The Community Made Of Us - Trailers

          Its been a little over 5 months since I began this blog and this journey to find, "The Community: Made of Us" and I can honestly say I have learned quite a lot. Meeting people from all walks of life and all over the United States, there is never a dull moment during my travels. Whether it was taking a shot with a live fish in it, to hiking to the highest point in L.A. there was always room to take my next trip further.

          Even with that being said, I have been working on a short film documenting the past few months of my life's travels and I must say it has taken me longer to put this together than I have expected. Nevertheless, every time I take a look at my "work in progress" I can't help to remember why I started this journey and where I though it would take me. Unsure of what lay ahead of me in the next few months, or where I would be in the next few years.

          Not everything in this world is a sign, nor does everything have a purpose, sometimes, things just...are. What we make of it is a manifestation of what we want, and what we want is a product of our own minds. This kind of mindset keeps me focused on what I plan to do with my life, although I don't know the details just yet, I know where I want to go. Just like any other Floridian in a summer rainstorm, you may not see the lines, but you can still see the road.

          So, to commemorate my soon to be finished, "work in progress" I made the 3rd and final trailer for my project. I also included the links to my first two trailers if you wanted to check them out! Be sure to leave comments on the videos! (Be sure to put them in HD!)

Link to Trailer 3

Link to Trailer 2

Link to Trailer 1

Looking Back Thus Far...

My face at the beginning of "The Community Made of Us"

          So, after quitting my job, selling most of my belongings, and traveling the U.S. for  a month and a half. I have finally made it back to my family in Orlando. Driving over nine thousand miles, eating anything from raw sweet potatoes to amazing home cooked meals, and even sleeping in the freezing cold to having an apartment to myself a block from the beach, I have no words to sum up such an experience, what I felt, who I met, and how in the heck I made those long hour drives without going crazy (haha). This project I call," The Community Made of Us" is not just about me and my journey, but rather the people that I met along the way. 

My mother and I riding the sun rail for the first time in Orlando, FL

Hanging with my new friend Isaiah on Highway 1 on California's coast

Hanging out with the spanish fruit gang in Charleston, SC

The tiny sober dinosaur from L.A.

          From the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean and every lake in between I found myself in a different situation ever time. Looking back at the beginning of this trip, I remember thinking what people would think when I told them what I've done. What would I do after I finish the trip? Will "The Community Made of Us" really become something greater? Would this idea of community even catch on? And yet I never thought I would receive the support that I have thus far. People that I never expected to hear from have told me how inspired they've become, how the look at ideas like this and appreciate what they mean. Still, I couldn't help but to feel odd when I arrived back home in Orlando.  After such an amazing trip, I was back to reality, and responsibility, but that wasn't the issue. 

Hanging out with Ru, Ivan, and Bar in Savannah after I just met them earlier in Savannah, GA

Marley's Collie live at Tanquray's in Downtown Orlando, FL

Hanging with my friend Kelly on International Drive in Orlando, FL

Having a little seat in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA

          I arrived home to with a feeling of sadness and anxiety. First off is how I can get back to my normal routine and to the security that I once held so high on my life's pedestal? After about a week of aimlessly wandering and emotionally playing a tug of war inside, I reminded myself of the reason I made this journey in the first place. To create the connections with people that I would have otherwise never have done before. To help make a difference in others lives and show them that our desires and what we can achieve is as possible as they can imagine it. That when you are unhappy at what your doing, make the plan to get yourself on the right path, and execute it. After I realized this, I soon felt the sadness within me, turn into my passion, and thus creating an emotional alchemy within myself.

 Hanging with my best friend Valentina, and her little sister Jenny in Charlotte, NC

Cool girl Emily and I making faces in Albuquerque, NM

Frisbee golfing at the park with some new friends in L.A.

Conner the Bear at the bar with Shawna dancing on the side in Nashville, TN

          So, now I find myself creating a basis for myself in order to continue this story of community. I can't help but to feel as though the memories I made can't be out done, but like I said before, this is only the beginning, and there's a whole world out there to see. So to give you a little taste of my experiences and some of the situations I found myself in with strangers, that became my friends, that later became part of this greater community, here are some of my favorite photos from along my trip. There is still much to tell, and as I settle in to make my next big leap, I am busy, editing my first film project, planning for my next adventure, and looking for the best moment to take that leap of faith once more. Thank you again and hope to see you around, wherever you are...

