From the very first time I crossed the Atlantic Ocean from the U.S. at the tender age of four, in a propeller plane that had to stop at Gander, Newfoundland in Canada because it couldn’t make it all the way to Ireland without refueling, I have had itchy feet. I think I got it from my mother.
She used to love to just get in the car and go…the freedom of being able to take off whenever she wanted (almost). It is an exhilarating feeling!
Hello, I’m Deirdre. I’m a mom, a daughter, a sister, a niece, an aunt and a cousin. I love animals, especially Golden Retrievers (and have had 4) but don’t have any pets right now as life is in transition. I miss them.
For 23 years I’ve been teaching high school Spanish – and while I loved to travel before that – teaching has given me opportunities to go places and do things that I might not have done otherwise.
But I have recently retired from teaching as there are other things that are calling to me.
Tourist Guide
Eight years ago, I became a licensed tourist guide. That is the best of both worlds! Teaching AND Traveling. You have to be creative to show off a place that you’ve visited four times this week to people who have never seen it before – and make it feel like you are describing it for the very first time, just for them! But it is incredibly rewarding and exciting. You’re always meeting new and interesting people.
The Personal Stuff
Apparently, although I don’t remember it, my first words were spoken in French. My mother had answered an ad for teachers in Western Canada and so my parents left Ireland and headed for the prairies. She sort of “forgot” to tell them that I was on the way.
A year and a half later, we were living in Quebec and my playmates were French speaking – so I was as well. Unfortunately, I don’t speak French now. We came to the States when I was 2 and all the French was lost. However, language always did come easily to me and I do speak Spanish rather well. I studied at Georgetown University and in Madrid at the University Complutense.
In 1998, after raising my family and experiencing a few significant life changes, I returned to teaching and have traveled extensively with students. More recently, I’ve begun leading my own tours to Europe.
All told, I’ve made more than 45 round trip Atlantic crossings. The vast majority have been to Ireland to visit family: weddings, funerals and holidays. But others have been for the sheer enjoyment of seeing exotic places and experiencing new things.
I hope you’ll explore my blog a little bit – enjoy the photos, stories and maybe even sign up! I would love to hear your comments!
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