The Chandler Essays #1: About Me (Well, where do I begin?)

I've procrastinated life long enough.

There are many ways I can begin to tell my story. I was born in an old, yellow row home in Philadelphia, adjacent to Fitler Square. City living isn't as bad as they say. As I'm sure many can agree, there are lots to do in the City of Brotherly Love, and you are sure to encounter all sorts of personalities from all walks of life. Some folks you come to admire and others you could do without, but you learn to live with them. The more you wander those congested gritty streets, the more you realize you belong to a community and that each stranger you walk by on those hectic Monday mornings has a story worth telling.

I'm a storyteller. I look for what makes people unique and beautiful and funny and angry and happy and sad, and then I throw it all together on a page. But life has a way of pushing away your passions, as it is too often unpredictable, and you get sidetracked and forget to finish the story you worked so hard to complete.

I remember a time when The School District felt public schools weren't worth the investment and took away a lot of the resources other kids enjoyed in private and suburban schools. Our lunches lacked nutrition, and the textbooks were as old as the buildings. Meanwhile, the government cut sports programs, and other after school activities away from our lives. Many of my closest friends were hungry, stressed, had nothing to do, and as a consequence, their grades suffered. I was fortunate and privileged enough to have the support I needed to get through the days, but the conditions we all faced together. And so we retaliated in unison as thousands of us pushed for a higher standard of education. Kids of all ages, most of whom I've never met, marched shoulder to shoulder through the streets in protest, asking for our librarians, school nurses, and guidance counselors back. City Kids like us were deemed dangerous, so the School Board installed metal detectors into the entrances of all buildings, treating kids more like prisoners and less like "America's future." The media made us appear to be small, but the truth was our solidarity was louder and more passionate than any politician could withstand.

The quest for better schools for City Kids is still ongoing as I read headlines about asbestos riddled classrooms and teachers getting laid off. I was lucky enough to go to college and found my next home in Washington D.C. Everyone told me the same thing: 'don't major in liberal arts because it isn't worth the $60,000 tuition, and there is no way to make a decent living off that.' But if I, an introverted bookworm, couldn't major in anything like Literature or Philosophy, then what else was I to do? Something crazy difficult, I guess. So I took on an interdisciplinary major called CLEG, which stands for Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government. One day I strived to be a D.C. lawyer while the next day, I looked for finance internships. Like many of us in our twenties, I didn't know what to do. What was the secret to success? Hence, in the Fall of my Junior Year, I gathered my bags and took off to Ireland.

Oh, Ireland, how I miss ye so! What I appreciated the most about the Emerald Island was not the scenery (although it was pretty), nor the pub life (an excellent place to meet friends), but the way I could return to form. Since I had gotten my Gen Eds out of the way and only needed to complete a few more requirements for my major, I decided to take Irish Literature courses at the University of Limerick, you know, for fun! I didn't have a job nor an internship, so there was plenty of time for me to tend my mind on a few classics and read the days away in the Glucksman Library. Of course, it rained a lot, so there weren't many reasons to go outside. Think of a less intense version of social distancing. These were simpler times.

Eventually, I realized I would need to fly home across the pond and complete a major I didn't care about to work a job I didn't want to do. Still, the more I enjoyed my newfound freedom in Ireland, the more I determined how blindly unhappy I'd become. There was a war within me. Do I keep on with my studies at a school I felt indifferent about, or do I drop everything and try something new?

I came to terms and took a leave of absence from school since it was getting hard to pay for it anyway. I moved back to Philly and eventually took classes at Temple University since the in-state tuition was way cheaper than going to school in D.C. I wanted to complete college as the first one from my generation in the family. And, in case this whole writing thing didn't work out, I needed something tangible to show for all my hard work, like a Communications Degree.

I gradually grew interested in Public Relations, since there was a lot of writing and creativity involved, and I needed to play to my strengths. Networking and connections led to a PR internship, and since you need like several internships before you're worthy enough for a job, I worked hard and gained a few more years of experience before finally completing my major.

A quiet, more dominant side of me didn't believe I could be satisfied without giving writing a chance. Of course, I have a myriad of other interests, hobbies, skills, and talents that can be applied for many jobs. I freelanced for The Temple News. I play guitar and write music, create movies and drawings, and was told my deep voice would go in handy whenever radio comes back into style. I enjoy running, biking and outdoor activity, and let's face it, I wouldn't be much of a writer if I didn't read all the fricking time. Yes, there were the self-help books and texts on PR Theory, but what I really admired were the classics, mysteries, plays, poems, you name it! I am still in the heats of war with myself, but if there is an answer, a key to finding my inner peace, it is through writing.

Five years and two universities later, I am ready to finish my story and start a new one.

I want to tell your story as well! If you are interested in hiring a creative, professional, or looking for someone new to publish, all offers are on the table.

Please contact me using the address below and I would love to engage in a dialogue. Follow my LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, for more blog updates and opportunities to work together. Cheers!

-Your Humble Writer, William Amari

Amari.Will@Gmail.com

*Author's note: A more detailed account about my high school experience will be posted at a later date. This post is meant to serve my readers as an introduction to what I plan to talk about regarding the blog.