Soon after I turned 25, I created a list of 25 items to achieve before turning 30. I decided to post about this today as I am now 27 1/2 and exactly halfway through.
25 Goals and Resolutions Made in my 25th Year to Achieve Before Age 30:
1. return to Italy I visited Italy again during March 2011. Specifically Verona, Venice, Padua and Milan.
2. meet my Italian penpal B I am happy to report that I met her in New York City on May 23, 2011.
3. purchase a Murano glass chandelier
4. visit Amsterdam
5. see Santorini
6. visit Prague
7. visit Paris
8. visit London
9. travel to Spain
10. toast a beer in Munich
11. visit Dublin
12. see the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
13. depart on a (significant) trip with just a handful of stuff- passport, a good book, only essentials
14. move out again in at least a one bedroom apartment with a balcony and be financially independent to do it I moved into a one bedroom with a balcony on Labor Day Weekend 2011. I love it. Since I am a Leasing Consultant at the community, I have a discount on rent, so I can afford it, much earlier than anticipated.
15. be out of credit card debt
16. speak Italian fluently
17. throw a legendary party
18. be able to write and communicate with charm
19. bowl a turkey I bowled a turkey one day when out with my mom and sister. (A “turkey” is three strikes in a row.)
20. be up-to-date on scrapbooking
21. become a better godmother to J
22. work in the International Education field, helping others change their lives
23. buy a metal bed
24. be a knockout in a red dress
25. marry the love of my life in a small ceremony (though I could totally wait even longer)
I know… half of them are travel-related …but I love to travel. There are few things better than discovering a new place and personally experiencing its culture. And you’d better get used to it because I plan to be quite the world traveler in the next decades of my life. I hope to have a husband who wants the same. I plan to walk on the Great Wall of China, see the moai of Easter Island, wine and dine in Napa Valley, participate in a tea ceremony in Japan, marvel at the Moorish decoration of the Alhambra in Spain, and much more. My travel wishlist is going on four pages long single-spaced. I may post it on this blog…
Even though I created this list two and a half years ago, I still wouldn’t change one thing. Although, I might add one more– live in Philadelphia again. I’m all about places. And experiences.
In terms of my progress, geez, I’m not doing so great with this list so far! I’ve only accomplished 4 out of 25 items! Of course a trip across Europe would scratch many goals off my list. I’d even backpack. Maybe in celebration of my 30th birthday… Or better yet, I could study Italian at the Univeristy for Foreigners in Perugia, Italy in order to gain fluency and travel to see the cities on this list before, during and after. And then I’d have something else to add to my resume so I can score a job in International Education. See? I kinda have it all figured out. I just wonder where the thousands of dollars it would take to enroll for, say, six months and finance such a venture would come from… I’m certainly a daydreamer, but I like to think I work hard to achieve these dreams. So, we’ll see. Stay posted!