Most of my childhood memories are of Alaska since we lived there until I was 16. Building forts, taking midnight horseback rides, visiting the annual Moose Dropping Festival, eating ice cream cones at the State Fair in my winter coat, riding my bike up and down (and up and down) our subdivision gravel roads, ... the list goes on.
This was was my first time traveling abroad (outside of Canada & Mexico) in 1999. I remember feeling sadness upon seeing the devastation from their war and feeling triumph when we finished the last of the three roofs we came to rebuild.
We traveled by many different ways in the Philippines, by overcrowded jeepney (see right), by tuk-tuk, by motor boat, by foot. I was fascinated by the people there, especially the children and our dear "translators" who went everywhere with us. My team went there in 2000 to help change lives and came back changed ourselves.
I remember well the beignets from Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter. It was a HOT summer in 1999. Someone told me before I went that you could "cut the air with a knife" and he was right! But it was amazing working with the kids down at the Baptist Center, even if just for a few months.
The "City of Love" is every bit as alluring as it sounds. There is a long list of places to see, but my favorite memories of Paris are of the many times we ran headlong for the bus or suburban train, the *perfect* combo meals that came with dessert, and that one time when we missed the bus & had to walk to the train stop instead...
A place that changed my life forever! Cairo is now my home, and it is every bit as fascinating as it was 8 years ago when I first arrived. I love the contrast of ancient and modern blended together, the people, the language, the food, the sunsets, the fact that EVERYTHING delivers...
