e-mail
I’ve been dreaming of travel as of late. Maybe it’s a touch of wanderlust, or maybe it’s the cold, dreary Chicago weather that has me longing for sunshine and warmth. While I’ll never refuse a trip to Jamaica and while I’d love to take the kids to see a certain big-name rodent, my thoughts have been wandering toward Central America. I’ve been longing to visit Guatemala.
In part, I think this stems from the fact that I have never been; we weren’t able to take a visit trip and I was not able to travel for Beauty’s homecoming. I would love so much to go, to soak in the sights and sounds of a country I love as deeply as I do my own. I long to experience Beauty’s homeland culture first-hand.
There are reasons we won’t be traveling any time soon. For one, we are gearing up for another adoption in the future so our finances aren’t really open to a stay in Guatemala. In addition, I know we should wait a few years so the kids are able to better soak up the experience. So we won’t travel, at least for now. But that doesn’t mean my longing will stop. I will continually map out plans for a hypothetical, dream heritage trip. My rational mind will prevail with practicality, but that doesn’t mean a girl can’t dream.
Has anyone reading taken a heritage trip? If so, what was the age (or what were the ages) of your child(ren) when you traveled? I’d love to hear about your experiences. Anyone contemplating a heritage trip at this time?
I think it goes without saying that there are immense benefits of a heritage trip if you can take one at any point in your child’s life. For one, it will offer your son or daughter a chance to see his or her homeland–a place they may have heard about for years but have never seen first-hand–in close, personal detail. It can affirm the cultural identity you’ve encouraged in your child while providing concrete memories for those who left their first country so young that he or she has no specific memories of his or her homeland. But honestly, I believe heritage trips are for all members of the family. Siblings, parents, grandparents, and so on–everyone can benefit from exploring your child’s culture in his or her homeland.
Guatemala offers many beautiful sights to see and so many experiences to absorb. From exploring Mayan Ruins to hiking the Pacaya volcano, you are certain to find the beauty in Guatemala will take your breath away. My kids love looking at pictures of Guatemalan landscapes (specifically the black sand beaches) and we frequently discuss our future plans for a family trip to see “the spot where Beauty came from” (as stated by Bear). A few days ago, I printed out a few pictures of the wonders to be found in Guatemala and we started discussing (as a family) things we would like to see. At almost three and almost four respectively, Beauty and Bear were incredibly excited at the prospect of visiting Guatemala. Bear, in his most serious voice, said, “It’s almost as good as Disney World!”
Almost. Kids will be kids, I tell you.
I won’t be hopping a plane anytime soon, but for now, I’m content to keep on daydreaming of our heritage trip to Guatemala, knowing it will come into fruition in a few years. Hopefully at that point, it was trump the big-name mouse and all the princesses Beauty so adores, but I’m not certain. Either way, it will create memories for all of us bound to last a lifetime.
