All About Amanee

By: on


Photo taken at the Pont des Arts Bridge in Paris, France

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Amanee. Just a bubbly 23-year-old trying to find her way in the world. I have a passion for all things natural hair, makeup, watching the same movies over and over again, and eating is my all-time favorite hobby of them all. Especially brunch. Brunch is my fave.


I graduated from the University of Tampa with a degree in journalism and a minor in communication almost two years ago. When I went to school, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that I would enjoy day in and day out… And what is it that I love to do, you may ask? TALK. Talk and write. I absolutely love writing. I have journals and notebooks full of stories, random thoughts, and crazy dreams.

Graduation photo in Plant Park at the University of Tampa
Photo by: Morgan Williams Photography

I also have a passion for traveling. That’s where this blog comes into play. It’s titled “Wanderlust Thoughts” because traveling’s all I ever think about. I spend my free time looking at flights and different places to go.


When I first started working, I decided that I wanted to save my money and spend it on experiences rather than material possessions. And that’s exactly what I do. People always ask me how I manage to go somewhere every three months… Well, I plan, I budget, and I save. It’s as easy as that. I don’t buy frivolous things or go on expensive shopping sprees.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved exploring and going to new places… Whether it be by car, train or plane. The airport is actually one of my favorite places to be. I’m extremely nosey and I love to people watch. Seeing families reunite in the terminal and ear hustling people’s stories just makes my day. And on top of that, I can never sit still. I’m always on the search for a new place to go. Or the same place for that matter, I’ve been to the Bahamas four times in the past three years. I actually go whenever I have the chance because my best friend lives there.

My best friend, Eboni and I at Cabbage Beach in Nassau, Bahamas

Over the past two years, I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that I really want to do with my life. Newspaper, magazine, television, social media? I’ve dibbled and dabbled here and there but nothing has really stuck… But like I said, I can’t sit still. Sitting at a desk all day doing the same thing over and over again gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I’m originally from Baltimore, Maryland and getting far, far away from there was my first step. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great city (full of delicious food and crabs) and I love my family but that cold weather is no joke. It was a huge leap for me to go to school in Tampa 900-something miles away from home, but I’ve grown so much over the past six years. When I first moved down for school, I had no family or friends here. My parents dropped me off with two suitcases and sent me on my merry way. Since then, I’ve accomplished so much. I graduated from school, got a job, moved into a wonderful townhouse, and made friends that turned to family. But this was just the first leap of many.

My graduation cap designed and decorated by me 

Finding my “career” has been an ongoing journey. I currently work at a school in Tampa recruiting prospective students. It’s fine and dandy for now. It pays the bills and certainly allows me to run my mouth all day long… But it isn’t my true calling. I have so much farther to go… Literally. Recently, I came to the realization that I should just follow my heart and figure out a way to do what it is that I REALLY love. Traveling and writing. Some kind of way, I’m going to make it happen. So, you, my friends, have front row seats to watch it all unfold.


This blog will be a compilation of my travels and adventures. Pictures, food reviews, and how I do it all with a full time job… All that jazz. So, stay tuned! I have some interesting stuff up my sleeve.

-A.

Photo taken at Parque El Retiro in Madrid, Spain

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IND: A Baltimore Landmark

By: on
Image
On May 5th, it was announced that the Institute of Notre Dame (IND), the oldest all-girl’s Catholic school in Maryland, would permanently close its doors this summer. IND was founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1847. For the past 173 years, it has stood firm in its original location in East Baltimore.  The Baltimore Sun states, “IND’s first class graduated in July 1864, as cannon fire from the Civil War could be heard in the distance, according to the school’s history. During the Civil War, the sisters helped slaves reach freedom as part of the Underground Railroad. They tended to students and each other during the pandemic of 1918. During the Baltimore riots in 1968, the school was left untouched except that the words ‘soul sisters’ had been scrawled across the building, according to a 1997 story in the Baltimore Sun. Even in the 1970s, when other preparatory schools moved out of the city and into the suburbs, IND remained.” IND is known for educatin...
Read more

#BlackGirlChat: Positive Affirmations

By: on
Image
It's extremely important to put yourself first, give yourself a little self-love, and to always encourage yourself. According to Mind Tools, "Affirmations are positive, specific statements that help you to overcome self-sabotaging, negative thoughts. They help you visualize and believe in what you're affirming to yourself, helping you to make positive changes to your life and career."  A few weeks ago, I asked a few of my incredible, talented friends what their affirmations were.  I chose this specific group of women because they inspire me day in and day out.  They are ALWAYS encouraging and supportive.  They're actually some of the biggest supporters of this blog and I'm just so blessed to have them in my corner. They come from all walks of life and all over the world. They are teachers, nurses, college administrators, entrepreneurs, future lawyers, dreamers, and doers.  Some are AMAZING single mothers. Some don't have k...
Read more

How did I end up at American Idol auditions?

By: on
Image
If you know me, you know that I can’t sing to save my life. I’m literally the most tone-deaf person of all time. Never in my life did I imagine that I, the worst singer in the world, would end up at American Idol auditions.  Fortunately for the judges, I wasn’t the one auditioning. But, cheerleading: Now that’s my thing. I can be a hype man any day. A few weeks ago, my adopted brother, Bishop won a karaoke competition in Tampa and the prize was a fast pass for American Idol auditions in Orlando.       So, last Thursday we took a short one-hour drive to Disney Springs in Orlando. We arrived around 9:30 a.m. and made our way to the check-in line. Thank God for that fast pass because the line for the general public was about 2,000-people-long. One guy said that he got there at 4:30 a.m. and there were already 200 people in line. Wow. Unfortunately, only the hopeful contestants could go into the audition area so I gave Bishop a...
Read more

#BlackGirlChat: The Best Hairstyles for Traveling

By: on
Image
Let’s talk hair. My hair has ALWAYS been a task… Since I was a wee little girl. It’s just SO thick.  In 2013, I cut all of my hair off and started fresh. Since then, I’ve let my hair grow in its natural state.  For those of you who don’t know, having natural hair is an adventure in itself with a great deal of trial and error. I’ve tried countless shampoos, conditioners, gels, styling creams… You name it. After four years, I’ve finally gotten it down to a science and I LOVE my hair more than ever… but I use a ridiculous amount of products and it takes about an hour to wash, condition, detangle, and style. That’s where the problem lies. When I’m traveling, I don’t want to have to worry about my hair. I just want to get up and go! Not to mention, all of those products take up precious space and weight in my checked luggage. My go-to style for traveling is almost always a protective style. What’s a protective style, you may ask? Protective styles keep t...
Read more

Euro Trip Part 1: Madrid

By: on
Image
Day 1: Wednesday April 5, 2017 My journey to Europe began on an early Wednesday morning. My friend dropped me off at Tampa International Airport around 9:15 am. I took three flights, had two layovers, and traveled for a grand total of about 18 hours. By 8:00 pm EST, it was time to board my six-hour flight to Madrid. The on-flight meals weren’t terrible. First I had Indian-style curry chicken with rice and a glass of chardonnay and for breakfast I had a croissant and yogurt. I slept a majority of the way and boy oh boy was it freezing. I had five layers on and I was STILL cold. Day 2: Thursday April 6, 2017 I landed in Madrid on Thursday morning around 10 am and went through customs where they didn’t even check my passport before they stamped it. I waited in the airport for Sameera to get out of class at 1:30 pm. Once we found each other, we took the metro to her host’s apartment in a part of Madrid called La Latina. Side note: I...
Read more