Vacation

The upside of being a missionary kid and traveling all over the world, is that I got to see a lot of cool stuff and live in different cultures and become a part of different cultures. Moving, settling and blending in became a way of life that is still ingrained in my being. 

I find it difficult to simply visit a place without feeling the urge to make a connection and contribute positively. We are making plans for our Ocracoke Island vacation for the 4th year in a row now. We have met and gotten to know some locals, and they seem to enjoy when we visit. The locals even let me help schlep fish at the fish market. I'm content spending my vacation time like that. 

The downside of traveling all over the world as a kid is the anxiety that new places and new faces stir up. 

 We all know that when  a person plans anything, it rarely works out like that.  Sometimes minor obstacles pop up, sometimes major.  Something always happens.  Well, add up 18 years of world travels and now I expect something to happen, I cringe, just waiting for it to happen.  And sometimes, I cancel travel plans because of that.  

I feel guilty for not getting my kid out and about more, traveling more, to see the things I have seen.  His situation is different than mine was.  We simply don't have the funds to be galavanting across the globe.  Or the time.  We are adulting now and doing a fine job of it.  

I'm attempting to cultivate that traveling bone in the boy, but I think it will happen differently than it did with me.   And I am coming to grips with that idea.  

I think back to when I was 14 yrs old.  Aside from the world travels, I have been able to give the kid lots of opportunities that I didn't have by that age.  That  helps ease the guilt.   

On top of everything else, I want to take the family back to my heartland, Bonaire, the island in the Netherlands Antilles that I spent my 10th- 16th years of life on.   That's gonna be a big chunk of change.  If I had to choose to go anywhere right now, that would be it.  

For now though, we will continue taking our annual summer trip to Ocracoke Island,  visiting, getting to know the locals and blending in as well as a Dingbatter can....