20 Things I want to do in my 20s
Hello everyone! It’s my 20th birthday today so I thought it was fitting to do a little post with 20 things I hope to do in my 20s! In’sha’Allah (which means God Willing ^_^). It’s a great blessing to reach this age, technically the third decade in one’s life and although I feel I’ve learnt a lot in my teens as it is (post here) I know there is much to come. I think this is one of the most personal posts I’ve done, I talk a little bit about religion as it’s quite a large part of my life and I hope you find it interesting at the very least, regardless of your own beliefs. This is kinda like a bucketlist mixed with life goals, so in no particular order:
1. Own a Kitten
Get/own? I’m not quite sure what the correct word is, but I want a kitten! My dad loves birds and so would never take owning a cat seriously and my mum isn’t particularly fond of them either so it won’t be happening at any point soon, but it’s on the list now!
2. Visit Istanbul Again
This city stole my heart, I love everything about it when I visited as an 18th birthday present and I would love to go back! From the history to the bazaars and the ever so friendly locals, it’s east meets west (literally half is in Europe and half in Asia!) and although I was excited to go, nothing could prepare me for the beauty we found there.
3. Teach abroad for a few years
There is nothing more I would like to do than move away to a new country, experience their culture and do a job that I love – teaching! As a teacher from the UK, they are very valued in certain countries and the perks include accommodation and a car (not to mention a decent salary and amazing climate). I’m thinking Qatar or Kuwait at the moment but time shall tell..
4. Learn how to use my Pentax Asahi and USE IT!
I can’t remember if I actually blogged about this, but last year my grandfather kindly gave me his Pentax Asahi which he hadn’t used in years. I was thrilled because I’m continuously taking photographs with my canon and to have a new camera to add to it was awesome! It’s a little daunting actually using a film camera though, so I hope that I can take out the time to learn how to use it!
5. Complete a makeup course
Although I have never wanted to go into a career that is makeup based, I would love to do a makeup course and maybe have a small freelance kit. Recently I’ve done makeup on a few family members and found myself really enjoying it! So it would be nice to own and delve into occasionally, plus doing a course would only increase my confidence.
6. Get Married
Not much to say here – I’d love to get married in my 20s and travel, this is the ideal time with less responsibilities financially and life is so short, with no guarantees so it’d be a shame to waste it dreaming away!
7. Commit to a fitness routine
I have tried this several times in the past two years and been unsuccessful, however I know how much good exercise does for a person and I want to make sure I’m as fit and healthy as possible now so I can say yes to more things. E.g spontaneously climbing a mountain for charity or something along those lines. Plus when you feel good about yourself, life feels better so this is a must.
8. Learn to read the Quran with perfect tajweed
Tajweed means the proper pronunciation of the Quran, which is a very important book of guidance for Muslims. I feel like my lack of Tajweed always holds me back with reading, so the more time I put into this the better I will get. Plus the amount of free resources we have access to these days is amazing, proving there is no excuse!
9. Move into an apartment
We stayed in an apartment when we went to Edinburgh a few years back and I loved it! A whole house on one floor, with lots of space and a beautiful view. I’m not quite sure what exactly about the apartment made its way to this list…maybe that it’s like a mini home?? Idk I just know that I would really love to live in one, even it it was for a short while.
10. Improve my photography skills
In my family I am known for my love of taking photos and for most occasions I will lug about my canon. My skills have improved a lot since my first every little Nikon camera a good 5 years ago, however I do rely on editing a lot which is something I would like to decrease as time goes on.
11. Visit Portugal with one of my best friends
Ana has been my best friend for almost 10 years now and we have always spoken about her beautiful home country Portugal and the different cities, culture and sights. I would LOVE to be able to take a trip there and enjoy all the places she does every summer time as well as visiting the places she grew up in!
12. Continue raising awareness on Palestine
This has been a huge deal to my since I was 15 and I first found out what was going in there and how people were being forced to flee their homes, denied access to electricity, food and water and how children are shot on the streets or arrested and imprisoned for no reason. It broke my heart and the amount of ignorance regarding Palestine and Israel as well as the biased media is sickening. I feel privileged to be able to raise awareness of the BDS Movement and to encourage people to stop funding Israel through companies that support it, until they stop their atrocious and illegal, inhumane activities, ruining hundreds of thousands of lives. Did you know last summer they killed over 2000 people? Educate yourselves and stand for what’s right.
13. Ride an Elephant
I’ve rode a camel before which was a pretty awesome experience and I would love to be able to ride an elephant too..although the substantial height difference between the two does make me feel a little giddy.
14. Visit Venice
Cliché? Perhaps, but can you blame me?? I imagine I would spent more time taking photos than actually enjoying the beautiful city!
15. Learn how to cook Pakistani and non-Asian food really well
I’ve never really loved cooking in my teens, baking yes but not so much cooking. However I want to engage in it over the summer and y’know what they say, practise makes perfect, so hopefully I do end up becoming a good cook!
16. Have children i’a
Working with children means sometimes I come home and declare I don’t want to deal with them on a permanent basis, only to be told by my mum not to say such things – she is right of course. To have children is an amazing thing and truly a great blessing.
17. Visit Morocco
The whole Moroccan vibe, style, colours, culture all of it. They’re all reasons I’ve had Morocco on my bucket list for a while now!
18. Continue Blogging
Starting a blog has been on of the most rewarding experiences in my life and I would love to continue with it in the next decade, it’s more than just a hobby for me both in terms of the amount of time it takes, but also the amount of pleasure I get from it ^_^
19. Get into the habit of saving money
I can’t stand people who are stingy with money, so often I will be the exact opposite buying myself and others little treats etc. However throughout my teens I haven’t been brilliant at saving, so lets hope I get better in my 20s!
20. Pause, take a deep breath and trust in Allah (God)
As I have gotten older I have discovered the beauty of my religion for myself. Sometimes being born into a religion means you only get what your immediate family teach you or show you through their actions, but I have seen that Islam is so much more. It has made me into a much better person and I try to implement as much as I learn as I can. I have read verses which have filled my heart with hope and positivity. Although it’s impossible to always live in a state of happiness, there are steps you can take to minimise the negative or bad vibes and for me it is doing the above. This is by no means a religious blog, but it is my personal space and I want to share one of my favourite verses with you all:
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear…”
(Qur’an, 2:286).
which is something that gives me my confidence and strength back ^_^
Which decade of life are you in? Anything you have added to your bucketlist lately?
Thank-you for reading ♥
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