Welcome to my travel blog! I’m thrilled that you have decided to join me on this year of adventures. For the past four years, I’ve been planning this sabbatical year. Finally, the last day of school has come and gone and my year off begins. Now, the definition of sabbatical includes a period of rest, study or travel. I hope to do all of these. I believe that a sabbatical is an excellent way to rejuvenate oneself, take a step back from our hectic lives and reassess our goals and dreams. It is a break in the routine and an opportunity to enjoy other pleasures that life has to offer. As a world traveler who has been to India, France and Italy numerous times, traveling is in my blood. I yearn to put my feet on foreign soil, to experience the unknown and to challenge my limits. And ‘get the horizon off my nose’ as my mother would say. Traveling forces me out of my comfort zone and allows me to learn more about myself and the world. I hope that it will also give me more depth to bring to my students in the classroom, especially in my Sociology course.
So, this year of sabbatical. I will be leaving in August for Europe, Nepal, Bangladesh and India, returning in December. The spring plans so far include discussions of Peru, Argentina, Poland and perhaps back to India to continue my work there. I’m trying hard not to plan the entire year away and let some things happen more spontaneously. I am very excited to experience new adventures, do lots of cycling and kayaking, meet new people, cultivate friendships around the world, read lots of books, launch my own book “Mommy, When Are We Going Home?” (coming out next spring) and work on my second (a cookbook for the Curry Original Restaurant in Kingston, Ontario). But I also want to spend time with our grandson and joy, Owen, as well as with our own children. And most of all, have the option of getting up in the morning with no plans whatsoever and seeing what the day brings. I look forward to sharing it with you. Stay tuned for my first adventure, canoeing and portaging Algonquin Park.
