I have always wanted to live on a tropical island. Summer is my best friend, the ocean is my first love, and surfing is my passion. I dreamed of moving to Hawaii. The only problem was that I was a freshly graduated college student with no job, no money, and would be forever paying off my student loan debt. The timing did not seem ideal. I was depressed living at home enduring another winter and I just snapped. I did not want to go another day living unhappily like this. So I threw caution to the wind.

When I received my small tax refund in February, I decided to take a leap of faith. I was going to take all that little money I had (and a credit card) and move to Maui. I gave up on trying to find the right time, because I realized there never would be. All I could do is try and see what happened, and if it didn't work out I could always come home. I had enough money for a two month trial period and that was all the assurance I needed to convince myself.

I will never forget the feeling I felt when I bought my one way ticket. It just felt so right somehow, even though everyone around me was telling me how impulsive and irrational I was being. I did not care, I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to live by the sea and an endless summer where I could surf real waves every day without a wetsuit. I felt like I was making the right choice for myself, even if everyone else disagreed. I had faith that the islands would accept me. And they did.

My first day on Maui I landed a job interview and got the job the next day. I cried with happiness. I had done it. I had proved everyone wrong. I was going to live my dreams. Almost a year later, and I am still thriving. I live two blocks from the beach, I teach surf lessons and am able to surf as much as I want, and work at night. This is not to say that living here has been easy, there have been a lot of adventures and bumps in the road, but overall my life has found its happy place and I am excited to see what the future has for me.