Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
I enjoyed my most powerful travel experience ever on my i rst trip overseas. I
was a 14-year-old with my parents, visiting relatives in Norway. We were in
Oslo's vast Frogner Park—which, then as now, is i lled with Gustav Vigeland's
great stony statues of humans of all ages, shapes, and sizes.
Immersed in this grand, chiseled celebration of family and humanity, I
gained a new insight into my little world. I noticed how much my parents
were loving me. h eir world revolved around me. h ey would do anything
to make me happy and help me enjoy a fuli lling life. At great expense to
their meager family budget, they were making it possible for me to travel.
h en I remember looking out over that park. It was speckled—like a Monet
painting—with countless other parents…all lavishing love on
their
children.
Right there, my 14-year-old egocentric worldview took a huge hit. I thought,
“Wow, those parents love their kids as much as my parents love me. h is
planet is home to billions of equally lovable children of God.” I've carried that
understanding with me in my travels ever since.
On the same trip, I sat on the carpet with Norwegian cousins watching
the Apollo moon landing. As Neil Armstrong took that i rst step on the
moon, my relatives heard his famous sentence translated into Norwegian:
