It’s that time! It’s the time to get to know the writer behind the keyboard. Hey guys, my name is Jordan Mendiola and I’m happy to be alive.
There is a lot about me that could inspire you to do at least one of these things I’ve done.
Born and Raised
Fresh out the gates, I was born in Seattle Washington in the Pacific Northwest. Life began living in a full household at my grandparent’s house with my mom, dad, two brothers Jared and Joshua, auntie Marie, and grandparents.
Videogames were my first hobby. My dad told me that when I was three years old in the hospital room where my middle brother Jared was being born in the hospital room, I picked up my first video game.
I can remember playing in my living room showing my grandma how good of a Tekken fighter I was or how fast I could speed through Crash Bandicoot 2.
When family parties occurred, I would show everyone how solid I was at NBA 2K4 or NBA Street Vol.2 by beating kids and adults in the game.
These gaming memories were amazing as they taught me how to problem solve at a young age in games like Jak and Daxter. Practice made perfect and this is how I have grown up to love writing. The dopamine rush is released when I can attract new, unique readers into my world.
Another key component of childhood revolved around sports. My dad coached my brothers and I, since the age we were two.
The sports we played were football, basketball, baseball and soccer. Rumor has it that when I played two years up, my dad would give me a milk bottle at halftime under a blanket to keep me happy.
At a young age, my brothers and I were complete stud muffins at sports. My favorite childhood memories sports-wise were playing quarterback and running 300 yards a game and competing in a 14U soccer tournament in the Seahawks’ stadium.
Best memory before I turned 10
Rooooooad trip! My all time favorite memory was our family road trip from Seattle to Colorado. Our 2005 dark green Ford Explorer was packed with my entire family. I can’t forget the fact that we had a Gamecube and a DVD player installed too.
You best believe that I was playing Mario Party, Super Smash Brothers, or Super Mario strikers when we weren’t watching a movie. Mario Party 5 always got intense!
The golden moments of our family’s iconic road trip were Disneyland, Seaworld, and Legoland. Being accompanied by my grandparents meant all the kids got to use their “fast pass” and cut all the lines, legally.
To top it all off we celebrated the 4th of July in beautiful Colorado Where I got to shoot off fireworks, meet my cousins, and play with smoke bombs. I was a bit of a pyro at the time so I loved it.
11 to 12 year old me
By the time I turned 11 I was a huge biker. I owned a black and white Mongoose with pegs attached to the front and rear tires. I would ride this bike all throughout the new neighborhood my brothers and I moved to.
This neighborhood basically had a motocross track with jumps and one giant slope we called “the rollercoaster”. The giant hill and jumps bring back so many good memories.
When I wasn’t riding my bike, I was running my Pomeranians Ben and Oscar. These guys were father and son. A real dynamic duo since Ben was black and Oscar was brown. Odd that in the litter of black dogs, one came out brown. If only Ancestry existed for dogs!
Oscar was the huge runner that could absolutely keep up with me as we ran around the neighborhood and sports complex nearby.
Fun facts before I turned 12
- I was the fastest kid in school
- I stopped wetting the bed at 7
- I qualified for the Hershey Track and Field competition in 5th grade
“We’re leaving America”
At 12 years old, my family moved to Germany. “Wait what?” my brothers and I exclaimed when we first heard the news. We had so many friends and a bunch of our future set into place. Sometimes duty calls and my mom’s military career needed her in Germany.
Leaving behind close family members was the hardest part. We had no idea what to expect in Germany. Germany was quite an experience. We got to travel all throughout Europe,
I played in an international baseball league, and my brother got to represent Germany in the Little League World Series in 2012. Everything was so different from America. The only place that felt somewhat like home was on the Army or Air Force bases.
From 6th to 8th grade, I was known as the guy with the huge calves and a nice butt. At the time I was a 3 sport athlete, so I was fit. What did they expect? I had no idea how to take such compliments.
Schoolwork was never my forte, but I brought home the A’s. I was smooth with the ladies and earned myself a solid Facebook reputation as I always posted funny (cringey now) pictures and statuses.
