My first trip to France: Epilogue

As I look back after 30 years, I have to consider how my first trip to France influenced my life.

At first, not much. I graduated high school without a clear idea what I wanted to do in life, so I went to community college for two years. It was during that time that I conceived a particular idea -- I wanted to get paid to travel to foreign countries. And I didn't want to just visit; I wanted to actually live in those places.

The first step was to the University of Hawai`i -- the farthest you can get away from the U.S. Mainland without leaving the United States. After that, it was South Korea. And by joining the Army, I went to Afghanistan and [back] to Korea. Then [back] to Hawaii. And in my role as a GS federal employee, I am now in Japan.

In a nutshell, it was my trip to France that helped set me on the path that I am still on to this day. I wanted to get paid to live and work in foreign countries, and that's what I do.