By
Don and Linda Freedman
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Julie
Gerrard
is the
Ziner
in the Spotlight!
Julie
in Ceret, France
For Julie Gerrard, the travel instinct kicked in at age six weeks, when, comfortable in a basket behind the front seat (no one worried about car seats in those days!), she traveled with her parents from Kamloops, B.C. to Swift Current, Saskatchewan. By the time she was six years old, Julie had been back and forth from Swift Current to Victoria via train and ferry several times. As she grew up her horizons expanded. When the family moved to Idaho, they spent every August car-camping, hiking and exploring the Pacific Northwest (and sometimes farther afield.)
When she had children of her own, she and her late husband (also a veteran of childhood car trips) decided travel was an important part of their education. The family took long trips in the United States and abroad when the children were growing up. Both kids subsequently spent time overseas as exchange students.
Deciding it was never too late to be "une étudiante étrangère", Julie went twice to LíInstitut de Francais in Villefranche-sur-Mer for French immersion, long after the kids had grown up and left home.
For Julie, travel is a way of expanding life. She often returns to favorite destinations - Scandinavia, France, Venice, Transylvania (more on that in a minute). As to further ventures, Japan is still on the list. So is Eastern Canada. Perhaps the next trip, AFTER a return to Transylvania in July, 2010.
You may ask, "Why Transylvania?" Julie's Unitarian church has been in partnership with the Unitarian church in Torockószentgyörgy, a village in the Carpathian foothills of Romania, for 20 years. Getting to know the ethnic Hungarian people of this very small village over the course of four stays has certainly been a life-expanding experience.
Julie, we are happy to recognize you for expanding TheTravelzine community over the years with your many helpful contributions!
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