Do or Die

With two hours to go before leaving my house to head to the airport, and everything but electronics and snacks packed, I think it's finally hit me! OMG, I'm moving abroad for a year. OMG, I think I'm going to be sick... Yep, that anxiety I was talking about has definitely conquered all other emotions, and most basic functions too. Like logic. Logic would dictate double checking things and getting some security friendly food ready instead of typing out a blog post. But anxiety says something more to the tune of "you can't concentrate and function correctly anyway, so you might as well type it out."

I've said goodbye (for now) to just about everybody I should have. If I missed you, I apologize. Unless you're not reading this blog, cause then you don't care enough anyway, so I'm NOT sorry for not saying goodbye. (Yes, logic understands how ridiculous and pointless that last sentence was, but anxiety doesn't care).

But alas, adventure time has come. And I leave you with my final draft of my to do list for my year abroad. I worked REALLY hard on it! To make it actually doable, but to make it fun and adventurous too. I will keep you updated with my progress on it for sure! See you in a year stateside!

1. Try lots of European candy, including Kinder Eggs, Bueno Bars, Mars Bars, and a variety of Cadbury chocolate flavors
2. Try every new flavor of crisps I encounter
3. Try a new, local beer at a non touristy, local pub
4. Try curry just one more time. Give up. Eat fish and chips
5. Fish Fingers and Custard! Really
6. Visit a minimum of 5 filming locations to any of my fandoms
7. Watch the filming of Sherlock on location in January
8. See at least one member of the royal family and/or an actor whose been in at least 2 of the following 3: Downton Abbey/Harry Potter/Doctor Who
9. Attend the taping of a panel show (preferably QI or Nevermind the Buzzcocks)
10. See a play at West End
11. Buy HP and the Philospher’s Stone
12. Buy something, anything, at Harrods
13. Get a Hard Rock Café shot glass from London (and Manchester if possible)
14. Iconic Abbey road retake
15. Get a stranger to take a picture with me in front of a phone box and a police box (Bonus points if it’s the same stranger in both)
16. Watch a Chelsea game (not on telly)
17. Become proficient in Celsius, metric system, and military time
18. Kiss a guy from the four countries in the UK
19. Do something fancy, that I could only do in London
20. Watch the New Years Eve Fireworks over the Thames in person (If not in Portugal for Christmas)
21. Visit AT LEAST 15 of the museums/ palaces/ tourist attractions (Musts include Royal Observatory, Madam Tussauds, Changing of the Guards at Buckingham, London Dungeon, Tower of London, and the Victoria and Albert Museum)
22. TRY to make a member of the Queen’s Guard laugh (I obviously don’t have to be successful, but I have to give it a real go)
23. Attend a prayer service and/or choral performance at Westminster Abbey
24. Ride around on the top level of a red double decker with no destination in mind
25. Visit the countryside (probably Bath or Canterbury)
26. Drive under the English channel
27. Leave the UK at least twice, for a minimum of 2 days. Anywhere I haven’t been to before (i.e. Lisbon counts, Paris doesn’t)
28. Learn who Guy Fawkes is (without using a computer- books and people only) and then celebrate Guy Fawkes Day appropriately
29. Find something to do as a volunteer
30. Make a new friend