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BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON April 27, 2013

X is for Xi'an

terracottawarriorskevinpohflickr (450 x 338)

 Photo courtesy of kevinpoh – flickr

China holds a special place in my heart as the country where my daughter was born. But while my travels have taken me to Beijing, Nanchang, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, there’s still so much of the country I’d like to explore, including Shanghai, Guilin and Xi’an.

In 1974 a local villager digging a well in Xi’an stumbled upon what has been described as  “the eighth wonder of the world,” over 7,000 terracotta warriors and horses buried in formation, dating from the Qin Dynasty, 2,200 years ago. Since declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the archaeological discovery draws thousands of visitors annually.

Xi'anChinachinaoffseasonflickr (450 x 338)

Photo courtesy of chinaoffseason – flickr

But wait – there’s more to Xi’an than the terracotta warriors. Other popular travel experiences in the city include a soak in the Huaqing Hot Springs, a visit to the Shaanxi History Museum, a stop at the Big Goose and Little Goose Pagodas in the city center,  a stroll along the ramparts of the city walls and climb to the top of the Bell Tower and Drum Tower for a panoramic view of the city.

How about you, wanderboomers? Ready for a visit to Xi’an?

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, China, Destinations, Travel Experiences Tagged With: Beijing, Big Goose Pagoda, China, city walls, eighth wonder of the world, Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong, Huaqing Hot Springs, Little Goose Pagoda, Nanchang, Qin Dynasty, Shaanxi History Mudeum, Shanghai, terracotta warriors, The Bell Tower, The Drum Tower, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Xi'an

BY Nancy Mueller 2 Comments ON December 13, 2012

Here We Are & There We Go . . .

As a child, Jill Dobbe imagined a life far different from the one she was living in her small Wisconsin town. She dreamt of one filled with travel, excitement and adventure.  After graduating with dual degrees in sociology and education, Dobbe set off with her husband Dan and their two children, both under the age of two, to make those dreams come true.

In her new memoir, Here We Are & There We Go: Teaching and Traveling with Kids in Tow,  Dobbe takes the reader along on her family’s journey over the next sixteen years as they settle first in Guam, followed by Singapore, Ghana and Guadalajara.

Recently I had the chance to ask Jill about her peripatetic lifestyle and its impact on her family. Here’s an excerpt of our interview:

Tell us about your memoir.

My memoir is not just about traveling with kids, but is also about the cultures we lived in and the crazy, humorous, and sometimes scary adventures that we found ourselves in.

For example?

On our first night in Accra, Ghana, we were taken to our new home in the middle of the night.  After unloading all of our suitcases we looked around and found no locks on any of the outside doors and no bars on the windows.  My husband stayed awake the whole night walking from one end of the house to the other, while my two kids and I slept in one bed locked inside a bedroom.

You grew up in a small town like I did. What inspired your wanderlust?

I always wanted to travel and I kept the hope alive all through college. I had a friend whose mother taught German at a local high school. I remember her going on a trip to China when her daughter and I were teenagers.  She was the only person I knew in our small town who had ever traveled.

When I graduated with my degree in elementary education I started investigating teaching overseas.  I married an educator and despite having two very young children, we went to our first overseas hiring fair and were hired as teachers on Guam.  That’s where it all began.  Our children grew up overseas and our daughter currently teaches with us in Honduras.  We all have wanderlust now and our kids continue to travel on their own now that they are adults.

What’s the value of living, working and raising a family abroad?

It is the best education that you can possibly give to your children.  Not only do they learn about the world firsthand, but they get to see in real life what their friends back home only see in school textbooks or on T.V.  Children can easily become global citizens as they travel and experience the sights of the world.  They learn the values of empathy, respect, and tolerance for others more readily, as they witness the importance of greetings, the value placed on extended families, and the importance of education. There is also much less emphasis on material possessions and more emphasis on the quality of life. Living and working abroad gives us all a much better perspective of our world and more opportunities to help others in need.

What has been your hardest adjustment to living and working overseas?

Sixteen years ago when my husband and I began teaching overseas was the most difficult.  I remember having to make expensive long distance calls to our U.S. bank from West Africa just to try and sort out our banking issues.  Sometimes we ended up unable to hear over fuzzy telephone lines, or getting cut off, or being unable to get through at all. There were absolutely no cell phones or computers then. We were unable to email, Skype, or Facebook with anyone during our first ten years abroad.  Snail mail was all we had and it took weeks to get letters/packages from the U.S.  Happily, it is a smaller world today with all the technology available.  Living overseas is not as traumatic or scary anymore and we can keep in touch so much more easily.

