Life was merely a dream... Until I graduated.

My name is Kelly, and I am making the rocky transition from college midwest Ohio girl to South Florida professional world. I just graduated from Ohio University, and if you know anything about Ohio University and Athens, Ohio, you know it is just one huge party. Athens is this magical little kingdom where college students just drink and have fun all the time. We made a fest over anything. One time the school got shut down because a man with a gun robbed a guy of 5 dollars and took off, so the bars opened early and we made up "Fugitive Fest" and drank all day.

When I was a freshman, my boyfriends at the time told me "if you want to be an Athen's A-list celebrity, you have to become a bartender at one of the main bars". Challenge accepted. I spent 2 years trying to get a job at the Fraternity/ Sorority bar called The Crystal. The Crystal is a different kind of bar than anything you usually experience. There is no deals, no drink menu, no food, and pretty much no rules if you were a regular. The drinks were huge, strong, and cheap. Even if you went to a different bar early in the night, you ended up at Crystal eventually. It reminded me of a clubhouse for college students, and eventually I got a job as a bartender there. I literally felt like i joined an elite group of celebrities.

College was a dream. I had the best job that gave me so much leverage on campus, a huge group of amazing friends, a competitive sorority, and an easy major that allowed to have maximum social life time. Every day felt like it was sunny, beautiful, full of friends and drunken charades. That was until May 3rd 2014, when it all ended with a rolled up piece of paper that said I understood communication studies and was fully equipped for the "real world".

At the time I was too blind to see how much of a dream I was waking up from. I had gotten a job in South Florida, which was going to be AWESOME! I mean I am moving an hour north of Miami to Fort Lauderdale. People pay hundreds of dollars to go to Fort Lauderdale. And my job is one of those "laid back" jobs where they like to make sure their employees can express themselves and be comfortable. I was so excited by this vision I had for myself as a trendy South Florida young professional, I didn't realize how awkward this transition really would be... This is my awkward journey.