I’m a native of southern California. My entire childhood and early twenties were lived in the same county. Still, I don’t sense my roots as being primarily Californian. Perhaps that’s because my Spaniard mother introduced me to world travel as soon as she could afford it.
My teen years took us on various summer trips abroad. We visited the majority of the countries in Western Europe and a few Eastern countries, including Soviet Russia–mostly on a shoestring budget. I remember the joy of buying fresh peaches from outdoor vendors in Greece and Italy. That was our lunch. In addition, I spent a little time in the Caribbean and Mexico, most memorably a sleepy coastal village far from any tourist attractions. There was no English to be heard anywhere. We cooked our own food in our little apartment, while geckos climbed the walls. I played on the beach with local children–about a dozen from one family!
Of course, my twenty three years of marriage have taken us to new places to settle, not just visit. Stops along the way have included Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Monterey, CA, and Seattle, WA. Next came densely populated cities in East Asia, where I learned to speak and love a third language, Mandarin. There’s no other adventure like riding a bike full-speed in heavy traffic. Then we headed to Long Beach and Pasadena, CA. Since 2007, we’ve been living outside of Nashville, TN, in a town called Franklin.
For now, this is home. Still, as a xenophile, there remains for me the draw to foreign lands. That longing was recently fulfilled in May as my husband, four children, and I visited the Dominican Republic. All our hearts were captivated. For me, the most moving part was the people we met. Those in extreme poverty and yet with great riches in Christ. Our citizenship remains with Him in a better place.
This blog pursues the topic of our provincial life, while seeking connection with the foreign and the One who created this world and our next.
xenophileathome 