Although I thought I would live in the Silicon Valley at some point in my life – I did not foresee it being so soon.

Today marks 6 months that I’ve been in San Francisco.

I remember flying in late Saturday night and seeing the city illuminated from thousands of feet above. The view was breathtaking – the city pulsing with life. The Golden Gate Bridge standing as a landmark, challenging what was and what could be.

The first weeks in San Francisco hit me with a couple surprises:

Firstly, the chilling state and volume of the homeless population. Although the extremes of San Francisco’s homeless is well known, the cold-blooded screams of drug addicts outside our hotel made a lasting impression.

Secondly, the wind, which never stops. Although the weather is amazingly consistent – either foggy and chilly or breezy and sunny, the wind is always present. I’ve made a new friend, Karl the fog who consistently covers the city at least once a week.

Thirdly, the incredible amount of diversity in every sense of the words (except for politically, unsurprisingly). Even today as I walked down Market Street, a street I walk down every day, I identified at least 5 stores I’d never noticed before. There is always ALWAYS something to do, and sometimes things you don’t want to do like select events and parades.

I love that this city is a city of transplants. People come from everywhere to be in San Francisco. Their stories are inspiring and have opened my eyes to how limited my perspective really is.

But aside from the external factors of my environment, the most valuable insights I’ve gained, since living in San Francisco, have been internal ones.

I am more grateful now than ever before.

This heart of gratitude isn’t unique to living in this city but rather more closely attributed to moving out. You realize first hand that there is so much to be grateful for, especially in the little things. Like going grocery shopping and celebrate the low prices on bananas,

or the fact that today you have all the coins needed to utilize the coin-operated laundry.

Every day is a good day, and there is always something to be grateful for.

Gratitude can be the differentiator between two days of identical activity with completely different experiences. One is an active choice which makes your life exponentially (yes, this is the second most overused words in the Silicon Valley next to big data) better.

San Francisco, and visiting Vancouver for a month, taught me to be who you want to be regardless of where you are geographically.

I’ve observed my ability to hold to a standard that I’m happy with when functioning completely autonomously. I’ve determined how I want to live my life, which has made me realize:

“I am choosing the person I am becoming, and I like her.”

Since taking on this new adventure full of growth and exciting challenges (I’ll save those stories for another time) other possibilities like moving to the other side of the world don’t seem half as daunting to me.

I’m so much better off having taken this risk and moving to San Francisco.

Thanks to so many people who encouraged and supported me along this crazy journey. To my friends and family who have visited me and helped make memories in this city, I now call home.