Category - Introductory Blog

Hawkeye Blog November 04, 2010

There's no doubt I've been blessed with some exceptional travel opportunities. My first trip in an airplane wasn't until I was 16. I was chosen to be an exchange student in the Philippines and we had to get an atlas to find Zamboanga, my destination, the southernmost city in that archipelago in the South Pacific.

This early adventure gave me a real thirst for seeing and learning about other cultures. It was a true milestone as I learned firsthand the ups and downs of being a minority; of living in a Third World country; and of being required to stand up in large crowds and speak about my life and my country.

I was a language major, both in high school and college, at Vanderbilt University. After graduation, I was a stewardess for Pan American World Airways for 3 years, flying to the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and as far as Hong Kong. My biggest claim to fame during that career was the fact that I cooked dinner in First Class on a flight from New York to London for…Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

Since marrying and having a family (four children) and two other careers, I've fed that wanderlust with trips with my husband, my family, great friends and sometimes by myself. Over the years I've unpacked in more than 50 countries and almost that many states.

In this space I want to share some of the stories I've lived and, occasionally, the lessons I've learned on those journeys. Typically I will highlight some photos each time that you might enjoy owning. This time, however, the photos are old ones that are illustrative of places I've just mentioned and are only for your entertainment. Enjoy.