Well good morning Montrose Colorado It's bright and early and Tim is chomping at the bits to get on the road. He's always like this when we have one of those days that consist of mostly driving and a little sightseeing. We were up and ready to pull out of Wally World by 900 am. He found a place called The Black Canyon of the Gunnison in the book so he plotted out our route and off we went to

Today was the last day on the way for me in Airlie Beach. We got up around 5 and Daniele went to pick up the girls from their backpacker lodge. The weather was gorgeous but the waves were a bit choppy even early on in the morning. We headed north and after hitting Mantaray Bay we turned around. About a half hour from the marina we stopped for a lunch break. I had already eaten so I deci

Berlin was bliss.We stayed with Dan's friend Matt from auckland and his girlfriend Becky. They were the best hosts we loved being in somebody's home again after all the hostelling. Being able to wash your clothes when you want not having to learn everything about your surroundings and eat home cooked meals is something we didnt realise we were missing so much Becky is an absolutely awesome cook

The girls and I woke up pretty early which is pretty good seeing that breakfast was served at 7. I found out I slept through the anchor being put in the water late at night which apparently was ridiculously loud. Yup lets add that to the list of just about everything I can sleep through. I went out onto the deck and saw a gorgeous sunrise and an even more beautiful beach behind me. There we

We concluded our last evening in London with dinner with Salys Swedish friend and his friends whom he was visiting in London followed by a few drinks nearby. Pimms we were recommended is a super English drink which is amazing and Id say its somewhere around a Jerimiah weedlongisland but with much less alcohol. The next morning we checked out of the hostel stored our luggage and contnued

As the end of the semester wraps up I had all of my friends come together for one final night on the town. Not everyone was able to attend however those that did we all had a great time. We started at Pancake Manor which is like IHOP but better and then went to the Victory where we met up with Ashleigh and all of her friends for her going away party as well. It was a great night.Two days late

visited the underground salt cathedral...

Bueno pues a ver como explico el Caribe con palabras se me hace sumamente difcil el que lo haya vivido me estar entendiendo. El primer contacto fue con las playas de Parismina donde pasamos 3 das sper relajados esperando cada da el anochecer para ir en busca de las tortugas s all mismito anidaban las Baula unas de las ms grandes del mundo. Cuestan de ver y como tozudos que somos no n

Snow, Photo by Hannah Barth

There’s a certain amount of harm we cause ourselves always being grown up and tampering our desires with reality.

At the urging of a couple books and online articles I’ve read in the past months, I finally started a Bucket List, or a list of things I want to do before I die. One of the reasons for starting this list was to re-energize; to remember that feeling of being a kid and wanting with abandon because it’s inspiring. There’s a certain amount of harm we cause ourselves always being grown up and tampering our desires with reality. That’s why most of us travel: to escape the everyday and feel like we’re checking off some of those things on our own Bucket Lists.

In writing out my wants I started listing things like “Gift wrap my own presents” and “Learn how to bake better” and my energy was suddenly doused by feelings of mediocrity. “Climb a mountain” and “Own a house abroad” were things that belong on a bucket list; things to be accomplished. But handicrafts and adult ed suddenly struck me as terribly mundane, and worse, even silly. What kind of a person would I be if I let my aspirations go the way of a Home Economics class and not out somewhere in the Wild Beyond?

Group of Youngsters, Photo by Hannah Barth

I’ve been living abroad for two years now, and fighting the desire to come home – to “settle” – in New England, is something I’ve been doing for a while and am only coming to terms with now. I’ve built my life upon being Hannah the Traveler and have given very little thought to who Hannah the Person is. But the truth is that I want to take a computer programming course and tend my own garden just as much as I want to safari in Africa and learn organic farming in the rain forest.

I think every person is equally formed by the experiences imparted on them as a child and by the experiences they chose themselves as an adult. My childhood took place in rural Maine. Its key players were a mother who loves her quaint little front porch and garden, a father who has no desire to venture past town lines, and an uncle who gave up the city life for a cabin without indoor plumbing in the woods.

…I have a real desire to check “Visit the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Plant” off my list.

These simplicities are as much a part of me as my decision as a teenager to study abroad in South America and my career move into a Turkish folk dance company in my twenties. Although I’m happy where I am now, living and working abroad, I have a real desire to check “Visit the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Plant” off my list.

© Gretchen for TravelBlogs, 2010. |
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Post categories: Articles
Post tags: Bucket Lists, cultural experiences, Ice Cream, Introspection, living abroad, Settling Down

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Enjoy

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