#12 - Volunteer in a developing country

I'm a bit believer that we're put on this earth to make a difference and that what you get out of life is simply a result of what you put into it. As such I've been associated with a myriad of charities since as long as I remember. 

Indifference annoys me ... if I see that there's a problem or something going on that upsets me I want to find out more and do something about it rather than just ignore it or moan about it. There's a lot of things in life that aren't fair. The fact that we live in a life of gluttony, excess and abundance when some people have nothing at all is the most unfair. 

I have few regrets, but one of them is not saving up to take a gap year before/after uni and going to do some volunteer work and travelling. I was skint at the time and decided I needed to go straight to work and that I could do a gap year further down the line. At the time it was the right decision but then I got a job I like and a mortgage and going away for that amount of time became close on impossible (unless there's a lottery win in the near future!). The good thing is that I've prioritised travelling and volunteering so any money that's left over after house payments, bills, eating out and parties goes on some pretty amazing trips. I've taken 28 flights this year and had some amazing experiences so can't really complain at all :)

Sooo back to list item #12 ...

I've been an ActionAid supporter for some time. I sponsor an awesome little girl in Uganda and support some of their other projects too. When you support ActionAid you get sent newsletters and magazines from time to time. It was there that I spotted an opportunity for a First Hand Experience ... they were looking for volunteers to go an build a school in Kenya and experience some of their work in the country first hand. Despite my families reservations and conviction that I would definitely die out there I signed up and started fundraising. You have to raise a minimum of £3000 per person before you go. My friend heard I was going and decided to sign up shortly after so that soon became a £6000 fundraising goal for an 8 month deadline. It was tough. Here's the part where I thank my awesome friends, families and community for attending the numerous pub quizzes, food festivals, charity gigs and raffles that we held to raise the money but we did it. This part and the millions (ok I exaggerate - maybe about 12) of injections that we needed to have was the fairly painful - but we knew it would be worth it. 

So flights were booked, equipment was purchased, kit lists were made, visas were obtained ... and then ... a bout of terrorism strikes Kenya the week before we were due to leave. Literally days before our departure date there were shootings and kidnappings on the Kenyan coast, followed by a few suicide bombs, and the country was on high alert. As nervous travellers we were awaiting the results of an ActionAid risk assessment which initially said we were ok to go (sending my family members into a panic) and then as things escalated said the trip was cancelled. Gutted!!! All that planning and excitement for nothing (though timing wise the trip being cancelled was a bit of a God send as I had alot going on in my personal life at the time).

ActionAid offered us a refund or a transfer onto a similar project in Nepal a year later. So we waited a year and off we went! It was my first time in Asia so I was really excited as we met the other volunteers at Heathrow airport. 23 of us in total of different ages (ranging from 25 to 82!) and different backgrounds. After a long trip to Nepal (Gib-London-Delhi-Kathmandu) we arrived in the very dusty capital for some sightseeing and food and the next day we took a Buddha Airways flight to Nepalgunj and a three hour incredibly bumpy bus ride (so bumpy that on the return journey someone hit their head on the roof of the bus and required medical attention) we arrived at Dang to work on our project. We were helping Kamaiya people (people who were born into bonded labour and forced to work in slave conditions for landlords to pay their families debts) to build houses in a small village - 25 houses in all. After a crash course in cement mixing, foundation laying and brick work we were good to go, working alongside local masons and communicating in our limited Nepalese, their limited English and a whole lot of pointing. By the end of our time there we managed to sort the foundations and damp proof course on all the houses :) ... A real acheivement saving the community months of work.

