Kids Travel From Home

We recently saw the new Disney film, “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which is set in a fictional fantasy land called Kumandra, based on Southeast Asian cultures from countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. In the film, Raya is on a quest to search for the last dragon of the land. She gets around by riding atop her animal sidekick named “Tuk Tuk,” which shares its name with Cambodia’s iconic motorbike-powered carriages. Raya also visits the land of Fang, which has a geometric, monumental design, inspired by Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. The temples of Angkor Wat are the largest religious monuments in the world. The photos of Angkor Wat seem magical, with the beauty of the temples deep in the jungle and the forests, the ancient stone carvings, reliefs, and statues, and the tree roots even having reclaimed some of the temples. In addition to looking at pictures of the temples of Angkor Wat, we also watched a video of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Battambang. This Bahá’í templ...

Out of all of the research I did on Benin, my favorite was learning about the legend of Benin’s fearless female warriors, who inspired the Dora Milaje, the all-women army in the fictional African nation of Wakanda in “Black Panther.” In the Kingdom of Dahomey, now in present-day Benin, there was an all-female army known as the Dahomey Warriors .  The Dahomey Warriors were traditionally called the N’Nonmiton, which means “our mothers” in Fon, the language of the Fon people of Dahomey.  Some European historians called them the Dahomey Amazons as they reminded them of the mystical and powerful all women’s army called Amazons in Greek mythology.   After we read about the Dahomey Warriors, and watched scenes with the Dora Milaje in “Black Panther,” we crafted our own metallic armor breastplate using a paper grocery bag, decorative items, and aluminum foil.  It was a super easy craft, and looks very regal, just like the Dahomey Warriors themselves! The adornments on t...

Although I have - in real life (!) - visited neighbors Montenegro and Greece, I did not know much about Albania.  A quick internet search taught me that there is a theme in Albanian culture related to the eagle.   The Tale of the Eagle is an Albanian folk tale that explains how Albania and Albanians received their indigenous name, Shqipëria (land of the eagles).  The flag of Albania also has a double-headed eagle in the center, representing both the north and south of Albania.   After reading about the eagle, we listened and danced to Albanian pop singers Dua Lipa, Rita Ora, and Melinda Ademi.  Melinda Ademi has a song called “Çifteli,” which we learned is an Albanian lute: a plucked string musical instrument, with only two strings, leading us to listening to Albanian folk songs using the çifteli.  Our favorite was the Albanian version of “Despacito” by Fatmir Makolli with the çifteli. Beautiful traditional Albanian dresses accompany the song on the v...

If there is one thing that Covid has taught us about children, it is that they are resilient and flexible, no matter the circumstances. It has also showed us that we should never take things for granted, including, of course, our health and our loved ones, but, also, travel! However, remote traveling is now easier than ever! I am on a mission to “travel” with my daughter to (almost) every country in the world. Every week or so we will travel from home to a different country and make a traditional craft, play a game, read a folk tale, listen to a popular song, eat a food, or watch a video inspired by that country. Please join us on our journey! I will make available whatever materials I can. If you have a particular connection to a certain country, please let me know so that you can share on that day. Obviously, globalization has taught us that every person can be affected by actions thousands of miles away, and I think it is important to raise children who are culturally sensitive glob...