My family! (The American one)

Me and Mom in the backyard, 2007

It's about time in my blog to give MAJOR credit to my parents. No matter what crazy exploration and travel schemes I come up with to fulfill my seemingly endless case of wanderlust, they are always behind me 100%, even though my globe-trotting probably gives them more restless night sleeps than they would like to admit. Surely, they don't hesitate in telling me their doubts, reservations, worries and practical concerns (all the important stuff that I try not to think about), but in the end, my parents have always supported my decisions - from summer camps, to spending a month at an art school Baltimore, to a month long girls roadtrip with no particular destination in mind, to week-long music festivals in middle of Tennessee and northernmost point of Maine, to a semester in Spain, to a month in Brooklyn learning to teach English, to a journey to the southern tip of South America, to a move across the country, and now, a year in a foreign country.

My sister Courtney & I in Yosemite Valley (2008)

Thinking about it, my parents have ALWAYS encouraged our interests in other countries and cultures. Even though we grew up in a pretty homogeneous town, Glastonbury, Connecticut, my parents always kept us open to different people, places and ideas. When we were really young, they were involved with an immigrant support program. Families from Sudan, Chad, Bangladesh, Japan -all over the place- came to share meals with our family, and we often visited their houses to experience their food and traditions. A teacher from Japan even lived with us for a whole year. My favorite part of that was learning the art of origami -- I can still make a paper crane!

Playing mandolin with Dad (2008)

I am the youngest of 4. Below is a picture of my three awesome older siblings, Courtney, Rhonda and Rod. They have always supported my choices, given me good advice (particularly in regard to cooking, music and art!) and a whole lot of laughs. I'm hoping that this year they'll use me as their UK travel guide -- I promise to do thorough research the scotch distilleries before you guys get here!

The girls - my niece Mackenzie, Rhonda, me and Court (2008)

I'm anxious to again travel somewhere so far from my roots, so am really looking forward to summer in Connecticut, hanging out with my family and friends, swimming and hiking at Cotton Hollow, eating food from the local farms and orchards, playing music, reading books, and helping out my parents tend to the house and garden. I rest assured knowing that, come fall, they will have a cool place to visit.