A to Z Challenge: Z

Hello Everyone, 

Zimbabwe is somewhere I would love to go. Many students go there to volunteer with building schools and with orphanages. This would be something I would love to do, take a year out to volunteer in another country. I may do this when I graduate before looking in the job market. Or I may have run out of money by then. We'll see. 

A to Z Challenge: Y

Hello Everyone,

Today is a bit of fun. On my list of places to visit one day is Yemen. Yes, it is a real place. I will be living at 15 Yemen Road, Yemen. There will be no fake tickets involved, and I will actually be flying there. No-one will be able to come and stay to watch me off, due to the security measures, but that's okay, I'm not trying in vain to dump my girlfriend, and too cowardly to do so, so have told her that my work is sending me abroad to Yemen.

A to Z Challenge: X

Hello Everyone, 

Today's post is a little different. I couldn't find a country beginning with X, so this is some e-X-citing news instead. I hope this is okay with all of you. 

After this month, I will have a month off from blogging because Life in the 'Deen is getting a make-over. I can't give away too many details because I want you to be surprised when you return in June, and I also haven't planned too much. 

I will also be starting another venture. It is a second blog. It is titled With Effortless Grace. It will be a blog talking about some serious issues, posting about three times a week. 

Exciting stuff, isn't it? I can't wait to hear what you think about this. 

A to Z Challenge: W

Hello Everyone,

This time all I want to do is get lost on an island, so much so that it is even in the name: Wake Island. There are beaches, war memorials and pretty much nothing else to do. A week there would be enough to explore it and find time to relax. A real desert island. 

A to Z Challenge: V

Hello Everyone,

I want to visit Vietnam for a reason that I've already said a few times. My dad has been there. He told us all about it, and I want to see it for myself. The food sounds amazing, and he found these really cool prints of movies and TV shows,  which I want to buy (and no, I want to browse a poster shop by myself, not online). There is so much history in Vietnam, and I've seen one side of it here in America, I want to see the other side too.

A to Z Challenge: U

Hello Everyone,

Uruguay is one my list because I think it would be a pretty cool place to visit in South America. It isn't one of the most popular countries to visit, so it would be fairly inexpensive, with many interesting things to do or see:The Rio Negro river, Laguna de Sauce, Mano de Punta del Este and Isla de Lobos. 'Everyone's a Lobo!'

A to Z Challenge: T

Hello Everyone,

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) are on my list for a couple of reasons. One, my parents went there for a wedding, and I was super jealous that I couldn't go. So I want to go back. And two, it is an island, which continues my accidental theme of islands.

T&T have the ultimate white sand beaches, you know those photos of paradise with the palm trees in it were probably taken there. I would go just to sit and relax on the beach all day long.

A to Z Challenge: S

Hello Everyone,

This may seem a little university student gap-year-ish, but I really want to visit Singapore. There is an island (theme here?) that has a lot of beaches, resorts and holiday go-er things to do. However, I also want do things like the Safaris, shopping, and eating a lot of the food. There is a Botanic Garden, art galleries, China Town, a version of the London Eye, and some pretty good nightlife apparently. 

A to Z Challenge: R

Hello Everyone, 

Now, this is not one to be visiting any time soon (at least not with the current governmental leader), but I really really want to visit Russia. One of the my most memorable films from my childhood was Anastasia, the story of the lost Russian princess. After learning about the Russian revolution for Standard Grade history, it reminded me of the exciting places to see in Russia. It is the biggest country in the world, spanning two continents, with nine different time zones! Why would you not want to see it? There is so much diversity in the landscape, and the cities are so full of things to do and see. Moscow and St Petersburg are the biggest and most politically and historically important cities. The Russian revolution and the Communist government is one of the biggest historical events in recent history. Also, who wouldn't want to see the place where Rasputin was murdered? It is an event that so much is known about, but nobody has any idea about what really happened.

A to Z Challenge: Q

Hello Everyone, 

On my list for Q was Qatar. I don't know that much about this country. I had to look it up on Google maps to see where it was. 