Ornella, a Peruvian from NJ, and Kenny, a Peruvian from NJ hanging out at Little Hong Kong in Arlington, TX

Goofing around with Callie in Phoenix, AZ

Somewhere in the Middle of Arkansas lol

Children that I sold some candy with in East L.A., CA

My friend Amanda riding a hog in downtown Asheville, NC

       

         Stay tuned to check out more posts as I continue my adventures, and check out the trailers to the small film I am making below. Use the hashtag #MadeOfUs, repost the video on your pages, and remember, it doesn't take much to be part of The Community, when someone helps you, make sure you pass it on.

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer)
and

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer 2)

Follow and support, "The Community Made of Us" here:

Facebook.com/TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Instagram:@TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Twitter:     @TCMadeOfUs

Phoenix, Arizona

          I want to start off by saying that I have been to Phoenix twice but only during a layover, and while driving through so I did already have expectations of what or who would be there, so I thought. I remember it being 114 degrees and everything being very spread out. During my layover I remember leaving the airport to explore but I only so far that I never really saw much of anything, I was in what I thought was close downtown, heck, I was wrong. Not to mention, I have gone to the grand canyon, so I thought that was all to see in Arizona. Granted the drive in was littered with amusing signs...

What an awesome sign

          As I arrived to my destination to meet a girl named Callie and her roommates, I was still unsure on who I would meet considering my previous assumptions. I pull up to her place, with a cool looking courtyard in the middle that connects 4 adjacent apartments. I knock on the door, she opens and greets me with a huge smile. She gives me a quick tour of her place and introduces me to her roommate "Bri" and roommates boyfriend. She instantly start chatting up about what I am doing, and how life is in Phoenix and after a beer or two, we are off to grab a bite to eat. She took me to a local restaurant that was walking distance, (when's the last time you walk a few blocks to grab a bite to eat?) We order a few drinks, some food, and little did I know she ordered some huge corn cob delicious...thing (haha) I've never seen something like it, so naturally I taste and it was DELICIOUS. We were plagued by the "itis" shortly after, so we began to walk home and she showed me some amazing artwork that I had to revisit in the morning.

Meet Callie!

Some cool street art on some local houses

Nom nom nom on that corn!

          So the next morning I was joined by her roommate Bri and boy was she cool too. She took me to a local coffee shop and introduced me to some more DELICIOUS food, as well as some cool characters. Before she left for work she filled me in on some cool places to check out, handed me her keys, and bid me farewell. So as I sat there typing up a post and updating, I met some pretty cool newly engaged locals, Eric and Torri. They met because he saw her at a local restaurant and he said he immediately fell for her and had to speak to her. From there, after dating for quite some time, he popped the question. They were good people and we all about filling me in on the area and what their experiences with their community means to them. What a great feeling to meet people that are so open and willing to share their story. After my chat with them, I decided to go for a bike ride, so what better way to check out the SuperBowl festivities then by bike and GoPro? It was NUTS and packed with people, and at one point I had to walk my bike around. Definitely something I was happy to experience. 

Breakfast with new friends

More awesome street art

Superbowl view on a bike!

          So, what can I say about how Callie and everyone in Phoenix changed my perspective on the city? Even though they were all different in themselves they were part of a community there, they proud of their city, their culture, and one another. The Super Bowl crowd definitely hyped up the city a bit more than usual but the locals were just worried about the traffic more than anything else. Overall, I would go back to visit again, no doubt!

     Next stop will be to San Francisco, where I meet one of the most spiritual people in my life. Check out the trailer to the video I am making below. Use the hashtag #TheCommunityMadeOfUs, repost the video on your pages, and remember, it doesn't take much to be part of The Community, and when someone helps you, make sure you pass it on.

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer)
and

The Community: Made of Us (Trailer 2)

Follow and support The Community here:

Facebook.com/TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Instagram:@TheCommunityMadeOfUs

Twitter:     @TCMadeOfUs

Support by donating: http://www.gofundme.com/TCMadeOfUs