The Travellist Issue 4 | Page 55

7 1. This photo was taken at a local Chinese-Malay café in Penang, Malaysia. 2. A candid photo of my family admiring the ruins of Uxmal in Mexico. 3. I am teaching a class of primary school students the ABCs at a local school in Uttaradit Province, Thailand. This province in northern Thailand is seldom visited by tourists, so many of the children have never even seen a foreigner before. The school’s goal is to get kids excited about learning English, and the opportunities that come with knowing the language, by exposing them to English speakers. 4. My sister sits admiring Kek Lok Si temple. The Buddhist temple is located on Penang island and is an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists from Singapore, Hong Kong, and other southeast Asian countries. 5. Some locals preform a traditional Mexican dance on the cobblestone streets of historic Merida, Yucatan. The city is the Yucatan’s cultural capital. 6. Horseback riding for the first time in my life, in Arizona. 7. Vendors sell street food by the side of the road in Chinatown. well educated global citizens, and as a family, that we value, love, and protect each other. Personally for myself, I want to figure out what my passions are and learn how to support myself in an unconventional way in the future. As global citizens, it is important that we are not quick to judge or be afraid of places, people, or cultures that we are unfamiliar with. WHY DID WE DECIDE TO TRAVEL? I could easily say that much of my life, and the lives of my parents, have been spent moving from place to place - just in a different way then we are currently doing now. My dad moved throughout his childhood and adulthood, subsequently developing what some travellers like to call “restless feet” or the inability to stay in one place for an extended period of time. My mom immigrated from Russia to the USA in the 90s. My baby years were spent in the back of a semi-truck as my parents worked brutal 12 hour shifts driving loads across the U.S. After that, we moved to a new place every year or two, as a result of my dad’s job. Along the way, my three sisters were born. We continued moving until 2009, when we settled in Colorado, the longest time I have ever stayed in one place. While living in Colorado, we took vacations over summer breaks, but never ventured outside of the U.S. until 2015, when we backpacked for a month in Japan. Japan was a country that we had always dreamed of exploring, and it was the country that proved to be the catalyst for this entire world travel adventure. In one short month, we met amazing people, stayed with incredible host families, ate delicious food, and learnt about Japanese culture first-hand. When the tires of our Boeing 747 flight back home screeched to a stop on the tarmac of the airport runway, something was different. It was nice to be in a familiar place again, but we felt Issue 4, 2016 | The Travellist 53