Making new LLf’s is really making the last 4weeks of our 5yrs of global tour more exciting and fun.

In Portland we got to make new friends who will always be part of our families lives forever.

So grateful to have met you Rudy and your lovely family. We had so much fun out just enjoying some night life (adults only) date night in Portland. And I think for me it felt like another 40th birthday celebration.

Our son got to spend some time with our friends kids and we all had a sleep over at their home. So grateful for hosting us and also making delicious breakfast for us all. We really had a great Easter morning with family and friends.

Rv Exploration Continues

Nothing beats the excitement of seeing a field of beautiful vibrant tulips… that’s exactly how it was at the tulip festival in Portland.

But I must say the journey was not as pleasant as the reward we got from seeing all the beautiful flowers.

The tulip place and our rv park is exactly 52min drive. So you see that part was not a big deal. We drove and got to the are at 2.5miles to the tulip farm… that approximately 5min drive per our gps calculations. Until we saw the traffic and I am not joking on this one. It took us 3 hours and 45min from the time our gps say 5min to our destination. The traffic was so slow we had many discussions wether it was worth the drive. But we are a family that will not quit for anything so we stayed in that traffic and really I don’t think it’s worth the 4hours of slow traffic but hey we made it.

At the gate they charge $20 per vehicle or $5 per adult . So we parked our car and we just enjoyed the beautiful smells of tulips and the colors… and also got to see the hot air balloon. It was a beautiful afternoon to enjoy the tulip festival which happens every year around March.

Here are a few pictures of tulip exploration.

Rv Exploration Continues

We as a family have always been aware and excited by the love around us. And in many ways it comes in the form that you least expect. As I post on our social media, I have come to realize that there are so many people who follow our life and are inspired by what we are doing and sharing. I had no idea Nike (our families favorite sports gear) actually have their headquarters just 20min drive from our rv place. Until I got a message from a friend who connected us to her amazing friend and the fun began from there. We got to visit the Nike campus (which is how they call this beautiful huge sports enthusiast place) it was on a Saturday so most of the places was closed, but it was so worth seeing the ones that was open. The passion for what Nike does is amazing. So grateful we got to see their campus and also did some sports outfit shopping. Thanks to our host For showing us around. Love it all.

Our Portland visit is sure to leave a great memory for our family.

Rv Exploration Continues…

Thank you California for a great time… from the oldest tree at the sequoia national park to the tallest tree at The redwood forest national park… and from walking the streets in Beverly Hills and on redeo drive (with expensive stores that I need appointment before I can walk) to many many memories and oh the fisherman wharf in San Francisco we say thank you for allowing us explore your state.

Now time to move on to Portland Oregon..

here are some pictures of us in Cali

Rv Exploration Continues

Like I have always said our time in each state leaves a memory for us when we get to either meet our friends, family or make new friends. And San Francisco happens to be one of them.

Got to spend the day with a family whom we have known since he was young and now he is all grown into an amazing young man. Thank you Patrick for taking the time to show us the beautiful city of San Francisco and also our walk through Chinatown… which happens to be the first and oldest Chinatown in the USA.

We got to walk around the fisherman wharf and just enjoy walk from pier to pier. We also got to do the mirror maze which took me more minutes than the rest of my crew to find the exit. Pretty awesome activity for the whole family.

Over all we enjoyed our day in San Francisco.

Rv Exploration Continues

That’s really all we needed as they had closed most of the roads to the main view point due to snow.

It was beautiful but cold for us. At the sequoia national park we got to see the largest tree in the world which is called the General Sherman and it’s sits majestically on the grounds surrounded by the smaller but yet huge trees. It absolutely fascinating to see these sequoia trees.

We stayed at the KOA park in Visalia which is about 45min from the park.

So grateful to be able to see some of the amazing wonders of this world.

Rv Exploration Continues…

So we usually don’t book ahead of time so sometimes we end up staying way too far from the action. Well Los Angeles was just like that for us. After many calls to lots of rv places we could not get a reservation so we ended staying at a KOA an hour away from Hollywood. Many days we dread going into town so we spent most of the days at the rv place while kids get some college scholarships done.

We got to take a day trip into Hollywood sign and the stars walk of fame as well as Marcus did a date to the rodeo drive.

Also we got to spend some lunch time with love ones we have not seen in years so that definitely made up for a not so adventurous Los Angeles Exploration. And we also made new friends.

One sad thing is Marcus electric bike he just bought 2weeks ago got stolen at the KOA place: they literally cut the locks and took the bike between 9pm and 8am. That was surly a bummer for us. Anyways but life goes on.

