by Nene Henshaw

I recently realized that I was no more a teenager and had in many ways reached the stage in which 15 years me could look up to and call “Aunty”. This thought scared me more than it excited me because really growing up was a trap. I wish I could go back and stop time but I can’t and now reality is setting in and it is not the bed of roses adults made us kids believe it was.

Being a young adult who wants to explore, I decided to make a bucket list of all I’d like to achieve before I turn 30, in hopes that I’ll be buoyant enough to go through it all.

Here goes my 30 experiences before 30:

1. Travel somewhere exotic, anywhere that feels like paradise.
2. Splurge on a once in a life time meal at a restaurant I’ve always wanted to try.
3. Buy tickets to a music concert.
4. Learn to cook a signature dish,and impress my friends and family when I serve it
5. Get drunk, stay up all night partying and don’t stop dancing until the sun comes up.
6. Explore my family ancestry- I never know what unexpected relations I might find (I’m hoping I’m related to Beyoncé).
7. Get my personal finances in order and start saving more.
8. Perform at a karaoke bar (preferably with my girlies).
9. Travel somewhere with my girls.
10. Take a cross-country road trip with people I’m bound to be happy around.
11. Splurge on an item that I technically can’t afford, but will last for years.
12. Spend a night (or two)camping under the stars. I  can try this in my back yard (with the love of my life-  if I’m lucky enough to find and keep them).
13. Create a strict work out regime, very important to be in shape-it’s only going to get more challenging as I get older.
14. Run a half marathon (it’s okay if walk a little especially since I suck at sports).
15. Get my parents something they’ve always wanted.
16. Go skinny dipping (swimming pool because I cannot not summon the courage to try any deeper waters).
17. Test drive my dream car.
18. Read every book by a favorite author.
19. Spend some time volunteering (maybe an orphanage).
20. Apply for my dream job- there’s no better time to try.
21. Attend a major sports event, whether it’s the Super Bowl, World cup or World Series.
22. Stay at a beach house, ski house or lake house with friends and make more friends.
23. Take a class that’s totally out of my element like tennis, sculpture or painting.
24. Unplug for a full day or even a full week with all my favorite junk and TV shows available (I can start on this one from tomorrow, if possible).
25. Climb a mountain (not aiming for Mount Everest lol).
26. Go out of my way to bless someone on a monthly or yearly basis no matter how little.
27. Visit an orphanage on a special holiday like Children’s day or Christmas Day with some goodies.
28. Have dinner with many friends with a colored theme. Color riot would be fun too.
29. Dye my hair in your favorite color or rock a wig of that colour for a while (imagine me with royal blue hair).
30. Take a picture with my celebrity crush (even though I don’t know how I’m going to find Trey Songz)

At this point, I’m nervous because the years I have traveled are far more than the years I will travel before I reach thirty.

Not much time, is there?

Nene is an avid learner with a very active imagination, who has a hunger for new knowledge and creativity. She is a fast, innovative and flexible writer. Nene is also a resilient worker who does not to give up until the task is completed. She thrives well under stressful situations, is able to interact and is open to as many views as possible. Nene is conversational in English, Efik, Igbo and Yoruba.

Op-ed Editor