From what I have seen on the internet, a big experience when you're there is the Pearl Qatar, which is an artificial island. You can stay there, and there are things to do like a resort and spa. It is another island out in the ocean, which after looking at my list, I seem to like the idea of visiting. Getting stranded on a desert island, I may be channeling the thoughts of a famous Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson, with Kidnapped and Treasure Island. 

A to Z Challenge: P

Hello Everyone, 

Papua New Guinea is on my list just to see. Sometimes there are just places that you think would be cool to see, and Papua New Guinea is one of them. I want to see it because I want to see it. Nothing more to say.

A to Z Challenge: O

Hello Everyone, 

I don't just want to see the world abroad, I want to see the world closer to home. I live in Scotland and I haven't seen all of the major cities in Scotland, let alone the UK. 

The Orkney Isles are a group of islands off the North Coast of Scotland. You can take the ferry to it, and at some point you can take the shortest flight in the world from one of the islands. One a clear day, apparently you can see Norway across the ocean. How cool is that? Why would you not want to see the beauty of Scotland, and truly understand the lives of those that live there? 

A to Z Challenge: N

Hello Everyone, 

Who wouldn't want to visit Norway? Vikings came from here. There are museums all over about this. There are huge snowfalls in winter, reindeer, and it is the home of Lapland. That's where Santa lives, why would you not want to visit somewhere like that. 

The highlight of Norway though is the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights. You cannot schedule this too easily, sometimes they will appear the first day you look, and others they won't appear for weeks. But they should be on everyone's bucket list to see before they die. As for me, they are on my list of things to see before I'm thirty. 

A to Z Challenge: M

Hello Everyone, 

After spending a year in New Mexico, you would be surprised if Mexico was not on my list of places to travel to. I have learned so much about the culture and food while I've been here, and absolutely love it. Mexico is somewhere that I would need to travel around for a while, and with someone. But it is just somewhere I want to fully immerse myself in the culture. 

A to Z Challenge: L

Hello Everyone, 

Luxembourg is on my list of places to visit one day. I have a friend who lives in Luxembourg, and I am curious to see it. I have many favourite things to see in a country, and castles, gorgeously ancient architecture, with cute little towns with canals and rivers running through them. And Luxembourg has them all in hoards along with historical sights like the National Museum of Military History, which I love.

A to Z Challenge: K

Hello Everyone, 

On my list of places I want to visit is South Korea. Despite the problems it has had with the North, It is a truly unique country with so many interesting things to see and do.

The star sight to see is the Paektu Mountain, an active volcano between North Korea and China. There is a lake atop the mountain called Lake Heaven in the caldera of the mountain. It looks like a glorious place to spend in quiet contemplation. And take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

A to Z Challenge: J

Hello Everyone, 

Japan is a very cool place. Home to kimonos, sushi and haikus. There are lots of different regions in Japan for you to see. There are also lots and lots of hostels for students to go travelling in, which would allow them to experience the culture in another way.

I visited a Japanese Tea Garden while I was in San Francisco, and I would love to see a real one, and actually get a chance to drink the tea. I love me a good cuppa.

A to Z Challenge: I

Hello Everyone, 

Next on my list of places to go is India. When I was younger, my uncle went to work in India for a time, and he sent me pictures while he was there. One was a picture of him and a tiger. It looked amazing. This is the only reason I have for going to India, other than it seems like a cool place to see with a gorgeous and vibrant culture. And curries. I love a good curry.

A to Z Challenge: H

Hello Everyone, 

Hungary is a pretty cool place, which is why its made my list to go. Eastern Europe is not heavily traveled, and Hungary  is one of these under-rated gems.

There are some gorgeous fairy-tale villages to visit along with the urban cities. The castles are absolutely exquisite, almost prettier than some Scottish castles. The countryside is like a storybook, and the cities look like something out of a sci-fi movie.

