GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 7 | Page 80

PEOPLE & LIFESTYLE

GirlGI meets Savannah Grace, author of

‘Sihpromatum - I Grew My Boobs in China’
Savannah Grace is wise beyond her years, the product of international travel,
exploration and self discovery at a young age.

Sihpromatum (Sip-row-may-tum) is a memoir series of one family’s
four-year backpackin g adventure. In 2005, fourteen-year-old Savannah
Grace’s perfect world shattered when her mother announced that the
family would leave everything behind to travel the world.

I’m a Girl Gone International because..
I spent most of my teenage years as a
nomad and became a travel centurion
at the age of 23.
throughout the years there were
many memorable moments.
Yangshuo, China had a huge impact on me and that was only in
What was your initial reaction
when you learned you and your the first week of our whole trip!
When I fell asleep on the overfamily were going to embark on
night bus, we were in a big, moda nomadic lifestyle?
ern city; when I awoke, we were in
I was absolutely crushed when my the misty countryside with villagers plowing fields with the help of
mom told me. I was terrified by
water buffalo. I was simply in awe,
the concept of backpacking and
wondering whether I was still
what it would involve – strange
dreaming.
cuisines, homesickness, squatty
toilets. Our trip meant saying
What are some advantages and
goodbye to friends, pets, family
and all of my once-valued posses- disadvantages to growing up
nomadic?
sions.

What is your most memorable
travel moment?
It’s really hard to say, because

Growing up is hard anywhere
in the world. Growing up on the
road just adds another element
to that. It’s difficult to be glued to

your family 24/7! I grew up without privacy, struggling with language barriers, pushing myself to
physical, mental and emotional
limits, travelling from one unfamiliar place to another on long
bus and train rides. Having grown
up nomadic, I missed a lot of the
interaction I would have had with
peers and I didn’t get the chance
to learn things like cooking and
cleaning. Stability and commitment have been a struggle for
me because I don’t like to be tied
down.
Luckily, the disadvantages are
easily outweighed by the advantages. I was able to meet people
from all walks of life and learn
about cultures and history firsthand.