What’s been the most challenging cultural difference you have had to overcome?

Right now I am trying to learn Spanish and that is challenging!  We have had to learn the basics of Hindi, Arabic, Twi, and more. Despite working in English speaking schools, we still found that we needed to have a translator when getting our cable hooked up, paying household bills, getting a driver’s license, etc. because the average workers didn’t always speak English.

How would you advise parents to prepare their kids for a move abroad?

Prepare them by talking about where you are moving to.  Find it on the map and read books from and about the country that you will be living in.  Tell them about the new school they will be attending and find out as much as you can about the extra-curricular activities that they can take part in.  Communicate with them as much as possible about the move and find out their concerns and fears about their new lifestyle.  Allow them chances to say goodbye to their friends, cousins, grandparents, and classmates. Let them know they will not lose touch and will be able to keep in touch through Skype.  Buy them a camera or journal or both to record their experiences while living overseas.

If you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently?

We first moved overseas when our children were only one and two years old.  We took chances with their health and safety that when I think about it today, was sort of risky.  Waiting until they were at least school age would have been more ideal.  They would have experienced and remembered more and would have been more interested and excited in the amazing sights that we saw.

What advice can you offer to others who want to follow in your footsteps?

For teachers who are interested in teaching abroad I tell them that they must be open to everything, interested in other cultures, be able to accept frequent change, and practice patience with all of the inconsistencies.  Teaching overseas is not for everyone, but once you try it and get sucked in it is hard to stop going from school to school and country to country.  It is a unique lifestyle and one that has many rewards if you can handle the occasional power outages and/or lack of school resources.

I am always interested in speaking with others who want to know more about teaching overseas.  It is a great lifestyle and one that I can highly recommend.

Thanks for sharing your travel journey with us, Jill!

Photos courtesy of Jill Dobbe.

Have you ever taught overseas, Wanderboomers? Any future plans to do so? Please share your experiences with us here.

Filed Under: Activities, Africa, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations Tagged With: Arabic, China, culture, education, German, Ghana, Guadalajara, Guam, Here We Go & There We Are, Hindi, Honduras, Jill Dobbe, living and working abroad, memoir, Singapore, Spanish, teaching overseas, travel with kids, Twi

BY Nancy Mueller 6 Comments ON May 26, 2011

Thank You, Oprah!

OprahStoryAccentsflickr (450 x 378)

Photo courtesy of Story Accents – flickr

I know. You’re wondering what on earth could Oprah possibly have to do with this travel blog – besides the fact that she’s a Wander Boomer who likes to travel (Can you say “Australia”  anyone?). But Oprah represents so much more than that to this Wanderboomer. We grew up together after all. Yes, she was in Chicago while I was in Seattle. But we learned from making some of the same mistakes. I’ll bet some of you did, too. We learned when it’s time to let go and move on, to trust our inner voice, and to use that voice to stand up for ourselves and others.

Oprah has blazed a bright trail for women – and men – yet her message to each of us has always been to get off the beaten path and follow our own calling. I took her message to heart – literally. When classmates and colleagues went to Europe, I hopped on a plane to Egypt, and later Brazil. Long after friends had given birth to their children, my husband and I traveled to China to bring home our toddler daughter.

When I travel to far-flung locations, I am my best self – not always as fearless or as smart as I’d like to be, but I go anyway. I’m still learning, still a work in progress, still growing into a better version of who I am capable of becoming. Travel helps me do that. I’m forced out of my comfort zone, the blinders come off, and I have to figure out how to be resourceful in unexpected situations .

So many of my “Aha” moments have come while I’ve been on the road: clarity about decisions hanging over my head; a recognition that despite our differences, we are all interconnected; a visceral understanding of how vital it is to preserve a pristine natural habitat for our planet.

Travel to Quito, Ecuador and The Galapagos Islands is next up for me, while Antarctica and Australia are still ahead. But wherever I go, I’ll take Oprah’s gifts with me: grace towards others who may see the world differently than I do, generosity of spirit, and gratitude for the freedom to travel the world and live an adventurous life. When you think about it, not bad items to bring along on any of our journeys.

Thanks, Oprah!

What about you, Boomers? How has travel changed you? Where are you going next?

Filed Under: Baby Boomers and Travel Tagged With: Antarctica, Australia, Brazil, Chicago, China, Ecuador, Europe, Galapagos Islands, inner voice, intuition, Oprah, travel

Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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