The 10 day trip was brilliant!! The work was hard, as carrying sacks of rocks and mixing cement in that heat does take its toll but I've never met such grateful and welcoming people as the villagers there. These people literally have nothing - 10 of them sleep in a room smaller than my living room, they rely on two wells for cleaning, eating and showering, there is no infrastructure. Yet they greeted us with chains of marigolds, laid carpets down for us and fed us nuts, bahjis, rice wine, cakes or whatever they could afford. It was brilliant and so so humbling. Little kids would run after us gesticulating for us to take photos and show them on our digital cameras as they had never had their photo taken or had access to a mirror - they got so excited when I said I'd post their photos over. We had the chance to visit some other village projects and a school and these kids, who have no idea what the iPad generation, is would spend hours entertained with a simple song, blowing some bubbles, or a made up game with a pile of rocks. Give a kid a pencil at home and they'd throw it in your face but there you became their friend for life. It was emotional leaving camp but I'll definitely be doing another community project or build again ... maybe in Uganda where my sponsored child lives as I still feel like I missed out on the opportunity to go to Africa! 

#12 - ACHEIVED

Difficulty - 8/10 (fundraising that amount of money is hard and the work was quite physical)
Thrill factor - 6/10 (Nepal is an amazing country and trying not to get runover in the street is a bit of an adventure)
Sense of acheivement/fulfilment - 10/10 (most rewarding thing I've ever done)
Recommend to a friend - 10/10 (it really puts things into perspective)

#14 - Try exotic meats

Growing up I used to be a very picky eater. Extremely picky to the point where I don't know how my parents put up with me!! I remember once throwing a birthday party in Pizza Hut when I was about 14 and only eating garlic bread because I didn't like pizza or pasta and pretty much used to survive on chicken and potatoes and bread in various formats.

Alot has changed since then!! I was picky pretty much til I was 19/20 years old. Then thanks to living on my own at uni and sharing cooking with housemates and a realisation that being a picky eater wasn't compatible with having a social life (I used to find it it so hard to eat out) or being healthy (as I didn't eat fish or veg). I basically forced myself to keep trying new foods even if I was convinced I wouldn't like them.

Now I eat everything!!! I can't think of a single food item I don't like and will try anything. In fact food is my passion ... whether its cooking it or eating. Travelling is another passion of mine and holidays and gastronomy tend to go hand in hand. I hate it when people visit a new country and end up eating food they could easily eat at home. So my palette has now become increasingly adventurous. 

This year I went on a mission to try out some weird and wonderful food. I've already eaten stuff like pork kidneys, stewed rabbit, snow crabs and suckling pig but thought since I was doing quite a bit of travelling this year I'd see how far I could take my food exploration. 

First up for 2012 was Monaco. The land of haut cuisine. Here I had some fairly odd combinations such as smoked duck wrapped in smoked salmon and various ways of serving foie gras ... but no new animals. All the food was amazing though from the fish, to the steak to the pastries ... and the attention to detail was amazing! Expensive, but a great place for a foodie to visit for gourmet cooking.

Then it was Marrakech. Morroccan food never dissapoints, and I ate so much this trip that by the end the receptionist at the hotel thought I was pregnant lol. Amazing flavours with tagines and couscous and pastries and soups. However here I was a bit more adventurous and ordered a pigeon pastella from one of the stalls in the main square. I managed to ignore the fact that a pigeon is essentially just a flying rat  ... partly because the pastella was exquisite! Will definitely be having that again!

Then off to Peru. During most of the pre-arranged trip our meals were provided so although the food was great, healthy and delicious we didn't really have much choice of what to eat. Luckily I had booked the extension and could then decide on my own food options. First on my list was alpaca. We had been trekking amongst the alpacas for days and they are the cutest things but I'd heard good reiews about alpaca steak so had to try it. Although the texture was a little tough the taste was great ... a really rich, smoky flavour. Then, much to my friend's horror, I went for a roasted guinea pig. They have it as the typical celebratory meal dish there so on the last night of the trip I thought it was appropriate. When it arrived I was a little bit horrified. It basically looks like roadkill  (see picture below) ... like someone run the poor thing over, shoved it on a bbq and put it on my plate complete with feet, teeth and all. My friend Kathryn almost vommed! The actual eating of it was a mission too! You have to tear up the thick outer layer of fat so I felt like a cavewoman and there isn't much meat on the animal itself. It tasted like a chicken drumstick, but was too much hassle to eat so doubt I'll be doing that again.

