27 Before 27: London

July 22 marked my 27th birthday. Twenty-seven is an important number for this blog as it’s included in the blog title and my goal to visit 27 countries before my 27th birthday. Although I’ve been fortune enough to have the opportunity to travel to many beautiful places, traveling continues to show me that I have so much more to learn. I feel as though my continued travels leave me with more questions than answers. Although there are still many things I don’t know, here is a list of 27 things that I’ve learned about myself and about the world during the past 27 years.

The world may seem big and scary but it’s actually quite small. Our ever increasing technology and the ease of travel continue to make our world smaller each day.
Although technology makes life easier, we all need to disconnect every once in a while. I’ve enjoyed being away from time-sucks and anxiety-builders like facebook while working with Semester at Sea.
Time marches on. Somehow my late 20s caught up with me and I’m not sure how this happened or why the years seem to come at an ever-increasing rate.
I feel cramped if I don’t have easy access to the following: green space with legitimate plants and trees, a gravel road and a wide open view of the countryside. I guess you can say I’m a Midwesterner at heart.
I love reality TV (some of you already know this!!). The trashier, the better! To the Real Housewives of New Jersey – I can’t wait to reunite with you when I get home and have cable again!
My favorite city in the world will always be London. This was the site of my first study abroad experience and will hold a special place in my heart forever.
I’ve gotten this question lately: “You haven’t had a boyfriend in a while. What’s wrong?” The answer is nothing is wrong. I’m busy working on me! In the past two years I’ve lived in three states, plus on a ship, got my Master’s degree and visited 20 countries. If you know someone who wants to ride this crazy train otherwise known as my life, give me a call!
Somehow I became scared of heights as I grew up. Not sure how this happened.
A quote that has really been sticking with me lately is “You may be comfortable, but I’m free.” This was stated during a SAS spring voyage talk by Serengtee CEO and SAS alum Jeff Steitz.
I am not a reader and would rather watch TV to get my information than read the newspaper.
I also really stink at keeping a journal. This blog is my first real success at keeping some type of record of my life for an extended period of time.
Although I will never turn down exotic cuisine, my favorite food is scalloped potatoes followed by fresh peach pie.
Although it’s somewhat cheesy to say, study abroad truly changed my life and I’m excited to see what the future holds as I move forward in the field of international education.
Friends come in and out of your life as they need to and it’s ok to move on when it’s time.
I do not have a smart phone and I’m not sure I’ll get one until “dumb phones” become obsolete and I’m forced to move on.
Reflection makes me uncomfortable and I’m not sure how I survived two years at SIT Graduate Institute!
The act of having a child scares the daylights out of me and I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for that rodeo.
Shoes are always my weakness. I have far too many pairs than are necessary and continue to purchase more because they make me feel better after a long day.
I think the aftermath of a sunset, as the pinky sky turns to darkness, is prettier than the sunset itself.
I am not a cat person because who wants a pet that doesn’t even care if you’re around?!
I am feeling a lot of pressure about finding a job and moving onto my next stage in life. I want to stay in the same place for a few years so I feel like I have to get this one right, which is scary.
Mint tea rocks my socks.
My goal used to be to run a marathon before I turned 30 years old. The half marathon I did a few years ago was good investment because I realized I have no desire to run that many miles in one go!
Believe it or not, there is another “Whitney Longnecker” in this world and I have an irrational hatred towards her.
Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On a Prayer is my favorite song because it brings people together. You can go anywhere – a bar, the grocery store, your family Thanksgiving dinner – and people will start dancing if you play Livin’ On a Prayer.
I just learned that listing 27 things makes for a long blog post!
Last but certainly not least – I have a great support system in my family and friends and I thank each and every one of you for being there for me through thick and thin. I can’t wait to see what the next 27 years bring with you by my side!

After 112 days, 12 countries and 23,379.5 nautical miles, the ship arrived in Southampton on May 2. It was hard to believe the voyage was coming to a close and our close-knit shipboard community would scatter home to all corners of the globe. After a somewhat tearful goodbye, I disembarked the ship and got on a shuttle headed for London.

Big Ben and Parliament in London.

Disembarkation was bittersweet. It was sad to leave behind newfound SAS friends but I was also excited to return to London. I studied abroad in London in 2007 and had not returned since! Seven years is a long time to be away from a place you love and I was excited to be back in the city of fish and chips, union jacks, and “mind the gaps!”

I spent a week in London going to all my old haunts including museums, restaurants and shopping areas. I am happy to announce that I finally went on the London Eye, something I did not do when I was studying abroad in London (a $50 Ferris wheel ride was too expensive for my student budget!). In London, I also visited the V&A Museum and saw an exhibition on wedding dresses through time, the British Museum, the Portrait Gallery and sites such as Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the royal parks, Westminster and Parliament. Of course, a trip to London wouldn’t be complete without a visit to my favorite stores including Primark, Top Shop, Zara and Harrods which had an exhibit on Prada called PRADA WORLD. Very cool!

If you are one of my family members, you have probably heard the story about why I have never been to the White Cliffs of Dover. For those who don’t know, when my family came to visit me in London after I completed my 2007 study abroad experience my sister wanted to see Stonehenge instead of the White Cliffs of Dover (much to my father’s chagrin). My dad recounts the visit as the time we paid to see a pile of rocks in the middle of the English countryside and were told by the guides that “they don’t know why the rocks are there or who put them there, but we went to see it!”

View of the Cliffs on the train ride to Dover.

Well, since I had never been to the Cliffs I decided to go check them out during my recent stay in London. I took a 1.5 hour train ride from London to Dover and trekked up to the cliffs. I can confidently say that the Cliffs and Stonehenge are equally as exciting. The cliffs are a beautiful, chalky-white color which look very nice when the sun shines but at the end of the day, they are cliffs. J Dover is a quaint seaside town and I visited the Dover Castle as well as explored the downtown area. It was a nice day trip out of the city.

View of the Cliffs and Dover Castle.

After a week in London, I was off to Dublin to meet my sister Cady and two friends Kacey and Caitlin for a week-long excursion around Ireland. More on Ireland in the next blog.