I always had the urge to travel from a young age. I just liked seeing new places and meeting new people. I was almost 40 when I first traveled abroad to Spain. I was invited to be a visiting artist and I almost didn’t go. I was afraid of traveling alone to a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language. But I went and it was a life changing event. I traveled often after that, mostly to Europe. Visiting European cultures gave me a great sense of what it meant to be an American, given that our country is a nation of nations with a vast number of Europeans having migrated to America. It was a great education to see cultures with ancient traditions and be exposed to different ways of working, different ways of thinking. I taught for 5 summers in Rome and felt more immersed in the culture. I only wish I spoke more languages as I often felt isolated and unable to carry on a real conversation with locals. My travels have greatly enriched my life and given me a better understanding of the world.
