Where Have I Been?

I'm spending a lot of this summer in the USA.  This has been a great opportunity to connect with friends and family. Many of them greet me by referring to me as "World Traveler."  Some of them ask "Haven't you been everywhere, girl?"  I certainly haven't been everywhere.  I have been blessed to go to many places, but there is still a lot more of this world to see.

This photo is from an app called Been.  It shows the 21 countries that I have visited.  

In my case, travel just sparks to desire to continue to see more. After visiting 2 European countries this summer, I have committed to return and visit other European countries as well.  I am living and teaching in Kuwait now.  I'd like to visit some other Middle Eastern countries such as the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar.  They would make some nice little weekend getaways.  I've never even been to South America.  Don't get me wrong, it has been amazing to be able to see the countries in orange on the map above.  According to that app, those countries represent only 5% of the world. What?  That's just a drop in the bucket baby!  Look at all the grey. Here are the places I have been in the order that I have been to them.

1. America- Yes, America counts.  The United states is vast and there is plenty of it to see.  If you look at the map above, I still have over half of this country to visit.  To date, I have lived in Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina.  This summer, I am visiting Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, and Florida.  I'm not really covering any new ground this year.

I've been to 21 states.  There is a lot more of my own country that I would like to see.

2.  Canada- The border to Canada is less than 1.5 hours from my hometown of Toledo, Ohio.  I have visited Canada for a family vacation and short trips with friends.

3. Ghana -during my sophomore and senior years of high school, I visited Ghana and South Africa with a program called "Toledo, Excel".

4. South Africa - This was the second part of my trip with Toledo Excel.  We visited with fellow high school students in Soweto, visited the CNN building in Johannesburg, and swam in the Indian Ocean in Durban

I'm visiting with fellow high-school students in Soweto, South Africa

5. China- As a teenager,  I spent a week in China. I toured Bejing and visited the Great Wall.  I had my first experience with being an unexpected tourist attraction, because the Chinese were fascinated by me and my African American peers traveling in a group.  This was also my first experience with extreme jet lag upon my return home.  The trip took place during spring break, and I found myself waking up for school between 2-4 am for the next 2 weeks.


6. Costa Rica- in a series of conversations with a friend and coworker in 2012, we decided it would be fun to spend the summer in Costa Rica.  We stayed with host families to keep cost low.  We attended a Spanish language school, took fun excursions, and participated in a volunteer service project.  Side note: This trip was very "low budget" and it still wiped out my bank account.  I started to think that I would never be able to see more of the world on my teacher's salary.

my selfie with my Costa Rican friend who helped me along this zip line tour through the Rain Forest

7. Australia- June 2015 My women's fellowship/Bible study/prayer/everything else group in North Carolina showed the true "ride or die" nature of supporting our "First Lady" by traveling with her to Adelaide, Australia for a speaking engagement.   I extended this trip a few more days and also explored Sydney, Australia as well.

BEST SMALL GROUP EVER!!!!!!!!!!! in Adelaide, Australia 

cuddly Koala in Australia

8. Kuwait- In 2015, I accepted a teaching position at a school in Kuwait.  I moved there in August.  It has been an interesting chapter in my life that has opened the door to continued world travel.

Kuwait

9. Thailand- December 2015 This was my first time traveling alone internationally.  Was I nervous and scared?  Yes.  Was the experience awesome? YES.  I spent my two week Christmas break exploring Bangkok, attending an island yoga retreat, island hopping, and hanging out with elephants at an elephant sanctuary called Elephant World.

scrubbing an elephant in Thailand 

sunrise Tai Chi in Koh Ya Noi, Thailand

10.  January 2016 - spent just 1 day in Sri Lanka.  It happened to be New Years Day and there were lots of celebrations taking place.  Unfortunately, I was so exhausted from my 2 weeks in Thailand, that I fell asleep on my tour of Colombo.

11.  Jordan March 2016- I work with lots of people who enjoy traveling.  A couple of them told me how much they enjoyed Jordan this year.  I decided to give Jordan a try and my mom came along too.  We visited the Ancient City of Petra, the Baptism site of Jesus, Mt. Nebo, and we floated in the Dead Sea.

The Ancient City of Petra 

12.  Israel April 2016- I didn't go to church on Easter this year because I was traveling.  But I did go to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Upper Room that week!  Maybe I should have packed some wine and crackers in my bag for my own little communion.  On a short day trip to Jerusalem, I visited the Mt. of Olives and the Wailing Wall.  The experience of walking in the places where Jesus walked was sacred and historic.

the location of the Last Supper in Jerusalem 

The Garden of Gethsemane

13. Egypt May 2016- I visited the resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  There are no pyramids here, but there are beautiful hotels, relaxing beaches, and fun excursions.  I have joked that I took a "reverse children of Israel" tour this year by going from Israel and Jordan back to Egypt :)

quad biking through the desert in Egypt 

14.  The Netherlands June 2016- I think this country is super cool.  I don't tend to enjoy big cities in general, but Amsterdam is a very walkable and tourists friendly city.  The canal and beautiful architecture were just incredible.

Amsterdam

my selfie with Van Gogh's original self - portrait 

15.  Belgium June 2016- I spent a couple of days exploring Brugge, Belgium.   There were cobble stone streets and chocolate shops everywhere.  The setting is like that of a medieval fairy tale.

Note: This post was updated on September 1, 2017

16. Greece August 2016- I seem to be getting the hang of this solo travel thing.  I spent 2 weeks visiting Athens, Paros, and Santorini.  The photo below shows me in Santorini, which I found to be beautiful but also overpriced and overrated.

17.  Qatar- New Years Day 2017

18. Spain-April 2017

19.  Malaysia- June 2017

20. Singapore- July 2017

21. Turkey-August 2017
I currently live and work in Istanbul, Turkey

22. ?  Who knows.. Actually I do because i booked my ticket this week!  I'll tell you all about it August!  What countries have you been to?  Where would you still like to go?