My friend group was incredibly diverse. We had me (islander), a Japanese guy, a Mexican guy, an African-American guy, and a white guy. It was so cool that we embrace our diversity and got along like brothers.
Football got tougher as I became the QB for the K-Town Vipers. There were so many plays that my growing brain had to remember. I relied on my speed, and cannon for an arm to take us to the championship.
I remember running #20 over with tears in my eyes from being down 21 points. This was a momentum shifter but we still lost. My teammates and I still stay in touch so that says something about the camaraderie we had.
We’re moving again!
Flash to August 2012, it’s time to move yet again. The year before my freshman year. I was used to military friends moving every year and my time finally ran up. This time to Chicago, Illinois.
The place I only ever heard bad things about. The shootings, killings, everything. I was young and hadn’t done much research but I didn’t have much to go off of.
The high school I went to was a bit preppy and had a strong reputation. Tons of smart kids attended the school and I got really excited for what was to come afterward.
The first impression I had on anyone there was at football camp before the season had even started. No doubt, the best decision I made. Making friends was so easy, especially coming in as the new guy while everyone else had gone to school together since pre-k and attended each others’ Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
I met more and more people through Rotary Club, baseball, track, and classes. It felt like yet another easy transition.
I was a beast at running back carrying kids on my back and leading the baseball conference with bunts for hits. Again, I wasn’t the strongest in school, but I was bringing home B’s. Video games were still a big part of my life especially since the internet connection was booming compared to Germany.
High school wasn’t really eventful love life-wise. I was a kid who went to practice and games after school, but did not do a whole lot till afterward.
Life after high school
Post-high-school, I lost my virginity and took a gap year. Not just messing around for the year, but traveling to places like Hawaii and Hong Kong to broaden my horizons.
After my gap year, I joined the Army as an engineer and came back to do community college. I went in not expecting a whole lot out of junior college, but got so much out of it. I was president of a club and met so many people I’ll stay in touch with compared to high school.
I even tried cross country where I ran my fastest 8k in 29 minutes which is less than a six-minute mile for 5 miles! I am extremely thankful I gave community college a chance.
My army experience gave me so much confidence and a reborn identity. I realized that I could be a leader both vocally and by example. Also, I learned that I was good at talking to people because they came to me with issues and I was always invited into conversations.
I was a very random person when I wasn’t doing schoolwork. I would work my movie theater job than do a lot of side jobs like:
- Dog walking
- Cutting grass
- Photography
- Working at expos
- Starring as an extra in commercials
At 21, I felt compelled to not continue school passed junior college and pursue life as an entrepreneur, YouTuber, or something in the creative sector.
At the time, I had no idea what to do. Then randomly a deployment appeared and I was headed overseas.
Fast-forward to present day, I am 7 months into my deployment wondering if my buddies and I will be able to make it home on time due to Covid-19.
This is where I stand today. I am constantly vlogging and blogging. I ran a half-marathon not too long ago, and have an incredible group of friends.
I have floated from friend group to friend group and have grown differently in each group. One taught me loyalty and caringness. Another gave me confidence to tell more jokes.
Meeting new people evolves my creativity and keeps my eyes and ears open to change. I had dealt with change my whole life so this comes as no surprise to me.
Looking back on my 22 years in a nutshell, I am happy about how its gone. It definitely isn’t what I thought it would look like when as freshman we created “5 year from now” plans.
I have tackled lots of challenges along the way and have adapted smoothly to abrupt changes in life.
Everyone has a story and I can’t wait to see where I am five years from now. I get curious about things like whether I’ll be in a relationship, working my dream job, or if I am happy.
You have the power to write your own story. If you are unhappy with the current direction you’re going, pick a new path and see where it takes you. All it takes is a little faith and optimism.
Stay safe and as Ellen Degeneres says “be kind to one another”!
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Previously published on Medium.com.
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Photo credit: Ravi Roshan on Unsplash