Then we went to Seville for a weekend and happened upon an international food festival with stalls from loads of countries. I tried a shark empandilla from the Venezuela stall and ostrich and kangaroo from the Australia stall (amongst other culinary delights). The verdict: shark wasn't tough as I expected it to be - it was just a tasty white fish; kangaroo is tasty but ostrich was even better and has now topped my list of favourite meats. I am dying to try it again!!!! Shame so few places stock it. I've since found out that this food festival is an annual event so it's already in the calendar for next year!

I still want to try gazelle and crocodile but haven't found any restaurants that have them on the menu. If anyone knows of any please let me know :) 

#14 - ALMOST ACHEIVED

(still need to find some gazelle and crocodile)

Difficulty - 6/10 (some of them require bravery and others are just hard to find)
Thrill factor - 7/10 (only cos I find new tastes and general food-related things thrilling)
Sense of acheivement/fulfilment - 4/10
Recommend to a friend - 8/10 (rating downgraded a bit as the guinea pig wasn't really that pleasant.)

#127 - Ride a helicopter

I wouldn't say I'm scared of heights - I mean I can go up to the top of skyscrapers and be fine ... as long as I'm not too close to the edge. Its more a fear of falling than anything else. This made this particular list item pretty scary.

Helicopters are awesome. I've always looked at them and thought it would be fun to go up in one ... but they've always scared me a little. They just don't look very safe.

When we booked a trip to New York a couple of years ago, we did some research on things to do and a helicopter tour kept popping up. I had to think about it a few times before agreeing to go ahead and book it but decided it was as good a time as any to brave it and that the views of the NY skyline would be worth it. 

Now here's the scary bit .... in the run up to our trip a helicopter crashed in the Hudson river. No jokes. Just to put our mind at ease a little further. Initially this freaked me out ... but in the end I thought if its just happened the safety checks are likely to be stepped up as a result so not really much of a chance that it would happen again.

So helicopter tour day arrived and we were given a standard safety briefing about how to put on life vests etc. Bit like a plane safety demonstration. We were told that there was a bit of wind so the flight might be a bit choppy but that we'd be fine. Then they walked us out to the airfield.

My dad had decided that he wanted to sit at the front with the pilot and I was cool with that as the pilot cockpit area was made entirely of glass so you could look down, which I wasn't particularly keen on. However the pilot had different ideas. Apparently you need to distribute the weight of passengers in helicopters,  so as the lightest I had to sit at the front like a co-pilot!!! 

They gave me some headphones and a mic and I felt like I was in a scene in Top Gun (one of my all time fave films!), talking to the pilot and air traffic control on the mic. I obviously looked nervous because the pilot kept asking me if I was OK haha. But he also told me 'don't touch this' 'don't put your feet there' 'mind that lever' etc so I was concentrating all my efforts on not touching something that would result in me accidentally crashing the helicopter.

The ride itself was pretty incredible. Take offs and landings are so smooth in a helicopter and although we got a bit of turbulence where the helicopter dipped a bit I generally felt quite safe. I'd say  its probably the best way to see New York. We flew over Central Park, Yankee Stadium and past the Statue of Liberty and I got some great photos. I just kept going 'Oh Wow' every 5 minutes .. it really was breathtaking. The skyline from that height leaves you a little bit awestruck and I had to buy some prints of it which are still hanging in my house :)

I will definitely be trying a helicopter trip again at some point as the whole experience left me wanting more. Also after recalling the experience I have a sudden urge to watch Top Gun* so that's my Saturday afternoon sorted!

