Welcome to our blog site where we aim to collect and share our impressions day-to-day, or week-to-week as we travel the world together as a family.
This year I am fortunate to have the opportunity to take a one year sabbatical from my work and will spend the time traveling in Central and South America, New Zealand, East Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe.
Mark and I both were born overseas and spent our younger childhood in different countries before our parents returned the US. Our growing up was colored by hosting guests from other countries whether friends, family, au pairs, exchange students or work related visitors and also visiting family overseas; so that traveling the world felt natural, exciting and completely doable from a very young age.
We studied abroad in college, worked abroad afterwards; and I for one spent most of my medical school in a culture and country not my own, Israel. Then with residency, babies and starting our careers, our travels melted to a halt for the most part. We enjoyed exploring and getting to know our new home in Washington state this past decade for sure. I have continued to miss moving, blending into other patterns or life and learning new perspectives that comes with foreign travel.
I deeply wish my children to know and trust this feeling; of being out of place, opening up for connection and finding a new way in. I also am seeking less distraction to be present with my family, to learn and experience new things together as a whole. Extended travel demands energy and is not a holiday, yet I am happy and grateful to take a change of pace and priorities.