Rv Exploration Continues…

Rv Exploration Continues….

As a teenager going into college this fall semester, I am preparing myself for adulthood which comes with certain responsibilities like paying for my education. Although I am ecstatic to begin a new chapter in my life full of learning new things and making lifelong friends, this is a worry of mine. How am I going to pay for college? Yes, there are student loans and grants, but every day the interest piles up to become quite a hefty amount on the already expensive loans I am probably going to have to pay off for the rest of my life!

 Honestly I think tuition should be free to those who want to learn and grow, and hopefully it will be that way in the future so that kids will be more motivated to learn without the daunting thought of debt. As a soon to be lawyer I will be enrolling in the philosophy of law minor as an undergraduate student at Virginia commonwealth university and entering in the L.Douglas Wilder school of Government and public Affairs internship program next year.

  I am going into college with my mind ready to be filled with knowledge and wisdom and intend on becoming the best lawyer I can be. I feel that the world has a shortage of well-rounded leaders, especially of the female gender. I have made it my mission to change that.  I have always wanted to be a lawyer because for centuries, lawyers have stood at the center of society and have been able to impact leaders and affect change around the world. I can confidently say that it has become my goal in life to become a well-rounded leader and be the change people want to see in the world.

 This summer I got selected as a volunteer to travel to Ghana, west Africa to educate and transform the healthcare model in Africa and provide community service to the culturally rich Ghanaians. It is my goal to reclaim the role of women in society and change the close minded perspective the world has kept for to long.

 This  scholarship will make a huge difference in helping me focus more on my education, than trying to figure out how to pay for it. With my father being the only breadwinner in my large family of seven, two of us going into college at the same time, this scholarship will definitely help make my college education more of an educational experience rather than a struggle to make ends meet. This money will give me the opportunity to make my dreams and goals a reality.  https://www.activia.co.uk/scholarship-us

Prompt- Why is learning important to you and how has it impacted your life?

Aasha Manns

My parents spent most of their adult lives working to evolve and improve the healthcare systems in developing countries, primarily contributing in the West African country of Ghana. My dad always had a dream of taking our entire family on a five-year learning exploration of the various cultures of our planet. At my father’s fortieth birthday party my mom  jokingly reminded my dad of his ambitiously ridiculous dream. Little did I know that that “joke” would alter the course of the next 5 years of my life.

It all began so quickly when, about one week after my father’s birthday, I found myself sitting with my family in the dining room. We listened to my dad, with a marker in his hand and a whiteboard by his side, talk about how few clothes each person could pack. We were limited to just two pairs of jeans, one pair of shorts, and a few shirts. I could speak for us all when I say we thought the vision was crazy. Following was a “donate or throw away” fashion show and a yard sale where my sisters and I sold movies, books, and our famous dandelion honey lemonade.

The next two months were full of research for cheap accommodations, discounted flights, Visa requirements, travel and safety announcements, as well as quite a few teary eyed goodbyes. My large family of seven with no savings and a modest salary, stood at the terminal for our first flight to South Africa. We understood that our bold plan would have some ups and downs or might not work out at all.  However, there was a burning desire to learn more about our planet in each and every one of us as we heard, “Flight 1607 boarding to Cape Town.”

In four short years, I have explored six continents, twenty countries, thirty cities, and five wonders of the world.  We’ve met at least a hundred lifelong friends and have been immersed in many different cultures, all while being home schooled!  I cannot forget the many times we’ve crammed into Thailand’s local tuks tuks past the headcount limit with our “distract the driver” strategy. Now, 47 states into the final year of our five-year journey,  I currently sit in Las Vegas, Nevada eating breakfast in a mobile tin can that my family and I call home.

This last stretch of our Manns’ World Tour has really forced me to adapt to life in a cramped living situation. I have had to hone in on my co-existing skills especially when it comes to bathroom rights. I have also acquired  a minimalistic lifestyle that has taught me to let go of many material things because I understand what should really be valued in life.

This journey of a lifetime started with a desire to learn and grow. Through it all I have learned how to network with anyone, co-exist in group settings, communicate effectively in an articulate manner,  thoroughly research anything, take calculated risks, and last but definitely not least, I have learned not be afraid of being afraid. With the skills and tools I’ve acquired throughout my travels, I am determined to make the most out of my life. Now my sister and I are preparing for college and will be faced with a different set of challenges, the biggest one being paying for this endeavor.  As I feel the weight of this new chapter weighing down on me, I remind myself that life is just a learning process and just like I’ve done through my travels and before, I will figure this out and prevail.

Activia Training Scholarship

https://www.activia.co.uk/scholarship-us