30 B4 30 Day 30: Write a Book

I have gone through 29 days of new things as I journeyed toward 30 years-old. Some items were ridiculous and some were just plain, well plain, but they were all milestones for me. All things I have never done in 29 years of life and did in 30 days before my 30th birthday. This project made turning 30 more fun for me, even though I knew that it was just an age and not a state of mind or body. So for my final item on my list of 30 B4 30, I have decided, with some advice from my friends, to Write a Book called 30 B4 30.

I have always wanted to write a book, but I never knew what I wanted to write about. Was there enough to create a book about my grandmother? Or figure drawing? Or my trips to Hawaii, Disney or Tennessee? I didn't think so, but after publishing blog post after blog post about all of my completed tasks, I realized that I have developed enough text to fill the pages of an entire book. I will be adding an introduction and a conclusion to the 30 B4 30, but I have finally found something that I can print. So, I researched a few publishing companies and sent them my information. They have contacted me but I wanted to make sure I didn't answer any of their questions until this project was complete. Now that it is, I can call them back and see how much money this madness is going to cost me because it will be expensive. (I am also tallying up how much these 30 days have cost me and will get back to you with that figure as well.)

I don't know if anyone will read this book I am publishing, but I think enough people have read this blog and just maybe they will be interested enough to purchase it as a book. Kind of like The Julie/Julia Project that started out as a blog, then a book and then a movie. I don't think it will ever become a movie because I think maybe my mother, my boss and a few of my family members will end up buying the book, but it is interesting to wonder who will play me. Hmm...

Now that my 30 days are complete, I want to thank you for taking this journey with me and for supporting me with each and every post. Like I said in my "Learn to Say Thank You in 30 Languages" post, I wish there was a sentiment I could say to you that would thoroughly show my appreciation, but there isn't, so all I can offer is a wholehearted THANK YOU because I really do appreciate your interest and hope you will continue to read what I have to say. After all, life is nothing without people to share it with.

XOXOX
30 B4 30

UPDATE: The total price of my 30 B4 30 is $338.63, but that is before any publishing or anything else. 30 days, 30 new experiences and more than $300 later, I am happy with the result. Thanks again!

30 B4 30 Day 6: Learn to Say Thank You in 30 Languages

Good manners were instilled in me early in life with my mom asking, "Whatdya say?" after I received an ice cream cone from Mister Softee or when the big kid from next door went to get the ball that I accidentally tossed across the street. After a few years, it stuck and now I shout, "YOU'RE WELCOME!" to people I knowingly hold the door open for at the mall who neglect to say thank you. I just feel that there is no excuse to not say thank you or you're welcome or even please, well unless you have a mouthful of food and the waiter comes by to ask how the food is. Then, it may take a minute...but you should still say it.

In addition, I have always thought there should be something else to say after someone says, "you're welcome," because sometimes saying, "thank you," is just not enough to convey how thankful you really are. So, for my 6th item on my 30 B4 30 list, I chose to Learn to Say Thank You in 30 Languages because sometimes "thank you" is the most important thing you can say in any language.

Now, some of the words were easier to learn, like asante (Swahili) which was said in The Lion King and arigato (Japanese) which was sung in "Mr. Roboto" by Styx. Also, I already knew the big 4: gracias (Spanish), merci (French), grazie (Italian) and danke (German), which every person should know regardless of what subject they chose to study in high school. Then there is the one I have used before: mahalo (Hawaiian), and the one I have heard before: mesi (Haitian Creole). But, after I got through these eight, the rest were slightly difficult to learn and even more difficult to remember, and I have been repeating them over and over. See for yourself:

1. ARABIC = shukran, shoe-krahn
2. BENGALI = dhanyabaad
3. CHINESE, Cantonese = do jeh, daw-dyeh
4. CHINESE, Mandarin = xiè xie, syeh-syeh
5. CROATIAN, SERBIAN, SLOVENIAN = hvala
6. CZECH = děkuji, deh-ku-yih
7. DUTCH = dank u wel / dank je wel
8. FINNISH = kiitos, kee-toas
9. GREEK = ευχαριστώ, ef-har-rih-stowe
10. HEBREW = toda, toh-dah
11. HINDI = sukria, shoo-kree-a
12. INDONESIAN = terima kasih, t'ree-ma kas-seh
13. KOREAN = kamsah hamnida, kahm-sah ham-nee-da
14. LATIN = gratias ago (from 1 person), gratias agimus (from more than 1 person)
15. LATVIAN = paldies
16. NORWEGIAN, SWEDISH, ICELANDIC, DANISH = tahk
17. PERSIAN = motashakkeram
18. POLISH = dziękuję, dsyen-koo-yeh
19. PORTUGUESE = obrigada (female speaking), oh-bree-gah-dah
20. RUSSIAN = спасибо, spah-see-boh
21. TAHITIAN = mauruuru
22. TURKISH = tesekkur ederim, teh-sheh-kur eh-deh-rim

Not as easy as it seems, is it? At least there were pronunciation hints included with some of them. I would be completely lost if that wasn't the case. For instance, try to read the Greek term without the pronunciation assistance. That's what I thought...

So far, I can remember several of the words listed but I fully intend to learn all 30 and keep them in my mental Rolodex for future use.

And, I would like to say a special thank you to Louise DiCarlo who suggested I add this item to my list. She can pick whichever thank you she wants from the list to accept my appreciation. Personally, I would choose mahalo because it is my personal favorite. Hawaii is an amazing place and the only location of the 30 that I have been to. Wow, apparently, I need to travel more and practice what I have just learned.

Oh, and thank you for reading about today's activity!