Growing up with Dora the Explorer isn’t as predictable as you may assume. There was no Swiper, no Boots, or no magical book bag. Instead, there were road trips to Miami, Bobby Brown jam out sessions on the way to Alabama, and scenic views up the mountains of Tennessee.
Yesterday, I traveled with my class to the beautiful Greenway of Devon, in order to see Agatha Christie's home. This was very exciting! We stopped to have a cream tea and I was able to converse with my peers. During these conversations, I listened to my classmate’s voyages to Ireland, Spain, Rome and more. I sat there reflecting, thinking about my own travel and pondering how I was one of the few at the table who was not very well-traveled, besides a spring break trip I took to Canada, this was my first time out of the country. As I sat there, I began to appreciate my mom for molding me into the adventurer I am today.
I realized my traveling had begun long ago from the time I was a toddler. My mom would confidently pack me up and release me to my uncle. My uncle and I would make our routine stop to McDonalds, and ride through the Carolinas with nineties hip hop and chicken nuggets. Our adventures did not stop there. I remember being eight years old when my mother moved us to Georgia, and every weekend, my mom would pack up me, Sasha and Brittney for a ride to Miami to see our grandparents. For some this was an impossible trip, but to my mother it was just another excursion.
I remember the trip to Texas to see Ms. Sealy. I remember walking around the bull statues and taking pictures with my grandpa. I remember summer trips to Orlando and visits to Sea World. I remember schools trips, with the Narvie J. Harris chorus, to Universal Studios and Bush Gardens. I remember my mom and grandma accompanying me to Kentucky for my speech competitions. These early trips sparked my curiosity at a young age and made me interested in traveling, learning and exploring.
When I got in high school I began independent travel. My first time flying was in 10th grade with ROTC when we went to Washington D.C. I remember the monuments and standing outside of the White House gate. As I sat in Greenway, England I couldn’t help but think about my mom. While I listened to them discuss family trips to Madrid, Dublin and Paris. I thought about how my mom had been an explorer long before I was born. Her courage to go into the United states Marine Corps, live in Hawaii thousands of miles away from her family and expose her own children to traveling was the reason I was here.
Although I didn’t have a singing map, talking book bag or cute monkey in boots, I grew up with Dora the Explorer. Because of her guidance and inspiration I’ve walked the beaches of Brighton, rode trains through London, punted in Oxford and lived in Bath.
