In June 2011, we put our professional lives as teachers on hold, to allow us to live our personal dreams. Traveling in remote corners of the globe to gain a better understanding of different cultures and customs, we are learning more about the world then we could have imagined and as it turns out, each other. We will pursue our love of teaching again in the future, but for now, it's time to blaze trails!
We started in Asia, first traveling in far-off areas of India we still hadn’t seen after living there for 3 and 4 years. We listened to music in Borneo, learned about the diverse and contrasting perspectives of Vietnamese history, floated down stream in Laos, hiked through tribal villages in the hillsides of Myanmar, lived with nomads in Mongolia, spent time with friends in Singapore and China, and eventually left the Asian continent for North America.
In the USofA, we traveled coast to coast, spending much wanted quality time with family and friends. Then off to Baja, Mexico for some turkey, stuffing, salsa, tortillas and desert skies for Thanksgiving with Jennifer’s family.
While Jennifer worked her math magic for a couple of fabulous weeks back at ASB in India, Matt got a head start on his nonexistent Spanish skills. February 2012 began our journey through Latin America, where we had both been longing to be for a while. It also marked the beginning of using bikes as our main mode of transportation as we traversed Patagonia and the spine of the Andes Mountains while taking in Chilean and Argentine culture.
In June, Jennifer became an aunt and Matt became an uncle all within the same week. Jennifer could not stay away from her new niece Sierra and headed back to the US to surprise her family. Although hard to resist, Matt was able to hold out a little longer to meet his new nephew Gavin. He continued on, riding across the Altiplano of Argentina and Bolivia solo by bike for five weeks. He then joined Jennifer in New York to surprise his family and meet the newborns.
After baby time, we left our bikes in the US and took off to Peru. We are currently eating tasty food, experiencing urban Peruvian culture and applying for new jobs! Matt’s Spanish skills have gone from nonexistent to bad and Jennifer can hold a conversation with ease albeit some wacky grammar.
For Jennifer, this time traveling has also provided the opportunity to pursue her passion for coaching teachers in mathematics. She has made a few fulfilling trips back to ASB to work with teachers there.
Check out our most current pics here on the home page and view the older photos and videos listed by continent and country. We're excited to share our traveling lives with you, so stay tuned here for photos, videos and ramblings documenting our continued wanderings.