homeschooler, WWOOFer, blogger, and world traveler. You can read more

about her crazy life at http://www.thenewsbase.com plus lots of stuff

about gardening, cooking and books. She never planned to travel the

world, but sometimes life throws us curves and she’s still learning to

roll with the punches. Someone must have given her the old Chinese

curse: “May your life be interesting”.

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri in the USA, but I moved to Arkansas

when I was 8, and that’s my real roots. I will always be a Southern

girl, wherever I live. A lot of people misunderstand the South.

There is a lot of poverty, prejudice, and poor education. But the

South is also about being close to your family and friends, living off

the land, and being a rebel: not letting people tell you what to do,

making your own way. Right now, we are living in rural France, which

in many ways reminds me of Arkansas.

Where do you consider your home to be?

Home. That word is so full of meaning. It can mean the place you

live, the place you’re from, the place your family is, where you feel

the most comfortable, where you feel you belong. It conjures up

thoughts of warm hugs, Mom, and comfort food. It’s a nostalgic,

romantic word, especially for me. I’m quick to call a new place

“home”, even if we’re someplace for a week I say “let’s go home” when

we’re out shopping or something. But I don’t mean that deeper sense

of home. I guess in a way I’m still searching, although the Gulf

Islands in Canada feels like where I most belong. That may seem like

I’m contradicting my last answer about Arkansas being my roots. But

Arkansas is what I came out of. I love it, but I don’t have the same

political and religious beliefs that I grew up with, and in most of

Arkansas that makes you stick out like a sore thumb. Many people

would not accept me there. There are a lot of close-minded people,

and I don’t have time for that in my life.

How many addresses have you had?

Let’s see… not counting all the times I moved around within the US

(about 5 times, mostly within Arkansas), we’ve lived in Belize,

Germany, Canada, and now France. So that’s four different countries,

and counting. France is nice, but it’s not where we will stay

forever. The hardest thing about moving is that all the junk you

collect over the years, whether it’s sentimental, or just junk, builds

up. You try to sell it, but you end up just giving it away. And we

have things stashed all over the world, hoping we’ll be able to go

back and retrieve it at some point. When you fly, there’s only so

much you can take. And it’s hard to fit a lifetime into 6 suitcases.

Can you tell me about the different jobs/careers you’ve had?

I got married when I was 18, and I only did a semester of college

before I got pregnant. I was suposed to take a semester off, and then

go back, but it was so overwhelming, and I was helping my husband

start a business. We told ourselves we didn’t need to finish college.

We were already successful. And that’s worked out OK for the most

part, but I wish sometimes that one or the other of us had finished.

It makes thinks a lot easier for international paperwork, and of

course opens up career opportunities. I’ve worked for Taco Bell,

McDonald’s, Microplane as a factory worker, and Wal-mart. I have also

been an insurance agent for Aflac and a telemarketer for the Heritage

company. Most of these jobs were to help us out when our on-line

interests were struggling (we sold dial-up Internet access and web

hosting for a while, dabbled in the paid to click industry, sold stuff

on eBay). Then, when we moved to Canada, we discovered WWOOFing -

Willing Workers (or World Wide Opportunities) On Organic Farms

(http://www.wwoof.ca is the Canadian site, but there are WWOOF

organizations around the world.). It started out as a way to get free

rent, but we learned a lot about organic food and why it is so

important. WWOOFing really helps farms to stay organic and

sustainable. I wish we had discovered it years ago.

Can you describe the process behind deciding to travel?

It’s sort of a long story. And it’s hard for me to tell. We have

been judged so often, and lost friends and family over it. You see, I

married a German man. We were madly in love and wanted to stay

together. So we got married, both of us thinking marriage = quick

citizenship. Nothing could be further from the truth. We filed our

paperwork, and waited for the government to respond, assuming

everything was ok. We pretty much forgot about it, knowing that we

had done what we were supposed to do. We had our son in March 2001,

and we had our business to keep us busy. Things were actually going

quite well for us. Then September 11 happened. It didn’t seem to

affect us directly. We didn’t know anyone affected. But unknown to

us, the immigration system changed completely. Under the Bush

administration, the border patrol was given more checkpoints and

several organizations were joined together to make “Homeland Security”

