In December of 1988 Jim and I embarked on a journey to live and teach in Southern Africa. We lived in Masvingo, Zimbabwe and taught science at a local high school. (The Zimbabwean people are in our thoughts as they face this terrible time in their history.) After leaving Zimbabwe we made an epic mostly overland journey across the continent traveling through 8 countries in 6 months. It was a formative time for us and the experiences we had were fundamental to our understanding and appreciation of the richness and diversity of the world and our place in it. Along with the beginnings of our commitment to each other (our engagement) we dreamed about our future, and those dreams contained our kids. Alongside the hope that we would be blessed with healthy children was the dream that we would someday be able to take them on an extended trip to experience another culture, preferably when they reached middle school age. Not only does this winter mark the 20 year anniversary of our adventure to Africa, it also marked the 13th birthday of Miles. Lily turned 10 this summer. And so, after 20 years of hard work to make a home and livelihoods for ourselves in our beloved northwest of the northwest we are realizing this dream and leaving for 2 months of expeditionary learning as a family! Our itinerary will include parts of Central and South America and our “roadschool” studies will encompass geography, marine biology, natural and cultural history, Spanish language and how to live out of a backpack. We are excited to get in touch with our nomadic natures and follow that desire to see what lies beyond the horizon. We know it will only deepen our appreciation of home and loved ones, as well as feeling part of a wider world. This blog will chronicle some of our travels through photos and writing and all four of us will contribute. Thanks for checking us out and we hope you enjoy future postings. Hasta luego!
Our itinerary:
December 30—January 3 Panama City, Panama; January 3—January 18 Remote location east of Colon, near Portobelo and Isla Grande National Park on the Carribean Sea, Panama; January 18—22 Santiago, Chile (capital city in Chile’s central valley); January 22—29 Valparaiso, Chile (the “San Francisco” of Chile on the Pacific Ocean); February 1—12 Chiloe, Chile (the largest island in the southern Chilean archipeligo, a UNESCO world heritage site): February 12—March 3 Camping and hiking in the Andes Mountains, Chile and Argentina
