World schooling my girl!
Robyn is teaching her daughter about life by helping her live it to the fullest
The looks on their faces said it all. Frowns, head shakes, it was the same for nearly everyone I told.
‘You’re mad,’ friends said. ‘It’ll be so hard.’
You’d have thought I was suggesting moving to the moon, but actually I was just going to take my three-year-old daughter, Soraya, on an adventure.
I wanted to share my love of travelling with her – surely it wasn’t that crazy an idea?
‘We won’t go for long,’ I reassured my mum,
Jenny, 61. Seeing how determined I was, people started coming on board.
I’d always loved travelling, but since becoming a single mum I’d been stuck in a bit of a rut.
‘I need to connect with who I am again,’ I’d told Mum as she nodded along, encouragingly.
But I don’t think she quite expected how I was going to do that!
Once I’d made up my mind I saved like crazy for a year. I stopped going to the movies and buying stuff. We moved in with Mum and sold all our belongings on Gumtree.
Within 12 months I had $15,000, and in July 2016, I packed two suitcases and two backpacks and headed off into the world with Soraya at my side.
However, at three, she wanted to be carried and without a stroller that was my first challenge!
But as we soared into the air on that first plane heading for Bali, I was the happiest I’d felt in years.
Our first stop was a great introduction to travel. Bali is such a kid-friendly place and I quickly realised how different it was to have Soraya with me.
‘Come and have dinner with us,’ families offered.
People seemed more open seeing me with my daughter and she loved the attention from all the locals.
A highlight was attending a traditional Balinese ceremony. A taxi driver mentioned it to me and we ended up being the only tourists there.
‘Let us dress you,’ his family said, before we were guided past waterfalls to the temple.
Next came Spain, where Soraya started picking up the language. Then we travelled to Mexico.
Being half Mexican, I wanted Soraya to embrace
She had an amazing time with local kids
her heritage and she loved it.
Smashing piñatas, running around with local kids, she had an amazing time.
Over eight months, we went on 21 flights. Of course there were challenges.
Soraya was like any three-year-old. One day in the street she had a typical toddler meltdown and refused to move.
But as I picked up her screaming, angry, little body, I realised it would be the same if we were still in Townsville.
Although it would be nice to drop her at Mum’s right now! I thought to myself.
Mostly she was incredible, and loved seeing new things and meeting new people.
When our money ran out and it was time for us to come home, I knew it wouldn’t be forever.
‘We’ll have another adventure soon,’ I told her.
Back home with Mum, I started saving again and over the next year I made $15,000.
‘Can I go to school, Mummy?’ Soraya, now five, asked in January.
Happily agreeing, I enrolled her for a term.
It’s been a brilliant experience and she’s really developed socially, but next term her learning will take a different route. She’ll be world schooled instead!
Together we’ve devised a trip from Fiji to Nepal and back to Mexico again, where she will go to school and hone her Spanish.
This time we will be away longer. With Soraya being older, I’ll be able to work as we go. We’re also going to be more involved in communities with homestays and volunteer work, which I hope will teach Soraya more.
I know it’s not conventional, but who says we have to be?
I’m teaching Soraya about life through living it and I think she, and I, will get so much more from it this way.