Fun Fact: Down Under
I live in West Virginia, USA and grew up in Maryland but I was born in Alice Springs, Australia. Alice Springs is in the middle of the desert, aka the outback. The famous Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) is nearby. You can typically find Alice Springs right above the letter "R" on a map of Australia, dead center of the country.
I don't consider myself Australian, though people always ask. Also, I wasn't a military brat. My dad did some sort of government work that had us living in different places. My family left Australia when I was just a few months old, so I don't remember any of it, but I've seen pictures.
When I was three, we lived in Garmisch, Germany. I have a couple memories of my older brother skiing in the Bavarian Alps. I studied German in high school with the intent of going back to visit one day.
It's funny, I've probably seen more of Europe than I have of the US. In college, I was lucky enough to be able to go on several trips and perform with the choir and band. As a freshman, I went to Paris and London (this is the trip when my husband and I first started dating). In later years, I went to Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Germany (I totally blanked on the German I learned in school when I actually needed it), Austria, and the Czech Republic.
My biggest advice to anyone traveling is to learn the language enough to know your numbers. When you want to buy something, not everyone will have a register with a display. They might tell you how much money you owe. If you don't speak their language, you might end up doing what I did in Paris--give them a large bill and let them give you change. I learned my lesson after lugging around pockets full of coins all the time. When we went to Italy, I studied my numbers and some other essential language tidbits. At the market in Florence, I was able to ask the cost of something and understand the answer. Of course, once the sales lady started expounding upon how nice the product was, my blank stare revealed that I was an American.
When I was three, we lived in Garmisch, Germany. I have a couple memories of my older brother skiing in the Bavarian Alps. I studied German in high school with the intent of going back to visit one day.
It's funny, I've probably seen more of Europe than I have of the US. In college, I was lucky enough to be able to go on several trips and perform with the choir and band. As a freshman, I went to Paris and London (this is the trip when my husband and I first started dating). In later years, I went to Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Germany (I totally blanked on the German I learned in school when I actually needed it), Austria, and the Czech Republic.
My biggest advice to anyone traveling is to learn the language enough to know your numbers. When you want to buy something, not everyone will have a register with a display. They might tell you how much money you owe. If you don't speak their language, you might end up doing what I did in Paris--give them a large bill and let them give you change. I learned my lesson after lugging around pockets full of coins all the time. When we went to Italy, I studied my numbers and some other essential language tidbits. At the market in Florence, I was able to ask the cost of something and understand the answer. Of course, once the sales lady started expounding upon how nice the product was, my blank stare revealed that I was an American.
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