If you're reading this, you probably already know that I am Kirsten and that I am going on exchange to the Netherlands for the fall semester of 2006. This blog will document my adventures in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe while I'm away.

Friday, October 13, 2006

20 things to do As a Twenty-year-old

So The clock struck midnight, but I didn't turn into a pumpkin... Before I left Canada, everytime I thought about my 20th Birthday a feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Despite being the youngest of my friends at home I never really saw the benefit of having an extra decade tacked on to my age. However, being here there arre a lot of people in the masters programs here or in their last year of study and I've begun to cringe everytime someone asks me my age because the answer is always followed up by calling me a baby or what have you, so it will be nice to join the ranks of my fellow students and friends.
I was talking to my friend Hui from China after our exam yesterday and she was telling me a very inspirational story about how she had a friend who committed the same number of good deeds on her Birthday as the age she was turning. This had inspired Hui on her 20th Birthday in March to make a list of 20 things to do at 20 and I like the Idea so I'm also going to make a list.
1. Do 20 good acts - not just little things like holding open doors but real things to better the world.
2. Make 20 New friends
3. Learn a new language (Dutch doesn't count because i started at 19)
4. Learn to whistle.
5. Learn how to bake bread.
6. Laugh more often
7. Go Scuba diving
8. Get a pet
9. Run a quarter marathon. Because a quarter of my life is assumably gone. This of course is assuming that when I'm 80 I'll be able to run a full marathon, and then die shortly afterward.
10. Go on a tour of the United Nations in NYC
11. See a musical
12. Meet someone famous
13. Become famous
14. See another province in Canada
15. Visit at least 4 new countries (because I'm in Europe anyway)
16. Tell people I love them more often
17. get a part in a play
18. Join at least 2 clubs at school.
19. Be Happy
20. Be the Change I want to see in the World. (Oh Ghandi... how I love you)

Well Here's too another year of life. For all that's happened, recently and not, thank you to everyone for your love and support, you really will never know what it means to me.

With Love

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday sweetie. I like your list its quite cute and I'm sure you'll accomplish everything on it. Baking bread smells good. I'm willing to be a receptical for number 16 too. I hope you have a good party tomorrow. I'm going to assume it'll be like in eurotrip when they went to Bratislava.

Happy birthday again.

6:48 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
I'm glad your doing well...even with all that has happened. Hope you have a great birthday!

10:08 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Kirsten! Twenty used to seem ancient... but now that it's not too far away for me either, it seems more realistic (maybe we're just getting near-sighted in our old age, I hope not, lol).

10:38 AM

 
Blogger Kirsten Van Houten said...

Lol, you're getting old Claire!! the near sightedness proves it! Thank you for all the warm birthday wishes! I will update again soon as to what actually happened on my Birthday... soon

3:14 PM

 

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