 

 #127 - ACHEIVED

Difficulty - 2/10 (you don't really have to do anything other than not push buttons that make the helicopter crash)
Thrill factor - 7/10
Sense of acheivement/fulfilment - 3/10
Recommend to a friend - 9/10



* I am aware that Top Gun is about fighter jet pilots and not helicopters before anyone says anything but the whole get-up that I had to wear (in the pic) just reminds me of that film

#37 - Experience New Year's Eve in Times Square

I think all of us have seen in a TV show, film or romcom that epic moment where the clock is counting down to midnight, the ball is dropping in Times Square and thousands of people are celebrating, kissing, dancing and yelling 'Happy New Year' in excitement. I've seen this scene a million times and always thought it would be great to experience that.

A couple of years ago my dad decided he wanted to take my brother and I on a family trip as it had been a while since we'd been on one and we decided on New York, leaving on boxing day and spending 10 days there ... which meant NYE in NYC :)

There was a lot of planning in the months leading up to the trip but New Year's Eve was amongst the highlights in our itinerary. We picked a hotel in Times Square and I read every Tripadvisor, blog and review in sight. Some people had said it was overrated and crowded but I still had high hopes.

We booked some 'Times Square All Access Passes' to allow us to get through the barricades and into the square with access to a number of parties in the area. 

After month's of waiting we finally boarded our flight to NYC. It was amazing!! I definitely recommend New York as a holiday destination ... so much to see and do, hustle and bustle and great culture everywhere. With one caveat though ... DO NOT GO IN DECEMBER - JANUARY!!!! It is cold. Very cold. Freezing. Painfully so. Not exaggerating ... it was -10 at most but lower with the wind chill factor so got to about -20 at some points. I live in the Med ... I'm not meant to be that cold ever!!! At some points we had to think twice about leaving the hotel room even in such an incredible city. 

So the 31st December arrived and we collected our passes, did some sightseeing, went back to the hotel. got changed, ordered some room service and chilled out in our 42nd floor hotel room whilst we laughed at the millions of people that had been queueing since about 2pm at the barricades. Jennifer Lopez and a few other celebrities were performing and Ryan Seacrest was hosting and there were people everywhere. We decided to go to a club after dinner for some drinks (our tickets were open bar) and then at about 11 use our passes to get through the barricades to see the countdown in one of the bars in the square near the ball drop. We queued for about 90 mins outside the club ... in heels and a dress (and a coat but still freezing) and it seemed like an eternity. The club was OK but I wasn't feeling amazingly upbeat as I was trying to recover from the mild hypothermia I was sure I was suffering from after the queue! When we decided to try and get through the barricades to go to the ball drop area it was impossible! We couldn't get anywhere close to the barricades because there were so many people pushing everywhere. The police we were supposed to flash our passes too were too busy controlling the crowds to pay attention to us. We just about managed to get into our Times Square hotel but even that was a mission. At this point it was about 11:40 so we had to make a snap decision to watch the ball drop from our hotel out of the cold and away from the crowds. It was fun but nothing like the moments in the movies where people rush into Times Square to find a loved one or go to amazing parties overlooking the ball drop. The rest of the trip was amazing but New Year's Eve in NYC was a long, cold, uncomfortable, expensive (tickets cost an arm and a leg), crowded, frustrating experience that I won't be repeating. 

#37 - ACHEIVED 

- Difficulty: 2/10 (as long as you can afford it anyone can book it)

- Thrill factor: 6/10 (the run up was good, the night was a bit of a let down)

- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 2/10

- Recommend to a friend: 1/10 (though a 10/10 for NYC itself)

#7 - Ride a Segway

I'm not sure if all of you know what a segway is ... but basically its a little platform with two big wheels and a long handle. You stand on it and it takes you around, sort of like an electronic scooter.

I hadn't heard of a segway til a couple of years ago but I travel around Eastern Europe alot where apparently these things are pretty popular. I was first introduced to the concept by Jess, an awesome girl from New Jersey who I met whilst backpacking around Romania. She was on placement in Italy and visiting different European cities whenever she had the chance. We met in Bucharest and instantly clicked (she actually came to visit me in Gibraltar and I plan to visit her in NYC!) and she told me how her next trip involved a segway tour (think it was in Belgium). She explained what it was and I was extremely confused as to how they would actually work without you instantly toppling over.

