Last May, The Girl (aka “Danger Monkey”*) packed up for 6 weeks in London to get her certification to teach English as Foreign Language. With the local support of her “Shoulda Daddy“**, she successfully completed the course, and then set about planning her next adventure…
Most schools start in September, and she was operating under the assumption that she’d have plenty of time to seek employment, interview and plan for a big move out of the country.
When she got the offer to teach in Izmir, Turkey, however, it came with the requested start date of July. That gave her about a week to think about it, then two weeks to plan, pack and buy the damn one-way ticket.
Which she did…
So while i’m off farting around in the big city, my kid is unpacking three over-stuffed suitcases in a gorgeous city on the Mediterranean. And launching her life in another direction…
Could i have done this at 25? Maybe… but i was busy changing her nappies, watching her take her first steps, and being sleep deprived as a new mother. She was a seasoned traveler by the time she was 18, and has independently traveled the world since.
No worries.
Very proud of her…. and may have to pack up The Boy and see about making a family road trip over the winter holidays. Stay tuned. And check your local listings for episodes of “Locked Up Abroad” in January…
photo found here
* She earned the name “Danger Monkey” after sailing around the world at 20 with “Semester at Sea” – where she managed to get booted out of a Turkish brothel in a fight, and visited the pyramids on camel back, after being adopted by a Bedouin family in Egypt. And then there was her solo trip to Morocco when she was 21… And that semester in Beirut the following year…
** Not to be confused with “Sugar Daddy”, Bob is the father she was supposed to have… they really should be genetically connected. i like to pretend that they are… although i know that biologically, it is impossible for conception to be delayed for 6 years or so. right?
Trailer Park Refugee 
Always a pleasure walking in to your place hen. I never know which way your pen will swing and what the drying ink will reveal. Again, I am far fae being disappointed with your inner sanctum.
“I never know which way your pen will swing…”
Ahhh, that makes two of us, hotstuff! Delighted that you continue to wander by… and the lovely nursemyra and i have shared a bit of pillowtalk around the mysterious jimmy bastard. have your ears been burning? or any other part of your body, for that matter?
The rumours are all true. Everything they say about me is true, especially the lies. Prison didn’t make me a beter man, it merely made me quicker in the shower. The answers to the same questions I am constantly asked are as follows.
6ft 7″
Shot, stabbed (twice)
Yes, it really is that big
Daisyfae
10 brothers
Uh huh, it really is my name, well part of it.
English Securicor vans
Two at a time has always been a pleasure
A broken bottle, It didn’t happen again
Human tripod? Yes, you might be right
Enough to be comfortable after I retire
No, no regrets
Nursey
Drooling in all directions…Jimmy B flirting with Df in the same hotel room as Nursey M is hotter than Scarlett Johanssen discovering true love in the arms of January Jones.
@jimmy – Now cut that out! You really are a bastard! [swoon, thud]
@mitzi – corset shots forthcoming… stand by!
what a wonder adventure!! and yes, i think you should plan a nice winter getaway =) i would in a heart beat
i had already scheduled all of my vacation time for the year. it’s going to be tricky, but i have a plan!
Kudos to your daughter! What a gal…
She’s not confused about chasing down what she wants…. i was just along for the ride at that age!
It’s very difficult to stand by and let them go off on their own adventures, isn’t it?
She’s done well, by all accounts. Dare I say, the antithesis of the “ugly American”?
it’s with mixed emotions… i will miss her, but i’m glad she’s headed where she wanted to go… her reasons for studying arabic and middle eastern studies was to help flatten the world. she’s a good animal. i’m good with that…
Daughters rock. My sister was in Turkey at 18 but I chose Dublin for my formative year. Best of luck to The Girl on her exciting adventures, and you on yours.
i’ve never been to turkey, and am looking forward to that road trip. now, to figure out how to keep The Boy out of a Turkish prison….
Yes, as some have said: kudos to your Danger Monky. But I’d add: kudos to mommy for giving her a good start and then allowing her the freedom.
Jee-zus! If other parents were as liberating (Use a dictionary!) the world would be a better place.
thanks – but she’s punched her own path… suspect that when i started dragging them to europe with me when they were still fairly young is when the travel bug settled in her, though…
I was in a rush to get out of college and start being an adult, but now I wish I’d farted around for at least a year abroad. Now I’m not changing diapers, but I do have a litter box to tend to, which keeps me from straying for very long …
by the time i was out of college, i was married and owned a house. i really wish i’d done the “year in europe” thing…
Please tell the Danger Monkey that I’m thinking of her (in a totally non-creepy way), OK? Not that I know her, but, well, you know, I think, what I’m saying.
i will pass that along… i understand. very, very much. thanks for stopping by! good to see you out and about!