Class Take Away - Week 2

I really enjoyed the presentations of the Egg-speriaments.  I was especially taken by the egg that was surrounded by family.  The presenter had stated that her family encircled her and kept her safe. That her family is the reason why she hadn't left home until recently to visit the Philippines.

The reason this touched me so strongly was that I could relate to her but in a strange way.  My family is also very protective of each other and is the reason I have a hard time imagining moving to another state without them.  We would bend over backwards to make sure none of our family is struggling.  That being said, we were encouraged to explore our world. I was allowed to participate in a spring break tour of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria when I was a senior in high school.

When a former teacher from Butler announced she was setting up a study abroad in Russia I was really excited about the prospects, though I just knew my family wouldn't let me go (This was in 1999 and it wasn't so safe to visit. In fact the subway we used most of the time was bombed just a week after we left for home, killing twelve and wounding many more.)  But instead of the no I expected to hear, my dad asked, "When are you leaving?" I was flabbergasted! But I shouldn't have been. My parents encouraged us to see new things so we could develop our own thoughts, ideals, and beliefs.  The only family member who was against me going was my Grandpa. He was afraid for my safety and said I would go over his dead body.  Ironically, I used my inheritance from him to pay for my plane ticket. (I miss you Grandpa and I know you would have found the humor in that...well after you ranted about my being a fool for putting myself in danger.)

I wish I could say that was the only time I put myself in danger to travel abroad.  My mom and I went to Israel in 2009 for a tour of the Holy Land ( I'm Catholic... please don't hold that against me.) Our tour had to be rearranged because the hotel we were staying in in Tel Aviv was in a red alert for bombings. And to top it off I was with a Catholic tour, wearing a crucifix, with a Muslim bus driver. We were daring fate I think.

So I guess what I'm saying is that our families are very different in that we can protect each other even though we allow each other to do daring things. Life isn't guaranteed but you can't live your life isolating yourself from danger or you'll never be able to experience what makes life the grand adventure it is.