocurrency scene. I want to share my story with you all, but I'm a bit shy and we just met... Here is a short version:
I grew up in Wisconsin, USA. I had a very privileged upbringing, and a kick-ass education. I played soccer, tennis, and a shit ton of video games. I went to the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2011 and got my degree with a Chinese Major. During this time I joined a fraternity and learned to party. Life was good for a while until my world got rocked one day. My father called because he was having trouble with his balance. It seemed innocent enough, but after a visit to the doctor we found that he had a tumor growing in his brain. He was an amazingly strong man, he didn't want his predicament to impact my education. No one told me, but the countdown had started. He fought for over a year before he passed away peacefully in our home. 
This was all new territory for me. He was healthy and wise. He was a pillar. I took the first chance I could to change my surroundings, I studied abroad in China for 3 months. When I came back I was introduced to wire wrapping. This is making jewelry with just small metal wires and gemstones. Here is the very first pendant I made
After becoming addicted, I was working on my jewelry every single day. I progressed quickly. After two more years of school, wire wrapping, and my IT job, I graduated from university. I had no idea what to do next but I figured going abroad again would be a good path for me. I began planning my expedition. I lived in a small apartment in Madison for one year and I focused on my jewelry business. I was able to pay my bills and have a ton of fun. My jewelry became somewhat professional, but I kept my priority of living abroad. 
In August 2016, I left everything I knew for Wuhan, China. I found the job teaching English and went through the whole hiring process over email and Skype. The transition to life in China was strange. The food was amazing and the culture was confusing. The air was dirty and the people were lovely. I really had an interesting time. Teaching English ended up being the best part of the experience while living in big-city China ended up being the worst part. I need peace and quiet in my life, and it was hard to find. 
The job ended one year later, August 2017. I saved up as much money as I could during my year of work. When my contract ended I began my first real travel adventure; 6 months in south-east asia. I went to Southern China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and India. It was the best thing I have ever done. I just returned to the states 2 weeks ago, I still feel the culture shock every day after 18 months abroad... I have a ton of good memories and stories that I hope to share in time. I met so many good people and saw so many good places. Of course there were challenges as well. At times I was scared, lonely, confused, frustrated, and sad. 
That brings us to the present. I am living in Madison, Wisconsin and I am practicing a bunch of my favorite hobbies. I am reading, biking, stretching, cooking, hiking, etc... I am focused on improving my writing and ideally finding a source of income in this amazing community. I am also working on my ukulele skills so I will attach a cover with each post. Expect future posts to include my random thoughts, my travel stories, or anything else I feel like writing about. I want to encourage thoughtful discussion and make you smile. Thank you for reading, really. Here is my first cover; Crazy, by Cee Lo Green. https://clyp.it/g24kiism# (Apologies for audio quality, this will get better in time)
A few more random pictures for good measure:
