Who’s never dreamt of achieving something truly extraordinary, to the point of frightening themselves, getting their adrenaline rushing, and being flabbergasted at the thought: “I did it!”
In English, there is an expression to refer to the list of all those things you wish to do at least once in your life: it is the “bucket list”. This list of dreams is usually made up of harebrained projects, sporting feats and travel cravings, which seem unrealisable at first.
Jonathan travelled to New Zealand for 4 months. “I have been in Queenstown for 6 weeks and living with a really nice Kiwi family. I go to class in the mornings and afternoons. Classes are interesting and it is easy to make friends because the school is pretty small. I will take the IELTS exam soon.”
Far from being content with leaving his home for a long period of time and taking an exam, Jonathan has clear objectives in mind. He quickly realized that, in Queenstown, there is “a huge amount of places to party and practise sport, especially extreme sports. I’ve already tried bungee jumping and I want to try hang-gliding, kayaking and wakeboarding.”
Seduced, Jonathan is considering staying a little longer in New Zealand. “I will work, I have a Working Holiday Visa for the next months. After that, we will see if I really want to go back home.”
Jonathan and his friends in Queenstown, before the big leap …
Nicolas chose Whistler, Canada, to achieve his dreams. Four weeks to learn English – and ski all you can ski! “I stayed in Whistler for only 4 weeks, but this is long enough to get used to the city… I decided to go there because I wanted to learn English while skiing. It is a great place to do it, the school is friendly and organises many activities.” Whistler is a world-renowned winter resort, with a strong reputation as a party hotspot, which Nicolas knew exactly when he chose the destination. He tells us with enthusiasm: “(…) the area, the parties… I’ll let you see by yourself!” After his four-week course, he wants to tour around Canada and North America and end his tour in Whistler, before returning to Europe.
Nicolas and his friends seem to be enjoying themselves in Whistler
Daredevil Barbara took full advantage of her stay in Cape Town, South Africa. Overwhelmed with excitement, she tells us, with a smile on her face: “If you like nature, Cape Town is THE place to go. I wanted to make the most of my month there.” And she did, indeed. She tried everything possible, from whale watching to paragliding at Lion’s Head, swimming with sharks in a cage, surfing, going on a safari… “I can’t tell you what impressed me the most. You need to do it all.”
Have you already made your bucket list? Visit our blog “What’s on your bucket list?” to get some inspiration.
What do you think?