Travel

Travel

No lady ever says, "I've been around."

But I have.

I've managed to see a lot of the world, and enjoyed every minute of it. What better way is there to learn about other cultures than by experiencing the food, language, religion and music of a people first-hand?

I have been to Israel four times. In 1975 my best friend, Madeleine and I went to see her mother for the first time in 15 years after migrating to Israel from Morocco. We stayed three weeks, and that trip changed my life.

I went back again. I worked on a kibbutz (Magal, near Haderia in northern Israel), and then lived in Jerusalem near the university in an apartment in Bar Kochaba. I worked as an extra in two motion picture films that were being made there by American film companies. One film starred Richard Widmark and was not a box office success. The next film, "Diamonds", starring Shelly Winters, got me on the Johnny Carson show!

How that happened was this: when "Diamonds"-- an adventure tale about a diamond heist--was finished, and Shelly returned to the States, Johnny Carson invited her to appear as a guest on his "Tonight" Show. The night of her appearance, Shelly took a promotional film clip of "Diamonds" with her, and Johnny ran it as he was talking to Shelly. The portion of the clip that aired was the beginning of the film, where "extra me" is plainly in view for several minutes in the opening of the film, seated directly behind Shelly and Robert Shaw on the tourist bus as they engage in lively get- acquainted conversation. In addition to Shelly Winters and Robert Shaw, "Diamonds" also starred Barbara Hershey and Richard Roundtree, who went on to the "Shaft" series next. It was a fun time, to say the least.

I was engaged to a Palestinian Arab for 3 1/2 years and traveled selling gold jewelry. It didn't work out.

Before I married Jerry in 1983, my son Eddie and I back-packed Europe for three weeks. It was marvelous fun!. We took Icelandic (no longer in business) to Belgium and stayed in a hostel and with a friend in Lucerne. We made day trips by train, and went to Rome over Easter. We got the last hotel room in the city, I'm sure. There were many thousands of visitors there for the Easter celebration, and when we were finally standing in front of "The Pieta", I wept. To be there inside the Vatican actually seeing Michelangelo's masterpiece was a dream realized...

In 1986 Jerry and I toured the Holy Land for two weeks, making the side trip to Petra in Jordan. Spectacular! His mother asked us if we saw "the burning bush" when we got back. We told her we didn't; they had it put out by the time we got there. (What else could we say?)

Besides Peace Corps in Belize, we have been to Guatemala three times, and we taught English for two semesters in Pueblo, Mexico. We lived in Oxaca for a while and thought we might like to retire there. It was good we went to try it, for we found there's no place like home in NC, so came back and retired here, where we live now.

It's a good place, mild climate but has the changing seasons, and plenty of green growing things that I need to see. Springtime is especially colorful; dogwood and azaleas, tulips and jonquils abound. It's as pretty here as any place I've ever traveled to.

Home is where your heart is, they say. Mine is here with my family. God has allowed me to see the beauty and goodness of other cultures and places, and I thank Him every day for letting me know so many good people where ever I have gone in His world .

3/15/2003