21 Before 21

Two years ago I made a list of things I wanted to have accomplished by the time I turned 21. 2012 was the year for me to complete the rest of my list and now my 21st birthday is just around the corner.

21 Before 21

Here we go!

1) Travel! Travel! Travel! ✔

 Chiapas, Mexico. Aug 2010

   

Sri Lanka, May 2011

Quito, Ecuador. May 2012

2) Get an internship ✔

Embassy in Washington, D.C., Summer 2011

3) Participate in ASB (Alternative Spring Break) ✔

Feelin' Good: St. Louis, MO. 2011

Light Up My Life: New Orleans, LA. 2012

4) Get a better camera ✔

First DSLR: Nikon D40 (Purchased Dec. 2011)

5) Start an organization on campus ✔

VUMix (Mixed Heritage Exchange)

6) Visit a different part of the US ✔

Midwest: Missouri & Iowa. Spring 2011

Road-trip for Gathe Raho Acapella Group Competition at Univ. of Iowa

7) Discover someplace new ✔

Busboys & Poets, Washington, D.C.

8) Learn to sew for reals ✔
Still in progress. Definitely something I want to continue doing!  

9) Take a trip to downtown Nashville ✔
Volunteering at Nashville Rescue Mission- Spring 2012

10) Start to cook at school ✔
Tofurky sausage wrap with baked sweet potato. Nom nom!

11) Eat Brazilian, Ethiopian, & Korean Food ✔

Ingera, Quindim (pictured below), & Bibimbap... I loved it all! 

12) Improve in Spanish ✔
Ecuador and Mexico trips definitely helped in this.

13) Get Organized ✔

 I make lists for everything these days & I am so much more organized as a result!

14) Teach English ✔

 Sri Lanka

Ecuador

15) Create your own major ✔

Entitled "Foreign Policy in the Americas"- I received approval to pursue my own interdisciplinary major during my sophomore year. Now when people ask me, "What's your major?" I get to say, "I made my own.

16) Get in shape ✔
Still a work in progress, but I've made some great strides in this area (mind the pun)!

17) Leisure read ✔

Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins & Bossypants- Tina Fey

18) Pay for someone in drive thru ✔
Dairy Queen in Illinois-April 2011

19) Create your own recipe ✔

Banana + Granola Kalmut Pancakes & Waffles

20) Memorize 21 Bible verses ✔

21) Meet someone swell ✔
So many wonderful people have come into my life in the past few years. I'm so grateful for them all!