Bucket List: A list of things to do before you die. Comes from the term "kicked the bucket"

The “bucket list”, a somewhat morbid concept first introduced to me by my mother insisting that I see the movie coining the term as its title, which starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman (two actors I wouldn’t mind living without). I felt as though the movie itself was subpar, while the message hidden underneath the actor’s distinct voices was nothing short of important, even if it seems cliché on the surface. Intended to outline one’s greatest dreams and aspirations; large and small, the items on your bucket list should both clarify and motivate you towards an enjoyable life. I have thrown together a list in half an hour, off the top of my head, fortunately for me the “bucket list” can be modified, added to, and altered…

1. Travel the world (not once, but indefinitely as a lifestyle)and photograph the lives of 15 cultures, minimum.

2. Be the subject of a beautiful black and white photo shoot.

3. Raise or contribute to the lives of at least ten young children.

4. Have my book published…and then another.

5. Have the largest most wonderful bed with bedding of equal caliber.

6. Fall in love with a man I consider to be my best friend.

7. Own a home in at least 3 countries; 1 beachy, 1 snowy, 1 beautiful.

8. Find a way to thicken my hair.

9. Convince at least one person to do Gerson Therapy instead of Chemo.

10. Learn to understand and speak at least one foreign language.

11. BUILD TREE HOUSES!

Italian Joy...enough said

The book Italian Joy by Carla Coulson has proven to be yet another source of inspiration towards the lifestyle I hope to achieve. Not only does this book provide a gracefully written account of the ups and downs of transplanting ones' life into a foreign country, but it is possibly arranged in the most beautiful way I have ever seen a book. Coulson provides a sensory adventure for the visually inclined, and I am willing to bet that most people who experience this book are, in some way, inclined to do what Carla so bravely did. 

Coulson's decision to up and leave her previously comfortable life for the unknown world of romantic Italy only makes me want to change my departure date to tomorrow. She decided to follow her passion for photography and ended up head over heels in love with the Italian lifestyle. Although the author is considerably older than me, she seems to possess many of the same values as myself; food, photography and people, along with anything else that entails. If you have not already, I strongly suggest you and your friends not only read, but purchase a copy of Italian Joy, if not for the inspiring content, for the stunning visual feast. This book exemplifies yet another ordinary person playing in a world of extraordinary creativity and sincere enjoyment, something we could all use more of. 

Photos taken in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico: November 2008

Next up...

I have decided that my first step upon this journey will be in Rome, Italy. After visiting there last year I fell in love and have thought about going back every day since. I have arranged to be an Au Pair starting in January 2010 for a few months, I think this will be a good transition into traveling on my own. I am also convinced that Rome, and Italy in general, is a magical place and I am ecstatic to be going. I will take Italian language courses while the children I am caring for are at school and I will explore when I am not busy traveling to the Swiss Alps with the family. I could not be more excited about this, can't wait to see where my first adventure takes me!

Mission Statement

What do I know? I know the ground under my feet, the roof over my head, and a nuclear group of friends and family. I know that I will have beautiful children who will reside in countless locations across the universe and that they will learn how to be in life opposed to simply getting through it. At 19 years old though, I am in no position to impede on the growth of anyone, let alone a child when I have not grown enough myself. I feel as though to grow is to learn that you are one out of very many, and that the world spreads far beyond the threshold of your front door. That is what I plan to do, experience the far beyond and encounter the very many while abandoning the comfort zone I have created over the last 19 years. My name is Chloe Zola. I was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota in seemingly untraditional circumstances. To my friends, peers, and classmates, the artistic lifestyle of my parents has always seemed unrealistic and unconventional. We do not go to church, save our money, or hide our emotions; instead we "Christmas" in the tropics, buy nice things, and scream... quite a bit. My split-level family, as I refer to them is composed of a spirited mother always looking for a new creative adventure, a Jewish father finding his calling in art and Ebay, a Bajan stepfather who appreciates life's simplicities, and four beautiful children resulting from our parent's rollercoaster lifestyle.



































I have been raised to appreciate good food, creative thought, big families, and movement, in every sense of the word. I have lived under 11 fabulous roofs and traveled to numerous states and countries. All of this has brought me to where I am now, college. A "holding ground" according to some, a concept I have come to despise. Why be held for upward of 4 years in one location, focusing on one area of study? Especially in this "economic crisis" the idea of college in my mind seems more and more ridiculous every day. For a surgeon or an architect, I can see how endless hours inside a 4 million page book might be necessary and somewhat rewarding, but for someone who is passionate about art and writing...how can my work live to it's fullest potential inside the four walls of a professor's grading scale? I have not failed out of college, or been rejected all together, in fact I have experienced the exact opposite. I attend an accredited private University on soccer and academic scholarship. During my freshmen year I was offered scholarship money to join the ranks of an art major as well as highly encouraged to follow my talent in writing to a masters program out east. I am not saying this to brag but to explain that my motivation to drop out of college stems far beyond the resentment of a failed student. I fear that if I continue living in my comfort zone and become accustom to praise from one group of people, my scope on life will soon shrink and lose the urge to grow and learn. I recently read an article about the "Gypset movement":

Gypset (Gypsy+jet set) is about an emerging group of artists, musicians, fashion designers, surfers, and bon vivants– who lead semi-nomadic, unconventional lives. They are people I’ve met–or been inspired by– in my travels who have perfected a high-low approach to life that fuses the freelance and nomadic wile of a gypsy with the sophistication and global references of the jet set. Its an alternative way of
traveling and living that’s based more on creativity then money.

www.gypset.com

Either this article caught me in a vital time of transitional thought, or the idea simply pulled at all the right heart strings, but I am inspired to live a similar lifestlye. I will not be known as a college drop-out but a "Gypset" drop-in if you will. A "drop-in" on the happenings in the rest of the world opposed to that of my neighborhood all the while learning the necessary tools to be successful.



“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard