From an early age it was discovered that I was not going to sit still. I am a traveler.
I grew up on the family farm in Iowa and as soon as I was old enough to venture out and see the world, I took my chance.
During college at the University of Northern Iowa, I signed up for my first summer with the "Camp Adventure" program and took my first trip overseas. I was assigned to Okinawa, Japan in 1995 at Kadena Air Base. While in Japan, I learned that I had a love to try new foods and learned quickly to use chopsticks. It was chopsticks or starve! After spending 3 months in Okinawa, I returned to the States and couldn't wait to share my experiences with my friends and family. And of course, set my sights on my next travel destination. With Camp Adventure, I traveled to South Korea and then to Germany.
In South Korea, I experienced what it was like to be in a country that was 'on guard'. There were times when the South Korean Army protected the American posts and bases from riots, or the potential of riots. For a 20 year old American Girl, this seemed surreal. In my innocence, I hadn't realized that while I enjoyed a large banana split every Wednesday on Camp Walker, North Koreans were starving to death because they were unable to receive the basic needs to survive.
Lastly in Germany, I was engulfed in more culture. I was blessed to be able to travel to many European countries while I lived in Germany for 5 months. I toured Hungary, Austria, France, Belgium, Amsterdam, Italy - among others. I was then only 21 and myself with a few other college students traveled on the train at night and toured the different countries by day.
Some years later, I was able to take my mother and siblings to Spain and share with them these experiences. From Spain, to the Rock of Gibraltar, to Morocco, we experienced many things that people could only dream about.
Since my first overseas trip in 1995, I have visited 14 countries and I have visited 42 of the 50 States. My next journey: Australia and New Zealand!
https://uni.edu/campadv/