Top 10 Travel Moments of 2010

It seems appropriate to make one of these lists that everyone else is writing for their blogs. 2010 was such an incredible year for me. I finally broke free from North America and explored foreign countries both on my own and with my friends. I learned so many lessons this year from my ventures. With that said, let's journey back.

10) Moving into my flat

My first apartment was a flat. I think that's pretty wicked.

9) Seeing The Saturdays in concert in London

The Saturdays are an extremely popular girl band in London, and I was lucky enough to be able to see them perform in a really small space. To top it off, I was reunited with Vince and Janelle, two of my favorite people I lived with in South Africa.

8) Bungy jumping from the world's highest bungy bridge





Not as cool as skydiving, but something I've always wanted to do. For those few seconds, I was just....extremely happy.

7) Learning about the Belfast peace walls

It is hard to imagine a modern city going through the hardships that Belfast has endured in the past decade. The walls tell a real story, and I loved that I was able to visit them for my independent study project during the Ireland seminar I went on.

6) Gaining experience from an international internship

It was really a huge learning experience for me to finally be able to put into action the things I learn at school. Even though my employment was brief, it really solidified my career plans now that I've actually been able to try a few things out.

5) Experiencing the 2010 World Cup





I was never much of a soccer fan before this year. That quickly changed. Out of the 64 matches, I think I missed watching just two of them. Attending the first match at the new stadium in Cape Town was incredible.

4) Getting held at the South Africa/Mozambique border because I was an illegal immigrant

In the heat of this moment, I was petrified. We couldn't speak the language; they were clearly just trying to milk us for money, our bus abandoned us and we had a flight to catch or we would be stuck for a very long time. At least I can add "illegal immigrant" to my resume.

3) Skydiving for the first time

It won't be my last time, though. There is no way to describe the feeling from jumping out of a plane. The view on the way down was beautiful; two oceans and a mountain range. I'm hooked.

2) Getting to know my class





The children that I met at Christian David Primary School changed my life forever. They are like no people I had ever met; they were so happy despite some pretty dismal conditions around them. Some of my favorite experiences this summer were just little moments in class where a kid finally learned how to spell a certain word or understood a math problem.

1) A perfect Fall break





You just can't top this. I visited three countries I've always wanted to go to in just one week. I also had an entire day to explore a Disney park that I'd never been to, and as a HUGE Disney geek I was just pumped. Paris was something out of a movie; Milan was an ideal shopping city; and Athens was beautiful. This was easily one of the best weeks of my life.

After writing this, I have to say that 2010 was the best year of my life, so far. If 2011 is even half as awesome, I'll be thrilled.