02 Sep Bring it On

Bring It On

Bring it On

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

(2003)

So I decided to name every entry in this blog after a song title. Admittedly I did this in part because I’m awful at coming up with names for things. I mainly did it though because I feel like songs convey thoughts and feelings better than written word ever could, and a playlist of songs is a good way of letting someone know how your emotions changed over a time and that’s what I want to tell people. I want to be honest about my time in San Francisco-the good and the bad- so others know exactly what they’re embarking on.

That being said, this entry could very easily have been called ‘Down in the Dumps’ by Michael Giacchino. Yes that Michael Giacchino. The guy who composes the music for Pixar nowadays. The song is from the film Inside Out, a film I recently rewatched and one that resonated a great deal which is hardly that surprising. The movie is about a girl who relocates to San Francisco and is thrown into emotional turmoil when things aren’t as expected and problems start occurring.

^Actual footage of my brain trying to find housing

Obviously, I have a more fully developed brain than an 11-year-old child, with better understanding and control of my emotions (at least I hope so) so arriving in San Francisco wasn’t as emotionally stressful as the events of Inside Out. I mean 3am me definitely considered just abandoning this whole year abroad plan and flying home, but that is why you don’t listen to 3am brain. 3am brain is not your friend.

Despite all this fear and stress though, I suddenly realised (with some help from my family admittedly) that I was still managing to carry out big, ‘adult’ tasks. Finding a house, opening a bank account, using the public transport and not getting lost (okay that one I wasn’t overly good at) were all things myself and others around me were achieving. It’s easy to think you’re getting overwhelmed with responsibilities when you first get here, but you just need to relax, collect your breathing and realise you are moving forward. Which I guess brings me to the title of this entry.

I realised all of this when I was listening to music while walking back from campus. I was waiting at the lights listening to the Peaky Blinders soundtrack on Spotify (I’m from the UK, don’t judge) when ‘Bring It On’ by Nick Cave came on, and then it clicked. Whatever this year throws at me, I know I’m probably going to be okay. In fact, I’ll probably have an amazing time. It just takes a bit of time and some good company to realise it.

So yeah, I guess Bring It On.

EMP

So bring it on, bring it on
Bring it on
Every little thing
Bring it on
Every tiny fear
Bring it on
Every shattered dream
And I’ll scatter them into the sea