Today’s guest post is brought t you by 1 Dad, 1 Kid, and 1 Crazy Adventure!
Here’s the thing: I’m fairly crazy. There. It’s out in the open now. Of course, my friends thought it was just limited to endurance sports. I have this odd penchant for testing my body’s limits, going from couch potato to ultra marathoner in 6 months, and then I started bicycling and several months later completed my first 101-mile ride. So when I announce my plans, those who know me well just shrug their shoulders, smile and say “Of course you will, Talon.” Even with that when I announced my next potentially insane idea, I was still surprised by their support. None of them said what I expected: Are you friggin nuts?!
What’s the plan? Well, you see I’ve had this dream for a long, long time. Ever since I was a young adult and was thinking about having children, I wanted to raise them in different countries, immerse them in other cultures, and have them experience a world the vast majority of people will never see. In my imagination we would live in a country for at least a year, maybe longer, and then go to another country. And if along the way, as we explored other countries, we found a place that felt like home, well, we could just stay put for as long as possible. One of the places I have always wanted to live is Thailand. This was only buoyed when I went to the Philippines. Immediately I fell in love with the people. I had never seen a people so full of joy. When they smile, it comes from deep within and shines out of them. Tears fell from my eyes as we drove to the airport to begin the return journey back to the States.
Earlier this year I went to Peru, and I returned with the desire to have my 9-year-old son (who I affectionately call Tigger) join me on the next big trip. We discussed places and mutually agreed upon Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Egypt. As my desire to pull off international living grew, I made more contacts through Twitter, connected with other travelling families on Facebook, and plans began to gel nicely, I made the decision of my life: While we’re on the other side of the world in Africa, why not make the move then? So following what has become my life motto of “Live without regrets!” I made my decision to do it and decided Chiang Mai will be our first foreign home.
As I have benefited so greatly from others who have shared their journey online, I decided to blog and tweet about ours as well. Who knows what fellow nut will be inspired to take their leap?
@1Dad1Kid