My husband went to Texas to take pictures of property we owned there

to sell. On his way back home he was stopped at a checkpoint. He

told the agent the truth – he was married to a legal US citizen, had a

US citizen kid. He had filed his paperwork, but never got anything

back. He didn’t carry his passport with him because gosh, it had been

several years, and he considered himself almost American by now. They

found his file on the computer, but said too bad, you did everything

you were supposed to do, but we have to take you in anyway just to be

sure. They kept my husband locked up for almost a month. We finally

were able to get him out, but he had to go to hearings every month in

Memphis, a 4 hour drive away! It finally became too much for him. He

decided to leave the country. Not to Germany, which he hated, but to

Belize, a Central American country we had read a lot about. Beautiful

place with easy immigration. He left and told me he understood if I

didn’t come along. He was there about a month by himself, getting our

house ready (we had bought a house there over the Internet a year or

two ago as an investment- for $7000 US!), and he sent a letter to

Homeland Security/INS, telling them he had left the country, and they

could all be happy now. My son and I joined him and we ended up

living there for a year. There were some political disagreements (the

prime minister of Belize basically invested all the Social Security

money into a new phone company, which went bankrupt!) and the

historically peaceful Belizeans began rebelling. No one was killed,

but rocks were literally being thrown at cabinet members, threats and

bad feelings were in the air, and we were afraid of a full-on

revolution. We were at the point where we could try to go home, or we

could stay and pay for residency (we couldn’t afford both). We chose

to go home. I had a 3 year old. It turns out there was no

revolution. Belize voted Musa in again the next election. But we

weren’t sure.

During this time, and immigration lawyer told us we would be able to

come back to the US, with Dan coming in as a tourist, and just refile

our paperwork. We wouldn’t have any problems, and could start with a

clean slate. That’s what we decided to do.

We came back into the US with no problems. We assumed that meant

everything was OK and we could carry on. The plan was for him to go

to Canada or Mexico every 6 months to stay legal. But with our

finances, and living so far from the border, this wasn’t possible.

Still, we figured we were technically legal, and if we laid low we’d

be ok. However, that illusion was shattered when about 5 ICE -

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – cars and a local small town cop

showed up in our yard, and arrested him. It was a moment we had

dreaded, but didn’t think would really happen. It didn’t make any

sense, and still doesn’t. Once again they kept him locked up like a

criminal – a month and a half, but this time it was more serious. INS

claims they didn’t get his letter about leaving. According to their

records, he failed to show up at his last hearing, and was still in

the country as an overstay. It was a second offense, so there was no

hearing. He was being deported.

Thus started the second wave of ex-patriotism for us. He was sent

“home” to Germany, which he hadn’t been to in about 10 years. And he

was told he couldn’t come back to the US for 10 years. So we’re in

exile at the moment. But we’re still workin on the paperwork…there

are ways to get forgiven and return sooner. It’s the biggest mess

ever! I can’t believe that the US tears about families like that, and

forces Americans to leave the country. Especially when we tried to go

the legal route. We filed our paperwork, we married for love, we did

our best to follow the law. And this is the thanks we get for it. At

the same time, I see people who are living illegally in the US, with

no claim at all. And it just burns me up. The worst is when someone

calls my husband an “illegal”. Like my parents. They just didn’t

understand. They said if the government wanted to lock him up, he

must be a criminal, an illegal.

There is an upside to all of this, however. First of all, we get to

travel! We have been places I never dreamed of, and we have met

people that we would have never know. Since my husband is an EU

citizen, we have access to EU countries with no problems, which is a

big relief. We don’t like Germany, it is too restrictive.

Homeschooling is illegal, and there is too much bureaucracy. So we

chose France, which seems like a good fit. We’re not sure where the

road will take us next, but we’re enjoying the ride.

What do you enjoy most about where you live now?

France is a great country. I love that there is so much space.

Germany was too crowded, all the houses up in the town together, and

the countryside given over to wheat fields. France seems a lot

easier-going with things: fishing is not so restricted, homeschooling

is legal, you are encouraged to park on sidewalks. And the French

are rebels. They just don’t give a darn. Which reminds me of

Arkansas. Food here is amazing, and booze is dirt cheap. We’re

learning a lot of French, and I love new languages and cultures.

Is there anything you miss about ‘back home? If so what is it?

Yes. From Arkansas: Cheetos. Haha. 24-7 Wal-marts (or any other

24-7 stores. They roll the sidewalks up here at 7). Cheap peanut

butter (I’m so sick and tired of Nutella, and hazelnuts in everything,

I could scream!). Garage sales (although we do have a rather decent

second-hand store here called Emmaus).

From Canada: The delicious apples we got so used to last year, being

near the sea, the free stores (like second-hand stores, but everything

is free!), the amazing people on the Gulf Islands

From Belize: cheap fresh fruit, great, loud music, tacos from my Cayo

taco vendor, Marie Sharp’s habanero sauce on everything, hearing

Creole

From Germany: 99 cent German oomph bread. The chewy, substantial bread

Germans use for their open-faced breakfast and dinner sandwiches.

