Saturday, January 4, 2014

#80 cont'd - Christmas Letter Attachment

Originally on a pretty colorful Christmas Stationary.  The printing was around a wreath.



It’s been a long time since I sent out a letter for Christmas. I just thought it would be nice to reconnect with everyone so to recap what I’ve been up to since I left the US in May, 2012:

·   First I went to Spain and walked the Camino de Santiago.
·      Then I traveled around Spain, Greece, Turkey and the Middle East (Oops, I got stuck in Doha, Qatar, giggles)
·         Then went to India. There I started my volunteer work at the Teaching University/Hospital.
·         Visa limitations made me leave in December – went to see my brother in Australia for 2 months. Then I went back to India.
·         In 3 months my Visa again made me leave India for a month (May-June) and I went on a safari in Africa saw lions. (no tigers and no bears) But I did see rhinoceros, giraffes, leopards, hippopotamus, zebras and lots more!
·         When I returned to India from that, I only had 2 months before my Visa again required me to leave India. So I went to Sri Lanka to get a new Visa. That Visa is allowing me to stay for 6 months so I don’t have to leave India until Feb 20, 2014.

This time I’m not just going out for a few months and return, I am going to leave and start my way back to the States. Since I don’t know when I will be returning to this side of the world, I want to see my brother again in Australia, and I have a classmate in Taiwan that helped me to get my Masters.  She had gotten married and had a baby and I wasn’t able to attend her wedding. So I’d like to stop and see her. And then there are places like Bali, and some of the islands in the Pacific that I would really love to see IF I can put it all together. That’s a really big IF. I want to end my sojourn in Hawaii and see my dear friend there. That’s touching my feet to the US, but not the mainland, yet. I plan on being in CO for June for the wedding of another dear friend’s daughter. These are my plans but I’m sure you heard that “Man plans and God laughs”. Who knows what will happen!

I can report that I am in excellent health. I can see that the years are catching up with me so I don’t push myself when traveling.  I can’t carry heavy luggage or backpacks. I like a bed, not a mat on the floor, and a private room or a toilet nearby during the night. I know I need nutritious food with my vegetarian diet and I am also finding that I can’t digest some foods well now. All of this puts a crimp in my traveling.  But I love it.  So if any of you want to meet me somewhere while I’m heading back to the good old USA – Bali, Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, you name it, I’m game! – Please let me know and maybe we can travel together, even if it’s just for a week or two.

Wishing you every happy thing this year!  Make it a blessed year.  Love & Peace, Marie

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