Introduction

Ever since the 6th grade when my teacher Miss Joanne forced us to read about current events going on in the world around us, and do a report on them in front of the class, I have developed a fascination for travel. As I struggled with the spellings of various countries around the world in geopraphy that same year, I wondered truely who would EVER care about these little countries at all let alone their spellings. Inspite of this, I perservered in learning for a few years about geography and the things going on in the world around me. This fascination with travel continued to develop and grow as I went into my freshman year of highschool. During this first year of school, I truely fell in love with maps and began to seek opportunities to visit these countries I had learned so much about. So while everyone else grew bored with the dry subject of geography and was nodding off, I found ways to stay awake and pay close attention. I knew at a young age that I would embark on many journeys ahead that would take me to faraway lands.

It was during my sophmore year of highschool that I got my first couple of chances. One to the Holyland of Israel on tour and later that same year on a missions trip to the Philippines where my uncle was a missionary. It was him and his family who inspired me that you could travel to places faraway.