And good liverwurst.

How has traveling/ becoming an expat changed you as a person?

It has really broadened my horizons. I used to have a lot of black and

white in my life. A lot of pre-conceived notions. When you learn for

yourself how people in other countries live, it tears those walls

down. I’ve become much more adaptable. In Belize we had an outhouse

and an outdoor shower, only cold water, and no washing machine. For a

while we didn’t even have a refrigerator! I learned to wash clothes by

hand and I learned to appreciate all the great things we have in

developed countries: washing machines, dish washers, hot water, indoor

plumbing, electricity. We take all this for granted, but so many

don’t have them!

In Canada we learned about WWOOFing, organic food, vegetarianism,

recycling, and a lot of other “green” things that we had never really

caught on to. They’ve always seemed like a way for companies to make

a lot of money. But we see them as very important now.

Unfortunately, our situation is a bit different now, so we’re not able

to live up to all things we learned, but we’re trying. I also learned

to love gardening in Canada!

How has traveling changed your lifestyle?

We have had to learn not to accumulate so much. Well, we’re learning.

It still adds up, but we have to really cut down. We feel we’re

living a very temporary existence. Tomorrow everything could change,

and we would have to start over someplace else. If so, what are we

going to take in our 6 suitcases? How can we get rid of or sell our

excess stuff? We’ve also quit having pets. They’re just too much

trouble to take along.

I also learned to appreciate true friends more. I had a bunch of loser

friends in Arkansas that I thought cared about me, but they were just

fair weather friends. I used to be very trusting of most people, and

I became paranoid, anti-social, and closed off for a while. I can’t

reveal my true self without revealing my travels and the reason for

them, and I hate being judged. My real friends have stuck with me

through thick and thin, and are always there when I need help. That

is absolutely priceless. When your own parents turn your back on you,

it helps to know that someone is still out there, backing you up, even

if that person is in another country. I’ve also learned to never put

friends before family. Most of our friends now are family friends,

people who are older than us and have traveled.

Everywhere we go, I pick up a few recipes and food ideas. Which

inevitably leads to cravings for things when we leave a country.

Some, like beans and cornbread, are relatively easy to duplicate. But

a fresh soursop or dragonfruit from Belize is almost impossible to

find elsewhere and rarely ripe. We’re building up likings for creme

de cassis (current liqueur), chestnuts and real French nougat which

I’m afraid will be hard to duplicate in another country.

Did you travel with your family?

Yes. I have had to go separately from my husband a couple times

because of immigration issues, but we always end up together.

How has traveling changed your family life?

Being separated is so hard, especially when it is not what we choose.

It ends up bringing us so much closer together. We’ve been through so

much together, and we all know there is nothing more important than

family. Many people envy us for our travels, many people judge us for

our past, but not many can really understand us. We are around each

other 24-7, especially now that we’re living in the downstairs of an

old gîte. Our beds are in the living room all together, and we work

together, do homeschool, etc. Sometimes it gets on my nerves, but I

love being close to my family and not getting all caught up in the

drama of the outside world.

How does your little one adjust to the changes?

He is always excited to meet new kids, especially if they’re in/from a

different country. He has his own little friends all over the world,

and some fantastic memories that will be with him forever. He’s never

been scared of anything, but he’s always so ready to jump into a new

friendship and talk to people. It’s hard for him to move, but every

time we do, I tell him, “Remember last time, when you were so sad to

leave (insert kid’s name) and then we went to (insert country name)

and you met (new kid’s name). Now if we hadn’t gone through that hard

time of missing someone, you would have never met your new friend!

Wouldn’t that be sad?”

I’m so glad that he can be exposed to so many cultures and kinds of

people. There is so much prejudice in Arkansas, but he has figured

out on his own that people are people anywhere in the world. Some are

good, some are bad, some are stupid, some made good friends. You

never know what you’ll find.

I’m very interested to see where he decides to settle down some day.

Or if he does settle. He enjoys traveling as much as I do.

Any last words…..?

I think everyone (in the States, at least) should be required to take

a year or longer trip to another country. There’s no better way to

broaden your horizons and discover who you are. The world would be a

much better place if we took the time to try to understand each other.

Thanks for this interview!

Thank You for taking the time Leighann, you have an interesting and touching story. Our reasons for traveling can be so varied, yet what we ‘get out of it’ is so rich.

Read More about Leighann at TheNewsBase.com

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