Live An Adventure Podcast

ROOTS by Genise Ford No one ever tells you one of the biggest challenges of being an expat is managing the expectations of friends and family back home. Returning to visit means navigating stressful demands on your time that only those who live abroad can truly understand. You find yourself counting days and weighing your time trying to ensure you’re being “fair,” all while managing the costs of travel, being away from your daily routines, and packing for a family trip lasting over a month. Phrases like “we have a life too” come from friends and family not willing to travel miles to your thousands, they can’t see the irony in the statement. The guilt trips can be relentless, with comments like, “Being my maid of honor didn’t mean anything to you,” or “We see where we are on your priority list” failing to acknowledge that the effort and expense of traveling are mutual. Yet, how many times have they come to see you across the pond? Friends argue about why you haven’t visited them when yo...

Riding the famous Guatemalan Chicken Buses I could have taken the tourist shuttle direct from my hostel door in Antigua to the hostel in San Pedro. It would have cost me $6.25. Instead, I went for the Chicken Bus. There's something magical about those blinged-out old school buses...the flashy painting, the names (Esmeralda, Esperanza, Carmelita), the stickers of naked women surrounding the crucifix/rosary shrine... There's just nothing like being the only white person on the bus, sitting 5 to a seat squished between a Guatemalan guy, a Maya woman, and her 2 kids, and squishing even more when someone tries to pass in the aisle. One eye on your backpack, ready to take down whoever stands in your way if someone even thinks about taking it, white-knuckling the seatback in front of you as the bus careens around mountainous turns at somewhere between 2x and 3x what most would consider a "safe speed". The exhilaration of flying past a cop in a no-passing zone around a blind ...

A Curious Mind How educators and parents can encourage and guide children's natural curiosity — in the classroom and at home POSTED   November 24, 2020   BY   Emily Boudreau Educators have long posited that inquiry-based learning — posing a particular problem or setting up an experiment — gets kids engaged and asking questions about the world. But are those expressed behaviors really signs that kids are curious, and can that curiosity be fostered in the classroom? According to cognitive scientist and researcher  Elizabeth Bonawitz , curiosity is innate in all humans — a sensation much like hunger or thirst. “Curiosity acts as a kind of filter you put over the world to help the mind decide what information to attend to,” she says. “It’s a physiological response that helps drive action and decision-making to support learning.” To help educators and parents better understand how to motivate that innate curiosity in children, Bonawitz offers three insights from emerging ...

No business owner, executive leader, or hardworking professional experiences success without moments of failure. When roadblocks present themselves on the journey toward achieving success, it can be easy to fall into the trap of believing these accomplishments are just too difficult. During these times, it’s more important than ever to remember that the keys to success are hard work and perseverance. One of the best ways to be reminded of this is to read success quotes. These inspirational quotes provide bite-sized advice from some of the world’s most admired leaders. Furthermore, they teach us that the ability to never give up and accept defeat is what truly determines how successful we can be in business and life.   Whether you’re looking to share inspiration with your team or need a quick boost of motivation, check out the top 50+ success quotes below. They’ll help provide different perspectives on what success is, challenge negative thoughts, and encourage you to remain...

This map shows the happiness of countries around the world. In other words, it shows the extent to which countries deliver long, happy, and environmentally sustainable lives for their citizens. Most measures of national progress put a high emphasis on economic activity without too much concern for environmental limits or less tangible aspects, such as well-being. The HPI (Happy Planet Index) puts at the heart the idea that happiness is not necessarily about wealth but living long lives with a high experience of well-being within the environmental limits of the planet. The reason for some high-income nations score significantly below other nations is the ecological footprint left on the planet. It is important to note, however, that the data does not take into account internal inequality measures and human rights issues tied to some countries which are high up in the rankings. Similarly, this map illustrates the differences in the absolute HPI score and does not take into account t...

1. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller 2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine 3. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” – Robert Louis Stevenson 4. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson 5. “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” – Paul Fussell 6. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac 7. “He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” – Moorish proverb 8. “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of p...

Ana and Mario are passionate teachers and travelers. They met in  Brasov, Romania, and got married in Antigua Guatemala. They’ve traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. They’ve taught in Romania, the Philippines, and China. They want to inspire others to celebrate learning, adventures, and generosity. Out of gratitude, they strive to make the world a better place.  #TeachersTravelers

I wrote "When I Find You" circa 2005. I wrote it looking into the future. Ana and I got married in 2012. In 2016, I stumbled upon the poem "I Always Knew" by Rod McKuen. Both poems describe how the present, the past and the future became one when I held her in my arms. Every day I give thanks for my best friend, my travel mate, the love of my life, my wife. I give thanks for the love that brought us together. I pray that as you read you know that love will find you!!! Enjoy. When I Find You When I find you... I am going to make you a necklace with my whispers I am going to write you a poem with my dreams I am going to hold your hand with my hopes I am going to embrace you with my shadow Together we will discover a new world A world where the sky is green and the grass is blue A world where everything is possible A world where problems are lessons A world where waking up is the best time of the day because a new day is a new opportunity ...