Welcome to Growing Pains! Here you’ll find my original poems and short stories, along with stories of my travel experiences. Feel free to browse my posts to find exactly what you’re looking for, and place contact me with any questions or feedback. Thank you for being here.
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Currently:
Northern Michigan, USA
In The Past:
February 2025: England
January-February 2025: Edinburgh, Scotland
June 2024: French Riviera, France
May 2024: Berlin, Germany
May 2024: Vienna, Austria
April 2024: Barcelona, Spain
March 2024: Venice, Italy
February 2024: Lisbon & Porto, Portugal
New Year’s 2024: Edinburgh, Scotland
October 2023: Budapest, Hungary
October 2023: Dresden, Germany
September 2023: Rhodes, Greece
August 2023-July 2024: Prague, Czech Republic
March 2023: Cancún, Mexico
July 2021: Lollapalooza, Chicago
Spring Break 2019: Stann Creek District & Ambergris Caye, Belize
November 2018: Alajuela, Manuel Antonio Natl. Park, & San Salvador, Costa Rica
Spring Break 2018: Page, Arizona
December 2017: New York City
My name is Jayden, and I’m a recent graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in English Language & Literature. Last year I was working as an English teacher at a high school in Prague, Czech Republic and traveling in my free time. This experience solidified my desire to continue living abroad, so I am currently living and working at home while I save up to move to Scotland. I’m passionate about reading, travel, social justice, nature, and writing.
I’ve been reading and writing for as long as I can remember. Some of my favorite books at the moment are Normal People by Sally Rooney, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, & The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. More recent reads that I’ve loved are Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion, Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan, & Slewfoot by Brom.
I have a younger sister and a younger brother, a dog named Winnie, and two cats: Theo & Coco.
Outside of reading and writing, I enjoy going out with my friends, listening to music (Hozier, The Strokes, Charli xcx, & Tame Impala are just a few of my favorites), going for long walks through various cities, swimming in Lake Michigan, going to music festivals, and hiking.
Written for English 364: The Contemporary Novel at the University of Michigan in 2021 A Visit From The Goon Squad shouldn’t work. A novel with over a dozen major characters and no sense of a linear timeline, made up of interview snippets and a Powerpoint among other perspectives, seems likely to be a jumbled, confusing …
They say there’s no such thing as magic. That everything can be explained By college textbooks And nature documentaries But What do you call the swell Of my heart when the Sun peeks over the hills Blanketed in dew? Is there a scientific explanation For how wide my eyes are After three hours in the …
Title inspired by Tom Robbins’ novel “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” Even space cowgirls get the blues It’s lonely uniting the cosmos, Lassoing aliens, Being wild. But don’t fall in love with a space cowgirl She’ll only break your heart With a tip of her hat And the twinkle of stars between her teeth …
