For 30 years I worked as a high school Spanish teacher. (I also occasionally taught classes of geography and history.) My first trip outside of the United States was way back in 1973. I spent the winter quarter of my junior year of college studying at the University of the Americas in Cholula, Mexico. It was a great experience. I fell in love with Mexico, and I knew that one my priorities in life would be to travel as much as possible. Throughout my teaching career I returned to Mexico repeatedly. I have lost track of the number of times that I have been to Mexico, but it is certainly at least 50. I also traveled to Spain and Puerto Rico, and made two trips to South America, visiting Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil. I sought to instill in my students a love of travel. They endured (and hopefully enjoyed) countless slide shows of my trips. A number of times I organized tours of Mexico for my students. It was extremely rewarding to watch them discover a new culture. I am still in touch with some of my former students, and it gives me great satisfaction to hear of travels that they have made.
Now that I am retired, I need not confine my travels to summer vacation. And I have expanded my travel experiences beyond the Spanish-speaking world. One of my retirement hobbies has been to trace my family genealogy. Through my research I have made contact with distant cousins from the English and Swiss branches of my family, and I have gone to England and Switzerland to visit them.
The house in Othmarsingen, Switzerland, where my great grandmother from the Swiss branch of my family was born.
The church in East Garston, England, where my great grandparents from the English branch of my family were married.
Your comments are welcome.
ReplyDeleteI love this blog! The photos are great and the guy really knows his stuff!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed your slide shows and stories of your travels in class. I ended up majoring in spanish and anthropology with my focus on northeastern native and mesoamerican cultures. You were very influencial.
ReplyDelete-Luther
Good to hear from you Luther! You don't know how much it means to an old retired teacher to hear a comment like that! So what are you doing these days? Have you had a chance to visit any of those archaeological sites that I showed you in class?
DeleteKeep in touch!
It is important to not only find the picture, but the story behind it. It helps us understand a little more about the place. However, listen to your own voice the stories and, as your students enjoyed your classes, is always best.
ReplyDeleteI just finished back reading your blog and all I can say at the end of it is wow! For someone who's retired, you certainly know how to live life to the fullest. Your adventures and exploits in Mexico and in other parts of the globe are inspirational at the least for everyone, young and old. There are a lot of things in life to taste, to feel and to see and I hope to follow in your lead too, when my time to put down my pen and briefcase comes. Thank you so much for sharing everything with us!
ReplyDeleteTrudy Nearn @ Generations
I'm glad that you enjoyed my blog, and thank you so much for your kind comment!
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