My Baby Sister, Another Big Adventure

My baby sister was adopted from China in December of 2006.  She was a little over a year old.  We celebrate her birthday on October 14th, believe she was born in mid-October 2005. 

In accordance with the adoption process, my parents had to live in China for a month.  They traveled through Beijing and part of the countryside and took a lot of great pictures.  On the side panel, there is a video entitled "Mae's Adoption Video."  I've shown this video to my students during advisory periods.  Mae is now 6 and her kindergarten teacher showed it at a staff meeting.

My parents and younger sister went to China.  My older sister and I could not afford the trip because we were both in college.

She represents how deeply my parents care about family, adventure, and travel.

I had always wanted to travel abroad in college.  When Mae came home my freshman year, I put all plans on hold.  I felt like a little piece of the world was coming to me.  I adored her baby years and we have an excellent relationship now.

First picture we received of Mae.

First time Mom meets Mae.

Daddy meets his fourth daughter.

Pamela is now a big sister.

Bonding with baby.

Chinese flag.

Pamela thought Chinese writing on familiar
cans was interesting.

Beijing

Statue representing how Chinese women have changed over time.

Botanical garden.

Remote village in the Chinese countryside.

Mae packing up her things.

First time I met my baby sister.

Previous Travel Experiences

The only international experiences I have had are a few hours in between cruise ship stops.

A cruise ship itself is a great opportunity to learn about international experiences.  My grandfather says of my dad that he has "never met a stranger."  He'll make a friend standing in line at the grocery store.  I inherited this trait and tend to strike up conversations with anyone I meet.  I am most interested in people who have had a different experience in life than I have. 

I remember being around eleven-years-old in Jamaica.  We ventured into the jungle and bought handmade goods from locals.  The tour guide made us wait behind him for a good three to four minutes before he would let us cross the streets.  If he heard a car coming, he made us wait.  Speed limits were not enforced and I remember being scared and glad we hadn't gone on that adventure without him.  Later, we climbed a waterfall which is one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

I remember being around fourteen-years-old in Costa Maya and Belize.  In Costa Maya, I completed a presentation for a Spanish project and donated toys to a local orphanage.  I was glad I worked hard in Spanish class because my sisters and I ended up in a different taxi than my parents and we lost them.  Knowing enough of the language got us back to where we needed to be. 

In Belize, I remember our tour guide stopping by his "house."  I say "house" because it was, literally, a few sticks in the ground and with a tin sheet laying on top.  But, they had a satellite dish and his mouth was full of gold teeth.  I enjoyed seeing this "non-tourist" part of the country

On the side panel, there is a link to "Science in the Caribbean."  I use this presentation at the end of the school year.  I joke with my students, telling them I'll ruin all their summer vacations by forcing them to think about scientific things they learned in my class.  I took many different aspects of cruise ships and cruising and attributed them to things we learned about throughout the school year.  They enjoyed it and I hope it inspired them to have some adventures of their own.

Me at 13 in Costa Maya, Mexico.  I am talking to
a video camera for a school project and at my feet
are toys we gave to a local orphanage.

Me at 13 cave tubing in Belize.

Me at 13 in Hell, Grand Cayman with my grandmother.

This man say "Besame Mucho" beside our table during
lunch in Costa Maya, Mexico.

My family in Costa Maya, Mexico in 2004.

Me at 13 in Cozumel, Mexico practicing my Spanish
with our tour guide.

Me at 13 swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman.

Me at 19 in Puerto Rico walking with two of my sisters.

Holding my baby sister at 19 in St. Thomas, USVI.

Slave market in St. Thomas, USVI.

School children in St. Thomas, USVI.

Why Travel?

It has always been my dream to travel as part of my career.  Many wonder why teaching would be my career of choice if traveling was so important to me.  First of all, there is no other career where you have two months a year for the freedom to travel.  Also, for what purpose does a person have to travel if not to bring something back to those they care about?  As I travel the world, I want to bring back information to my students.  I want to be able to tell them what life is like in other parts of the world, particularly how other people are learning and teaching.

I believe that education unites the world.  Everyone learns everyday and all countries have some form of formal education.   

I was lucky enough to have parents who cared as much about education, travel, and having adventures as much as I do.  My family is by no means affluent but have carefully decided the priorities for expenses.  We never cared about having the biggest house, the fanciest car, or the latest technology gizmo.  It was all about family, education, and travel.

We camped a lot during my childhood.  My older sister, younger sister, and parents would load up an old trailer and drive off to many different Florida locations.  We'd swim in the springs, learn about nature, and I learned to appreciate comfort, but not expect, comfort during travel.

As we grew older and after our move to North Carolina,  my mother wanted us to see more outside the United States.  Plane tickets and hotels were out of the question.  My mother did plenty of research and discovered cruising.  It seemed like a cost efficient way to see a few different countries within a week.  We stopped all other family vacations and began cruising every two years.

On these cruises, we tended to avoid the usual tourist haunts and preferred to go on island tours that were more educational.