On Traveling

I recently returned from a fantastic trip with my family. We spent two and a half weeks in Thailand. The reason for the trip was simple but significant. We are raising our children in Vermont, one of the whitest states in the United States. Our state does not even come close to representing the rest of the world, a world that is rapidly shrinking through the beauty of technology.

My Wife and I met while teaching on the Near Westside of Chicago, in a neighborhood that most people didn't go to unless there was a Bulls or a Blackhawks game. Our oldest son Patrick was born in Chicago, and as we contemplated moving to Vermont during his first year in the world, the only concern we had was the state's lack of diversity. Something Chicago has plenty of!

The decision was made to move to Vermont, and the promise was made to each other that our children would see the world outside of our beautiful state. We committed to ensuring that they would learn that while Vermont is a wonderful place to grow up, there is a very, very big world out there that looks nothing like the Green Mountain State.

This trip was the furthest either My Wife or I have ever traveled. It was an amazing experience of food, culture, diversity, ethnicity, and custom. While visiting the Buddhist temples, women's shoulders were to be covered, as were men's knees. We learned that almost everyone in Bangkok eats street food after work and that people rarely cook at home. Inside the indoor flower market (bustling at 10:30 PM each night) we watched people meticulously prepare garlands for the shrines that adorn almost every home and business.

And no one spoke any English. Well, that's not entirely true.

Some people did speak English. Our tour guides did - although it was broken English. In-flight announcements were in the native language of each of the carriers we flew, and then again also in English. And once on a beach in Koh Phangan, there was someone (sounded Australian by the accent) who was speaking English. But that was it.

We were out of our element, out of our comfort zone, in a world we were completely unfamiliar with, and we loved almost every minute of it. I had "dad" moments; you know the ones where you calculate how long it would take to get to the nearest hospital in a foreign country while your children are scaling the rocks at a natural waterfall. But no one got hurt.

I love where we live. I love that we are raising our children in Vermont, close to our family. I love that there is a vast big world out there to explore.

And I love that we are honoring our promise.

Our Boys at the Than Sadet Waterfall, Koh Phangan