Losing my Tattoo Virginity

A few days ago I actually got my first tattoo, I've always wanted one and I decided to take the plunge and get one and I couldn't be happier.

To start with, I think its best if I explain what why tattoo actually is and my reasoning behind it. As you can see from the picture it’s an outline of a country, that country is Syria. Most of you don’t know this but I actually grew up there, I lived there for 8 years and they were some of the best of my life.

I consider myself as Syrian even though I don’t have the passport to prove it, I wanted to get something physical to connect me to the country, thus giving me the idea to get the outline tattooed somewhere on my body.

The place I went for was on my leg just above my ankle, the reasoning behind this is simple, I wanted the option to hide it if necessary. I couldn't help but wonder if I got this somewhere visible it might prevent future employers from hiring me.

Of course there are many other places I could get it, like on my back or ribcage however I have planned other tattoos to go in those places in the future after my scoliosis surgery.

I would really like to share some of the things I learned through this experience.

1.       Always wear something practical, as I said before I got the tattoo above my ankle, for my appointment I wore tights and ankle boots.
The tights were a pain to change out of and my ankle boots rubbed against the tattoo so much I had to buy new shoes to wear for the rest of the day.

2.       Always be sure the tattoo in mind is what you want. The easiest way to do this is to keep a picture of your potential tattoo visible somewhere in your room, spend a few months with it in sight and if you still like it, go for it.

3.       Keep in mind a tattoo can take anywhere between 2 -4 weeks to completely heal, be prepared to take care of it.

4.       If you are worried about getting old and the tattoo not looking so good in the future, get it somewhere that doesn't age too badly.

5.        If your job prevents you from getting a tattoo just get it somewhere you can easily cover up with your uniform.

6.       Go on recommendation, there are a lot of sketchy tattoo places so do your research.

7.       If your tattoo artists insists on doing your chosen tattoo free handed just leave because chances are they will mess it up.