About Me
I’ll never forget my first “international travel” experience. I was 10 years old, my parents had just bought a new car and decided that we should take a road trip, to Canada! No planning, just get in the car and let’s go to a new city and country! Now, this was back in the day when crossing the border didn’t require a passport and NEXUS didn’t exist yet. It was simply get in the car and head to Ontario. It was July and it was freezing! The food at the hotel wasn’t great, it was expensive (yes, Canada is generally expensive) and my parents decided that one night in Canada was enough. And so, off we headed the next day back to Chicago.
It would be 20 years before I took my first big trip to Europe but once I did, I was bitten by the travel bug, big time. It was the organized tour at first- “if it’s Tuesday, it must be Rome” and then quickly I outgrew the organized tours and longed to be on my own. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on travel so I found a back door and I studied language abroad. At first it was Spanish- which took me to Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and Costa Rica and then it was Italian which took me all over Italy from Milan to Sicily. Through my study of languages, I was able to live with host families and really had the opportunity to learn about the cultures. I now have “moms”, “sisters”, “brothers”, “nieces”, and “nephews” all over the world. I’ve been to “family" functions in many countries.
My love of travel and corporate experience helped to secure my position as a professor of International Business. For over 15 years, I have been teaching about culture. I like to think that I have the inside track on this topic because of my practical and academic backgrounds. I created this site as a way to share with others not only my love of travel but also to educate, in a fun and entertaining way, about various countries and cultures. I think that you will agree with me, the world is an interesting place with many wonderful people.
I have been fortunate to have had the chance to live and work in Spain. To lead study abroad trips to Greece and France. To learn about sustainability in Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. To get a glimpse of life behind communism in Cuba. To be one of one billion in China. You get the picture, I’ve been to 5 continents and over 40 countries and counting.
There have been so many life changing moments that have really made me into the adventurous person that I am today. I would have never dreamed on that car ride to Canada all those years ago that I would have the chance to travel as much as I have. I think if I were to have a chance to tell 10 year old me anything it would be “hang in there, you can’t even begin to imagine where you will venture off to”.
Professional Experience
Engaging educator, passion for technology, out of the box thinker, advocate for experiential learning
Accomplished international business and marketing instructor with a balance of practical and academic experience. engaging educator, passion for technology, out of the box thinker, advocate for experiential learning Accomplished international business and marketing instructor with a balance of practical and academic experience.
