Goodbye Maryland (DMV)!

I moved to Maryland from Nigeria almost 26 years ago and I've lived here since. Maryland (MD) is home. It's what I know. I've traveled to different places, but I always came back to MD sometimes dreading coming back to MD. It's not that I don't like living in MD, it’s just the fact that I did not pick Maryland. Obviously as a kid you don't get a say in where you live. I've always wanted to experience living in a different state or city, but complicated circumstances prevented me from moving away. For the past couple years, work has been my excuse for not moving away even though deep down I wanted to leave. I've had moments of wanting to move to New York or San Diego but the fear of starting over stopped me from moving or even considering job opportunities in those areas.

So, fast forward to 2020. Boom it's a pandemic! (In Elsa's voice), we are all stuck at home. I quickly had to transition to working from home during tax season when everything was going to shits. There was no real time to think. I thought ok it will only be for two weeks. I can do this. Well jokes on me. Two weeks turned into 7 long months of tax season with no real break. I cancelled all the trips I planned and all the little things that made Maryland bearable was suddenly gone. No more concerts, festivals, hanging out with friends, weekend getaways, etc... all suddenly gone. I was stuck in my apartment alone, working crazy hours to distract me for the craziness of the virus.

"Don't be afraid to take an unfamiliar path. Sometimes they're the ones that take you to the best places."

By the summer, I was sick of being in the house alone. I am not a homebody so it was hard to be at home all the time. I pushed through for a couple more months until I finished the last big tax deadline in October. With tax season finally over, I had to face another issue. I had too much vacation time on the books, so I had to figure out what to do. Around the same time as the tax deadline, Hawaii started to relax its travel rules. That was one of the trips I had planned to see my friend who moved there earlier in the year. I figured I'd go visit my friend and stay for my Tosingiving birthday (Thanksgiving). I usually travel for my birthday to get away from Maryland and to create a separation between the holiday and my birthday.

So, this year I decided to spend 6 weeks in beautiful Hawaii with my friends. That was the first time I was away from Maryland for more than a week or two. It was the best decision! I love being by the water and the sun (I'm an equator person lol) and I had a great friend who gave me the opportunity to live in "paradise" for a couple weeks. I was happier, free, glowing and at peace there. I no longer felt like I had to operate in survival mode. It was hard to leave and I cried when it was time to go back home to shitty weather in Maryland.

Before leaving Hawaii, I was already contemplating moving out of Maryland. My friends were trying to persuade me into moving to Hawaii. So, with me working from home I had no more excuses or reasons as to why I should not move there or anywhere else. I could work from anywhere. Being in Hawaii gave me the clarity I needed to make the decision of moving once my lease was up. I didn't know where, but I knew I was moving come May. Every time I come back from Hawaii I make a life decision. The last trip, I came back broke my lease and moved.

By now you are like Tosin get to the point where are you moving to lol. So here we are, I still don't know where I will be moving to and I am not in a rush to pick a new city. I want to date around and see what's out there. Not ready to jump into a new city/state relationship.

I have decided to become a digital nomad. I am going to bounce around to different cities and see what place matches my vibe. This has been something I've thought about doing for years. I love Bourdain's Parts Unknow and I've always wanted to do something like that, minus the drug suicide part.

If you know me, you know that I travel for food. My first stop is San Juan. Puerto Rico is one of my favorite places. I love the food, culture, people, music, etc... I'm scared but I’m excited to start this new adventure. I hope the city welcome me with open arms. One thing I've learned over the years is that time waits for no one. I don't want to merely exist in this world, I want to fully experience it. Maryland will always be home, but it's time for a new chapter in the book of Tosin.

Until next time DMV. Au Revior!

#TosinWanders #WhereisTosin #Nomadlife #PuertoRico

---