An Unexpected Gift - April 26, 2010

Over the years, I have been blessed to have received numerous forms of benevolence during my trips overseas - directions, offers of rides, dinner invitations, words of encouragement or even just a smile when I was lonely and needed it most. I believe in travel magic, but it normally doesn't happen until a person is willing to make a leap of faith into the unknown. That's why I decided to undertake Traveling Teacher 2010.

Despite all of the gifts I've gotten, I'm still awed occasionally by unexpected travel generosity. Last week, I received such a gift when my friend Joanie Sompayrac offered to use some of her frequent flier miles to buy me a ticket to Turkey. I am still humbled and blown away by the gesture.

Joanie is one of the most generous, supportive people that I've ever met. If it were not for her enthusiastic response last year when I talked to her about my idea for this blog, I might never have done it. Thank you, Joanie.

At first, I was a little hesitant to accept the gift because it seemed a bit too much, but my friend simply replied, "It isn't just about you. It's about the journey." Joanie, who is also a college professor, said she, too, is hoping that this journey will show students that anything is possible and that the world is a lot smaller than we recognize.

Later, I realized another aspect of my hesitancy to accept her gift was that I never expected benevolence to show up in the form of an airline ticket. It didn't fit in with my perception of how the ripples from my blog were supposed to spread through the universe. It's one thing to receive a few dollars or overnight accommodations, but an entire ticket?

In essence, I was seeking to control the spread of the ripples, which is the last thing I wanted to do, and worse, I was attempting to deprive my friend of the joy of giving. Intellectually, I know that love and friendship are as much about receiving as giving, but I'm still working on letting that truth sink in completely. It made me wonder how many other times in my life I haven't been open to receiving gifts because they were wrapped up in unfamiliar packages.

Last spring, this journey began with a classroom discussion of whether someone could travel around the world relying on the generosity of others, and my students continue to be at the heart of my quest. A week hasn't gone by in class without us discussing the importance of dreams and without my students asking how much money I've collected.

Today, I got to share my good news about the ticket with my students, many of whom have been skeptical about my chances of getting overseas. I understand their skepticism. Most of my kids are immigrants whose families struggled in their native lands and who continue to struggle to make it in the United States. The notion of a benevolent universe is a bit foreign, and dreams like college seem out of reach.

When I revealed my news today, I felt as if my English class had collectively achieved a great triumph. Spontaneous applause and yelling filled the room, but then, just as quickly, the hoopla died down, and my students just sat silently with proud smiles etched on their faces. Other students stared into space appearing to be deep in thought.

I'll never know what was going through their minds, but I'd like to think that perhaps they had arrived at a realization that if Mr. Dickinson's crazy dream was within reach then maybe their own dreams were achievable.

Still, despite my announcement, one of my students remains doubtful about the trip. "I'll believe it Mister when I see the ticket," she said. I assume she's not the only student or adult with doubts. Hopefully, this trip will change some more minds.

So, now I know that I will actually be going to Turkey this summer. Wow!

When will I leave? I'm not sure. How long will I be there? I don't know that either. Where will I visit? That's up in the air, too, but Joanie has suggested I visit, Izmir, which I would like to do, and I assume I will be flying into Istanbul.

I am leaving the details of the flight to my benefactor. In other words, I'm having to give up control and let the ripples unfold, but I will share those details in future posts.

In the meantime, I continue to need your help now more than ever. This is the world's trip, so please send me suggestions of who or what to visit in Turkey. It doesn't have to be a tourist site. Some of my best travel experiences have been volunteering, which I believe is the best way to delve into a culture and to give back to the people who live there. Do you know of an organization in Turkey where you'd like me to volunteer?

Also, I continue to need your financial help. So far, I've got only $34.05 to spend on food, accommodations and travel within Turkey. Please consider making a donation using my PayPal button on the right side of the blog.

If you can't make a donation, I would be grateful for any offers of meals or lodging in Turkey. The theory of six degrees of separation claims that any person in the world can be connected to any other person in the world through at most five acquaintances. If that's true, I'm hoping that someone reading this blog has an acquaintance in Turkey who might be willing to give up a couch for a guest.

As I look toward the summer, I think of the words of Albert Einstein, who once said, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe." With that in mind, even if I receive no more than $34.05 in donations, I still plan on making the trip. I'm not worried because, as with the ticket, I know that the universe and God will provide, if I'm willing to make the leap of faith onto Turkish soil. I can't wait to see what happens, and I promise to share it all on my blog.

30 Days Left - April 14, 2010

There's only 30 days left.

Back in August, I began my on-line quest to find out if a teacher could travel around the world relying on benevolence. Part of the quest was already achieved when voters decided on my destination, Turkey, but now two parts of the quest remain - I need your suggestions on what to visit in Turkey, and I need your financial help.

In 30 days, I will either be buying a plane ticket, or I will be bringing this nine-month journey to a close. In that case, I will donate the $34.05 that's been contributed to me to Doctors Without Borders, Catholic Relief Services and Save the Children.

If you believe in this endeavor, please help before May 15.

A lot can happen in 30 days, and I think nothing motivates a person more than a deadline. Now, that deadline is fast approaching.