Those of you who know me will know that although I have many skills and strengths, ability, balance and coordination don't feature on that list. I've fallen upstairs, downstairs, wearing slippers and am the worst sportswoman known to man. I am also a terrible driver and have fallen off my motorbike, driven my car into a wall and am a danger on a bicycle. As you can see I was pretty doubtful of my ability to successfully ride anything that required balancing on two wheels without a catastrophic result.

Earlier this year my friend and I booked a trip to Budapest (an awesome city to visit by the way!). I was researching tours to book and came across a segway tour .... and thought I've gotta try this. I'd just got back from trekking in Peru and attempting to surf in Portugal so was feeling pretty adventurous. My friend was up for it too so we booked it. 

We got to Budapest which is idyllic ... but also full of cobblestones, crossroads and pavements - a hazard for any two-wheeled vehicle. Our tour was a 2 hour guided segway tour of the Pest side of Budapest, visiting monuments such as the opera house, chain bridge and Andrassy avenue (Budapest's answer to the Champs Elysee). We had a 10 minute training session before the tour and were given helmets to wear. We were a small group of 4 people, and I decided to go last for training as my confidence wasn't great. I was far from a natural!! I wobbled!! A lot!!! And almost fell .... but didn't :) 


Going up and down steps without falling over and taking curves without crashing into the wall was a challenge but I eventually got the hang of it!! It was fun!!!!! I lost my balance a few times and by the end of it my legs and feet ached, and I was wobbling all over the place - think I was too tense so was shattered by the end. I wasn't brave enough to take off the speed restrictors in the main square to play at going fast like the others did as I was too wobbly by that point but I still would recommend trying it. People give you odd looks as you speed past them on the pavement and lots of Chinese tourists take photos of you from every angle lol.

#7 ACHIEVED

Thought I'd make the post interesting by rating each list item on a number of categories:

- Difficulty: 7/10 (for most people this would be a 4 or 5 but I have no balance or co-ordination so was a struggle)
- Thrill factor: 7/10 
- Sense of acheivement/fulfilment: 3/10
- Recommend to a friend: 8/10

Some housekeeping stuff ...

Thanks for all the feedback so far guys ... keep it coming!

I've been asked by a few people how do they check progress on the list (i.e. which are done or nearly there).

If you click on the tab at the top called 'The List' it takes you to a summary page where you can keep up to date on where my adventures have taken me.

Posts on the ones already acheived to follow shortly ....

Hope the list inspires you to do something awesome today :)

So here's the list!

Ok so here's the list. This isn't an exhaustive list or in any particular order. I may do other amazing things which aren't on the list, or even on occasion add a couple more, but for the moment it's a list of all the things I want to acheive in this lifetime. I'll add this to a tab on my page and as I complete the list entries they will become bold to make it easier to keep track of progress.

1. Go snowshoeing in the Antarctic
2. Visit every continent
3. Climb Mount Kilamanjara
4. Climb to Everest base camp
5. Climb a volcano
6. Canoe/kayak through the Amazon river
7. Ride a Segway
8. Ride a buggy through the Sahara Dessert
9. Sleep under the stars
10. Drive from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States
11. Learn to surf (standing up!)
12. Volunteer in a developing country
13. Build a well in Africa
14. Try guinea pig, ostrich, llama, alpaca, frog, rabbit, shark, crocodile, kangaroo and gazelle meat (and any other strange meat!)
15. Eat at a Michelin star restaurant
16. Go to culinary school
17. Teach a course
18. Help someone reach their goal
19. Do a charity trek
20. Speak 5 languages
21. Visit the Seven Wonders of the New World (Macchu Picchu in Peru, Collisseum in Rome, Petra in Jordan, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Great Wall of China, Chichin Itza in Mexico and the Taj Mahal in India)
22. Go on a zip wire through the jungle
23. Jump out of a plane
24. Get a degree
25. Get a Masters
26. Get a Doctorate
27. Write a book
28. Get over 100 followers on my blog
29. Enter politics
30. Start a charity
31. Run a marathon
32. Start up my own business
33. Kiss someone at the foot of the Eiffel Tower
34. Ride an Elephant
35. Go to the home of the Dalai Lama in Tibet
36. Go to a full moon party in Asia
37. Experience New Year's in Time Square
38. Ride a horse and carriage through Central Park
39. Go on a gondola in Venice
40. Be someone's mentor
41. Go sailing on open water
42. Represent Gibraltar abroad
43. Be quoted in an international publication
44. Own a Mini Cooper
45. Earn a six figure income
46. Take a photography course
47. Make my own item of clothing
48. Organise an event for over 1000 people
49. Run a seminar on ethical leadership
50. Become a manager in an organisation
51. Marry my soulmate
52. Have children
53. Buy a house with a big garden
54. Have a toned stomach (a six pack may be a bit ambitious but as close to that as possible)
55. Get my teeth straightened and whitened
56. Be someone's Maid of Honour
57. Go to Carnival in Brazil
58. Restore a piece of furniture
59. Enter an art competition
60. Read and play music
61. Read the complete works of Shakespeare
62. Take a helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon
63. Play roulette in a Las Vegas Casino
64. Meet a Hollywood star
65. Meet a music legend
66. Go to a music festival
67. Have a romantic meal on a private beach
68. Go on holiday to a private island
69. Fly first class
70. Ride a tuk-tuk
71. Go on a skiing holiday
72. Go salsa dancing in Cuba
73. Watch the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
74. Ride a Hot Air Balloon
75. Swim in the Dead Sea
76. Go on safari
77. Visit every capital city in Europe
78. Drink beer at Oktoberfest
79. Go waterfall jumping
80. Go to a premiership football match, NBA game, tennis Grand Slam, NFL game, baseball game, F1 race and MotoGP race
81. Go backpacking around a continent
82. Sit in the audience of a TV show
83. Watch a musical in the west end and on broadway
84. Watch stand-up comedy live
85. Go to a movie premiere
86. Go to a drive-in movie theatre
87. Ride in a limousine
88. Have a pet
89. Adopt or foster a child
90. Save a life
91. Dance in the rain
92. Be part of a flash mob
93. Participate in a world record attempt
94. Go on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella
95. Donate blood
96. Swim with dolphins
97. Grow my own vegetables
98. Attend the Olympic games
99. Eat steak in Argentina
100. Go to the Opera and to the Ballet
101. Witness a meteor shower 
102. Visit all the Disney theme parks
103. Win a poker game
104. Go to a vineyard and make my own wine
105. Buy something from Tiffany's
106. Meet a head of state (president or prime minister)
107. Act in a play
108. Participate in an impromptu snowball fight
109. Be vegetarian for one month
110. Take part in a demonstration for a good cause
111. Go on a cruise
112. Be able to do 50 push-ups (not on knees) and 100 crunches
113. Go to bootcamp for a week
114. Eat an insect
115. Help a stranger in distress
116. Watch a space shuttle launch
117. Milk a cow
118. Stand in the crown of the Statue of Liberty
119. Go snorkelling
120. Stay in a bungalow on the beach
121. Go couch surfing
122. Leave a big tip for excellent service (over 50% of the bill)
123. Be a movie extra
124. Tour the White House
125. Learn CPR
126. Celebrate St Patrick's Day in Ireland
127. Ride a Helicopter
128. Ride a submarine
129. Attend a traditional Christmas market
130. Attend a Cirque du Soleil show
131. Visit Auschwitz
132. Toast marshmallows on a bonfire at the beach
133. Visit Niagara Falls
134. Go swimming in a lake
135. Go to a classical music concert
136. Play 'Come Dine with Me' with friends
137. Watch the sun rise over a mountain top
138. Try a new team sport
139. Be someone's godmother
140. Climb Mediterranean Steps in under 20 minutes