#10 bucket list

Today, for the Blog-tember Challenge, the theme is... bucket lists!

10 items off your bucket list. If you haven't made one, now's a good time to start!

I've made tons of bucket lists at many different times of my life. Most of them refer to a specific year/school year and include vague things like "love myself more", "study daily" or "have fun". My best friend and I usually meet at the beginning of each new year and, together, we write a bucket list of things we want to accomplish that year. (Unless we feel like going with the flow.)

I don't like writing vague things on my blog. I think that's a waste of my readers' time, and that if people are going to read my words, they might as well be concise and authentic. So, today, I won't say I want to evolve in non-specific ways. I will present a list of specific things I want to do or achieve during my lifetime.

So, without further ado, here are 10 points off my bucket list!

1. Set my feet on the five continents. I want to know big cities, little villages, mountains, deserts, beaches, forests. Throughout my life, I want to make traveling a priority, by saving money to do so and by researching for the cheapest ways to explore as much as possible.

2. I want to get married and have a family, WHILE being a great professional. I want to prove that both things are compatible. I want to prove that we can have typically feminine roles AND be strong, determined and world-changing.

3. I have a list of all the books that have been referred to in Gilmore Girls and I mean to read them all.

4. I want to have a cat. My parents never liked pets, so they only let us keep canaries. They sang beautifully, but they're kinda boring... and I've always envied people who have cats and dogs in their houses.

5. Study abroad, through the Erasmus programme. Some of the countries I'd like to study in include: Denmark, England, Ireland and the USA.

6. Read the entire Bible. This may take a while, and I don't plan on reading it like I read a "regular" book, but it's something I really want to do.

7. Write a novel. I've tried to write a novel numerous times, but I always got lost on the storylines. I'll keep writing short stories until I find a bigger idea for a bigger story.

8. Take my camera with me to a random place for a day and take pictures of the people passing by, Humans of New York style.

9. Take ballet classes. (There are "ballet for adults" classes where I live, and ever since I was little I've dreamed of being a ballerina).

10. Finish my music certificates. (Hopefully I will complete my piano certificate this year, but the musical theory one might have to wait a year).

Well, there are so many more items that I could refer to, but these were the first that popped into my head!

One more day of Blog-tember completed. I've been having a blast writing these posts!

Do you have a bucket list? If so, what kind of goals does it include?

lots of love,
Mariana

#4 my passion

Hey there again! Today is Friday - most people's favourite day, the promise of the weekend is too exciting! - and another wonderful day for our Blog-tember Challenge!

Today's prompt is a fascinating one: What are you passionate about?

This may be the most cliché thing ever, but I'm passionate about people and their stories. Last night I was watching an episode of ER, and they were interviewing some med school applicants who all said that they wanted to "help people", which made them sound dull and predictable. However, I don't think my passion is dull and predictable, so I'll try and put it into words as well as I can.

I wish to give people brighter days, by using the characteristics God gave me and the skills and knowledge I've been gaining throughout my entire life. When I was around fifteen, I decided that medicine was the best way for me to make myself useful to society. As a doctor - and no, I haven't decided my specialty yet - I'll be able to interact with people and, hopefully, improve their lives by improving their health. I'll have contact with a lot of different lives and stories, from which I'll surely learn a lot.

There's this saying that I've heard numerous times in medical school: "We shouldn't fix people to send them back to the conditions that made them sick", and I couldn't agree more with it. That's why I don't see myself as just a healer. I think everyone should have equal access to their basic needs and to opportunities in life, and I'm willing to do everything I can to help improve the quality of life of as many fellow humans as I can. Because we are so worth it. Humanity is so very flawed, but we are wonderfully made and we as the people of this world have potential for great things.

I'm also passionate about traveling, which may have something to do with my passion for people and their stories. I've been to quite a few cities in Europe, gone on a roadtrip to Italy and even visited New York, but my wanderlust is ever-growing, and I wish to visit as many places as I can in my life. That passion also reflects on my love for reading: it broadens my mind with countless stories and adventures that fill my imagination.

As a creative soul, I also express my passion through art, especially through photography and music. I still have a lot to learn, but I want to give as much of me as I can, in as many forms as possible.

What are YOU passionate about?

lots of love,

Mariana

#2 Oh, dreamy day

Hello, fellas! Today is a beautiful day for a new Blog-tember post! The prompt for today is:

Describe your ideal day. Where would you go and what would you do?

After quite a lot of thought, here goes a description of what would be a lovely - but pretty unrealistic - day for me:

I'd wake up early, but not too early - just in time for a calm breakfast with my boyfriend in a sweet coffee shop, in which there would be a fresh cup of orange juice. I love orange juice. And cakes. We'd talk and talk and talk and leave the coffee shop hand in hand, to explore the city, and that city would be Barcelona, London or New York (the cities I've loved the most so far).

At lunch time, there would be a massive picnic in a beautiful, green park, by the lake. All of my favourite people would be at that picnic: my boyfriend, my family, my best friends. Everyone would have a great time, the food would be splendid, and there would be people playing guitar and ukelele and singing along and taking pics and having a great time overall.

After that wonderful picnic, I'd magically transport myself to Disneyland in Paris with my boyfriend, my friends and my sister. I'd  go on all the rides and feel like a child all over again. I'd sit on the floor of Main Street and eat cotton candy with a giant smile on my face.

We'd have dinner in one of the Disney restaurants and then proceed to spend the night around a bonfire, chatting and laughing and gazing at the stars until we fell asleep.

I know that it's a lot to do in a day, but a girl's gotta dream, right? ;)

How would your dream day be like?

lots of love,

Mariana