Welcome!

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Welcome to my travel blog

So, here's how all of this happened.

Sometime ago, back around October or November, I was thumbing through my friend Carlton's Facebook photos of a trip to Africa. As I looked through his photos I became very envious. Not because I wanted to go to Africa, but because there was a time in my life when I used to go on those types of adventurous journeys. Even when I had little to no money, I still traveled. Let's just say that I traveled enough that I can tell you that the Greyhound bus station in Nashville, Tennessee has the best pancakes in the entire world at four in the morning.

Instead of soaking in a green pool of envy I decided I would do something about it. I remembered hearing about a group called Fund for Teachers that provided grants for teachers to travel during the summer, pursuing activities, workshops, and adventures that would revive and inspire their teaching. Back in 2004 I had thought about applying for one of these grants as a music teacher. I ended up not doing it. Instead of going after the grant I married a wonderful woman and became a father to a sweet and feisty little girl.

Now, back to November of 2010, I took a quick assessment of mine and my family's situation. It seemed that I was now in a position where if I needed to disappear for a week or two to travel, I could. My wife and I talked about it and she supported my efforts 100%! (MISSING)

Then began the hard part - what did I want to do. I thought about it and the answer was fairly simple - one thing that has stayed constant in my time as a music teacher and now as an English teacher has been a passion for Shakespeare. I began looking at Shakespeare workshops going on in Europe. The only problem was that most of them lasted around four weeks. I knew I didn't want to be gone that long, so I decided to craft my own journey. I would go on an adventure to explore the sites associated with Shakespeare and specifically his play "Richard III." London, The Globe, Stratford, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, etc - all would be a part of my journey. Along the way I would try to interview people regarding Shakespeare and the teaching of his works in schools today.

It took me about three weeks of research and prep, and then another two weeks writing, editing and revising. Finally, on January 13, 2011, I sent in my grant proposal. Then began a long, hellish 10-week waiting period. I drove myself crazy waiting to find out. Finally, one Saturday at the end of March, a letter showed up in my mailbox. It was such a wave of relief and excitement to see all of my work pay off.

All my planning paid off, and now I'm set and ready to go. My trip begins Sunday, June 12, 2011 at around 6:30 pm. As I go I will be uploading pictures, videos and writings as I go around the UK and other places in Europe.

It's so nice to be a traveler again.

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