Part of my job as a journalist is to attend international conferences in other parts of the world. It’s a privilege not too many people can have.
I have seen the Buddhist temples in Bangkok, Thailand. I have scaled the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I have walked through the fine white beaches in Bali, Indonesia. I have toured the award-winning zoo in Melbourne, Australia. I experienced a real safari while I was in Durban, South Africa. I learned to speak French (not fluently but just barely) while staying for almost a week in Montreal, Canada (more so, when we traveled to Quebec).
I have been to the United States several times. I rode a snowmobile while I was in Hibbing, Minnesota. I did surf twice – once in North Carolina and another in Savannah, Georgia. I marveled at the mysterious Wakulla Springs in Tallahassee, Florida. In Iowa, I saw the Old Faithful, the world's best-known geyser, spew out hot water.
I have been at the top of the Washington Monument (thus watching the White House from a distance). I have scaled the famous Statue of Liberty in New York City. I became a little kid again as I toured Paramount's Kings Island in Ohio. I got tired after boardwalking in New Jersey’s Atlantic City.
As I write this, the song popularized by Nancy Sinatra came to my mind. Well, while in the US, I have never been to Texas, but I have been to Utah. I have never been to Alabama, Nebraska, or Alaska, but have visited Indiana, Montana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
