I was born in California and lived there for many years before my family moved elsewhere. My father was in the Air Force, so we moved around the United States when I was younger. I was able to meet many other kids who had lived all over the U.S. and in many other countries around the world. Also, my father often had to work abroad for months at a time. He always brought back gifts and stories about the places he had been. I was so excited to learn about how other people lived and to see the beautiful things that came from their countries. This is what sparked my interest in studying other countries and their cultures.
I have also loved listening to people speak in other languages. I learned Spanish when I was little from my family and when I was in school, but I was not very good at it. Instead of studying more Spanish, I watched TV and listened to music from Japan, China and South Korea. I loved the way those languages sounded and wanted to learn all about them. I wanted to see those countries with their beautiful temples, traditional clothes and exciting festivals. But I was sure I would never be able to. It was too far away, too scary and too expensive. I talked myself out of trying for a long time.
Finally, I decided that enough was enough!
