Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Seattle where we are celebrating with our families for the first time in four years. We are here for ten days before we begin our wanderings again...
With excursions to Boston (where Andrea completed a summer internship), Charleston, Savannah, and various points in between, 2011 has been a year of new places and demanding work for both of us. We are grateful to be on the home stretch of Andrea’s three year program at Duke, but before she graduates in May, we have another journey planned. On January 1st we will be returning to Thailand for two and a half months as Andrea will be part of a student exchange program at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. We will update the blog with travel stories as well as play catch up on some of this past year's travels...we hope you will continue to wander with us:-) While we don’t know where we will be this time next year after Andrea graduates, we know that God continues to look after and provide for us. We have continued to love being in North Carolina and are grateful for deepening relationships there. And whether near or far from us, we are thankful for our friendship with you and your presence in our lives. May you know hope, joy, and peace this season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Duncan and Andrea

Friday, December 9, 2011

Wander with us

Andrea has been given the opportunity to participate in a short study abroad/global exchange program in Bangkok, January through March of next year (2012). While this is a great opportunity for her it also allows me to return to Thailand for a few months and it also means the blog is about to become a little more active with updates from this next journey as well as catching up on this past year's travels.

In our years of living and traveling internationally we have come to realize some things that personify how and where we travel that we feel we are pretty good at including:

Living and being with local community – learning about and observing the issues of the day, the strengths and the challenges facing communities and countries.

Discovering hidden gems – locations, guest houses, people – you have to hold us back from exploring every forest trail, wandering down every narrow street wondering what we will find around the corner. Sometimes we find nothing very unusual. Sometimes we have stumbled upon the kindest of people and places that are just magical and leave us changed forever – a beautiful view for example, but sometimes it is a disturbing, heart breaking reminder of the conditions that many people live. Travel for us is not about avoiding those places that are different than what we may be used to. We believe it is always good to be exposed to the other – to how most of the world lives in dignity and beauty.



Doing this in such a way that is affordable and won’t break the bank but still finding places of rest and refreshment, surrounded by verdant views and vistas - places we are always just a little sad to leave. We look for tranquil settings even in the midst of big bustling cities, places of peace and renewal to rest, read, and enjoy time with each other.






















We always want to come back from our wanderings as wiser people with a greater understanding of the world. We hope that our vision and understanding of the cultures and challenges facing the world will be expanded. And we hope to be refreshed and ready to return to life back home.





If this is your style, come wander with us.