One of my many passions is traveling. As a child, I daydreamed of visiting faraway, exotic places. When I became an adult and a teacher, my husband Bill and I made our first trip to Europe. I carefully planned the itinerary, and we rented a car and spent twenty-one days touring as many countries as we could. That first summer we visited countries like France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, both East and West Germany (at this time), Switzerland, Italy, and Monaco. The dollar was very strong against these foreign currencies during the early 1980s so we were able to do so many things on our travel budget that trip and had an incredibly fascinating vacation. My husband speaks German, but I only speak English. However, that did not interfere with our absolute enjoyment. We encountered people all over Europe who were receptive and friendly and always willing to assist us when we needed it.
Over the next few years we revisited Europe to add Portugal, Spain, Greece and five Greek Islands, Turkey, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the then Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia (before the fall of the Iron Curtain), Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Yugoslavia (before its civil war), Gibraltar, England, Scotland, Wales, Hungary, and Vatican City as well as a side trip across the Mediterranean Sea to Morocco in Africa. My traveling fever had now become a part of my life, and I became almost obsessed with seeing as much of the world as I could.
After visiting almost every European country, we moved on to explore another continent. Asia was next. In 1986, China had just recently opened its doors to western tourism so traveling there in the very early stages of its modern entry into the international world was quite a note-worthy and educational experience. China was backward by world standards at this time, but I could sense the ambitious dreams and high intelligence of the young people so passionately yearning for education. Being a blue eyed blond (still unique to most of the Chinese), I attracted much attention among the Chinese residents so I got to meet many who were curious about me. When they discovered I was also an English teacher, their interest grew even more intense. I would love to return there one day to see the new, modern China that has now become a major world power.
Other exotic lands I discovered in Asia include Thailand; Singapore; Hong Kong while it was still a British territory; Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia; Japan; and South Korea. The more alien or unique the culture was in comparison to my American culture, the more drawn I was to the country. I could simply not learn enough about all of these amazing people and cultures quickly enough and longed for the summer vacations when I would be able to travel again.
Next Africa moved to the top of my “Must-see” list. Morocco was so much fun, but I had always longed to see Egypt and to go on game drives in other African countries since I am such an avid animal lover. Thus, in 1996, my first ten day tour of Egypt became a reality and I became connected with my first Egyptian friend Hassan Awad Mahmoud. As indicated in my book, this country would later become my second home with three more visits from May 2011 thru February 2013, including the three months I lived and taught in Cairo. My previously fantasized game drives were realized in the spectacular scenic countries of South Africa, Kenya, and Swaziland. The wild animals I was able to witness and interact with will forever be a part of my fondest memories and travel adventures.
In my own continent of North America, Canada and Mexico and quite a few Caribbean Islands have been visited, and one day I will explore more of my own country of the USA which I still have not completely finished. I also dream of exploring Australia, New Zealand, India, and many of the countries in South America. My list of “Want-to-See” countries is still huge even though I have seen a total of forty-nine countries now.
Visiting all of these diverse cultures and making friends all around the world has made me extremely flexible and open minded to new ideas, new faiths, and different lifestyles. What I have experienced could never have been learned from simply reading geography or history books or watching travel movies. I was so fortunate to become a real part of so many cultures even if just for short periods of time in some countries. It has made me view the world from an entirely different perspective. We may be different in some ways, but in the end we are all human beings with the same needs and the same desires. Therefore, all of us should try our very best to accept our differences and live in peace together. This is one of the prominent messages of my book that I am so passionately and so diligently trying to promote now.
Randi D. Ward
May 10, 2013
