My Bucket List (Revised)

Original bucket list, posted March 28th, 2016:
1. Backpack through Europe. 
2. Road trip across the U.S.
3. Visit all of the National Parks. 
4. Live in the desert/out west.
5. Study abroad.
6. Teach abroad. 
7. Learn Spanish.
8. Cut off all my hair. 
(Did this!)
9. Go scuba diving.
10. Write a book.
11. Go to a concert.
(Did this!)
12. Become a white water rafting guide.
(??? I clearly wrote this one right after we'd gone white water rafting)
13. Live in a city.
(Does living in a dorm in a city count?)
14. Go to Greece.
15. Touch an elephant.
16. Go to Chick Fil A and give them a fake name.
(Never did this at Chick Fil A, but I did do it a couple times at Tropical Smoothie last semester. I was Trumer, Marge, Haley, and Charlie, that I can remember)


New bucket list:
1. Travel across the country visiting national parks in a camper van.

     I've always loved the idea of a road trip, but I'm a pretty frugal person, so camping is obviously one of the cheapest options when it comes to vacations. The only problem is that the last time I went camping I hated it...granted, that was probably a decade ago, but still. I don't think anyone would call me "outdoors-y". A camper van seemed like the perfect solution. The only problem is that only in an alternate universe am I a good enough driver to be behind the wheel of a full-sized RV. So I started searching around and realized that turning minivans into camper vans is actually a thing people do! And it can be pretty darn cheap! Buy a used minivan, rip out the seats, install a bed, some storage, maybe a little cooktop, and voila! a camper van! No camping experience necessary. My love of national parks has not diminished since my first bucket list, and I would still love to see them all. Whether it'll be in a converted minivan or not, who knows, but it's a fun idea.

2. Live in Spain for a few months.

     If everything goes as planned, this could actually come to fruition in two years! I'm hoping to study abroad for a semester (either in the spring or summer) of my junior year in Oviedo, Spain. It's both super exciting and super terrifying to think about, but I think it's something I need to do if I want to become fluent in Spanish (which I do). The idea of living with a host family for a couple months is equally daunting, but again, something that I probably need to do. Get out of my comfort zone, learn how to interact with people without being painfully socially awkward, etc. etc.

3. Speak fluent Spanish (see above).

     Tons of people have said it before me, but I think that the only way to become truly fluent in a language is to become immersed in it. Babies don't learn languages from textbooks and canned conversations with classmates; they learn how to speak by hearing other people speak and knowing that if they ever want to be able to express what they want, they'll have to mimic what everyone else is saying. Plain and simple.

4. Teach in a foreign country.

     This is by no means set in stone, and I'm not even positive it's something I'm called to do, but I think I would really enjoy it if I ever get over my fear of it. I'd love to get certified in ESL so that I could be qualified to teach English abroad, but first I need to get through the next three years and get my degree in English first!

5. Go to Greece.

     Greece! Greece, why do you look so perfect in every picture? Whitewashed walls, blue sea, cobblestone streets...how could you not be happy in a place that beautiful?

6. Run a half marathon.

     Hahahaha the day this happens will be a miraculous day, let me tell you. I ran a mile today and was like "Okay, that's good, I'm done." I think if I ever do run a half marathon, I'll probably just keel over at the end and die. But at least I tried, right?

7. Learn how to cook.

     So far this summer this goal has not been working out so well for me. I'm a terrible cook. Truly atrocious. Which is saddening, because both my mom and brother can cook quite well. So genetically speaking, I should be able to throw some stuff together and have it taste good, right? Wrong. I just don't get how flavors work, and how actually cooking things work. Like how do you know if it's done? And I don't know, is it too salty or is that just the way it's supposed to taste? Maybe I just need more practice. 

8. Own a yellow house.

     Some people have dream cars. I have a dream house color. Not even a dream house in its entirety...just a color. Yellow. Warm, buttery yellow. Maybe with white shutters and a cute, tiny backyard. 

Not so grown-over, but you get the idea.

Day 1297 Song Recommendation: "Up Up Up" by Givers.

(Pretend like this was posted yesterday; I started it at 11-something P.M. and now it's 12:08 A.M. I tried, I really tried. Sometimes you fall short...)

-SE Wagner