“The World is a book,
and those who do not travel read only a page.”
I'm not sure where this quote came from, but Rhonda and I have lived by this motto all our lives. Our parents have always put an emphasis on travel. During the summer we'll make our way along the East Coast to visit family and friends, and a few attractions along the way (Six Flags Amusement Park, Howard University, Virginia Beach, etc). Neither of us took advantage of major travel during college because of lack of finances, and it's one of our biggest regrets. It wasn't until my first professional job did I realize that there was such a thing as business travel. Hence, in the past twelve years, we have both taken advantage of professional development opportunities that haven taken us from the East Coast to the West Coast. So when our local community college advertised a tour to Italy via the Humanities Department four years ago, we couldn't let the opportunity pass us by. Our 8 days of international travel in May 2009 was very enjoyable, and to this day, I would look at my Passport and say, where to next??
In the past year Rhonda and I have followed several blog sites of African-Americans who have traveled abroad extensively. The idea for our show came about because we were fascinated by their outlook on life and the different journeys that led them to Take A Leap. Everyone we've talked to said that faith played a huge part in their journey. Yes, they missed their families like crazy and it can get expensive to live abroad (depending on destination), but many would not trade their experiences for the world.
Another interesting take about international travel is that you can be yourself even in the midst of "cultural shock". Or as is often the case, a better version of yourself. Rhonda and I can be quite reclusive outside of work, but when we were overseas we found ourselves enjoying "la mia dolce vita" which means "the sweet life". We woke up every morning eager to meet new people and explore new sites. We kept that feeling going as we returned to the US, and it propelled us to do any and everything God set on our paths, no matter the obstacles. Gone were the worries about finances. God has and will continue to make the provisions. Gone were the doubts that our family wouldn't understand. They are our biggest "cheerleaders" and "prayer warriors". Gone were the demands of time, because tomorrow isn't promised. Take A Leap and show your support by donating to our funding campaign at http://indiegogo.com/takealeap. $20 will get you a souvenir from a destination of choice that we'll be visiting, and copy of our DVD compilation of four short films.
