Wednesday, August 20, 2008

survey fun

I was tagged a few weeks ago by Stephanie and am just getting around to it...so, enjoy!

I'm supposed to write about 8 things I'd like to accomplish before I die. So, here I go in no particular order..

1.) I want to find a way to open libraries in Albania. I've read a lot of research that makes me so sad, about the lack of libraries in Albania. UNESCO has a report detailing further, but there are some statistics saying that many homes in rural areas of the nation have no books at all in their house. As the daughter of a librarian, I've always had so many books, sometimes I take it for granted. I have no problem walking into Barnes and Noble and dropping $50 on a few new books. I have piles of them in my apartment that I haven't read yet. It really saddens me to think that some children don't have this opportunity. As you may know, I sponsor two girls in Albania through World Vision, and I often send them little packages. I almost always find a way to send a book...whether it be a childrens book written in Albanian, or a book without words...I just want my girls to know the joys of reading, and I want all children to love reading as much as I do.

2.) I want an owczarek podhalanski. They are a breed of Polish dogs that I fell in love with when I lived in Krakow. They are beautiful and they are huge. I adore them and their soft fluffy fur. Remind me to post some pictures of them sometimes. They'll make you cry because they are so adorable and you'll want one. I need to wait until I have a house with a big yard. Seriously, they are bigger then St.Bernards!

3.) I'd like to have children. Two, maybe three. For some reason, I think it would be fantastic to have twins named Olivia and Owen (my two favorite names), but I don't think twins run in my family. Boooo.

4.) Visit Norway and Iceland. While I was in Krakow, I wrote my Masters thesis on Norway and Iceland and didn't visit. I really want to.

5.) Find a job that I really, really love. Something that makes me happy and want to get out of bed each morning, not hit the snooze button another eight times and debate if I can call in sick, like the one I have now. I know what I want to be doing, I just need to figure out how to get there.

6.) I'd like to be fluent in at least one other language. Now, I speak some Polish, Spanish and French, and small amounts of German and Norwegian....but I am far from fluent in any of them. I think it is so important to have the ability to speak other languages, and I want my children to be bilingual. I am seriously considering sending them to one of the international schools here in DC, assuming I am still in DC when I have children. I would also like to learn Albanian, for obvious reasons.

7.) I want to do some family tree research. My great-grandfather, my grandmother's father came over from Poland many years ago. He died long before I was born, but I have heard many stories about him. Unfortunately, my grandmother no longer has his old paperwork, so I don't have a lot of information to work with, but I'd really love to learn more. I know he was from the Krakow area, where I lived, but that is about all I know. I think it is important to know where you came from and how you got where you are today.

8.) I want to go on an African safari. I just think it would be an amazing adventure!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

i love all these things, you got me thinking about what I want to do before I die...

Stephanie said...

Jeez, these are all great goals. You totally outdid me!

Jess said...

I want to go on a safari, too!

Also, I don't know for sure but I thought it was only fraternal twins that were genetic. So maybe you'll have identical twins! Of course, then one of those names wouldn't really fit, since they'd be the same sex.

Anonymous said...

I need to make a list like this. I want another corgi so Edie can have a brother :)

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

I want to become fluent in another language too-- I have CDs to learn Italian, but I guess I just need some determination.