A to Z Challenge: G

Hello Everyone, 

I want to go to Guatemala because I am really interested in seeing some ancient Mayan culture. It is a country rich in culture, and often overlooked for other closer countries like Mexico.

There are seven regions in Guatemala to visit, all with their own qualities and sights. There is the modern and colonial, the Highlands and living Mayan culture, Peten, Izabal, a green Caribbean, the Verapces, a natural paradise, the Pacific Coast and the East. It is a gorgeous country and is pretty cheap, with some all incluasive resorts, and hiking and travel for the more adventurous. So why woild it not be on my list of places to see.

A to Z Challenge: F

Hello Everyone, 

Fiji made my list of places to go as why would I want to is that my roommate Sydney wants to go. It was mentioned in one of her childhood films, Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas. So therefore, when I was making this list, I just had to include it.

Fiji is a group of islands in Australasia, whereit is famed for its tropical waeaher and white sandy beaches. There are coral reefs around and scuba diving is very popular on the islands. Fijian culture is also very interesting and vibrant, which is unlike anything else I've seen.

A to Z Challenge: E

Hello Everyone, 

Although it perhaps wouldn't be the best place to go to right at the moment, somewhere I always want to try and make it to is Egypt. 

The pyramids, the Sphinx and learning about one of the greatest and oldest cultures in the world is a fascinating venture. I know a little from reading in books, but to actually see where this history took place would be amazing. Learning through seeing would mean that you would absorb so much more than simply seeing it on the page. Passing by the Red Sea and the River Nile would also be pretty cool, and I would love to ride a camel. 

My parents also went on a trip to Egypt, before they had me. They look so young and carefree, and I want to experience that, and to go somewhere that they went would mean a lot to me.

A to Z Challenge: D-Day

Hello Everyone,

Its D-day, and today class we're going to learn about Denmark. 

I want to visit Denmark because there is so much history in its land. Literary history is particularly prevalent there. A little story about the prince of Denmark's reaction to the murder of his father, you may have heard of it, Hamlet? The Little Mermaid also is thought to have taken place in Denmark, as Hans Christian Anderson, the writer/collector of the fairy tales like the Snow Queen, Thumbelina and The Emperor's New Clothes also hails from there. As an English student, I would love to see around where a literary hero lived and walked. 

A to Z Challenge: Oh I do like to be beside the C-side....

Hello Everyone, 

Its time to consider C, and where I am going today for the A to Z Challenge. And the dial lands on... China. 

Now, a lot of places I want to visit are based on the fact that I know someone from there, or someone I know visited it and recommended it. This time it is the latter, and surprise surprise, it was my Dad. He goes to China for his work, and every time he comes back with all these stories about the things he did and saw, and I want to do and see these things too. 

China made it onto my list because it is a completely different culture from anything else in the world. There are so many sights to see: the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Army, the Palaces, and of course baby pandas. Cuteness personified. All the authentic Chinese food sounds lovely too. I might just go on a ride down the Li River too. There are so many things to do, a backpacking student would be in absolute heaven, and they don't even need to leave that one country.

A to Z Challenge: B is for....

Hello Everyone, 

The second day of the A-Z Challenge has come, and I am Busy considering the Bahamas on my Blog (haha, I'm hilarious aren't I?).

The Bahamas are a cluster of Islands off the coast of Florida. There are about 30 inhabited islands, but there are 700 islands altogether. You could do an entire holiday or travelling there. A romantic getaway, spa trip, whatever you want, its gonna look gorgeous. Even if you love history and sightseeing, you can do something under those umbrellas.

It looks like Paradise to me. You can go snorkeling, deep sea diving and rock-climbing. I may not seem like it all the time, but I do love being active and trying out new activities. Although I do have one main consideration: I must be able to take pictures. I have gotten better at doing it while things are moving and having quick reactions to snap the instant reactions or things I'm doing.

Any way, one of my top places to visit would be the Bahamas, definitely for about a month or so, just to get in the perfect amount of sightseeing,outdoor activities and relaxing on the beaches of Paradise.