As a teacher you have a large block of time to travel in the summer. One summer, I visited Denmark and had the opportunity to have home hospitality though the Meet the Danes arranged by the Danish tourist bureau. I was impressed by the experience and all during my sabbatical trip round the world, I kept searching for home hospitality opportunities.

It was not until 1977, when a cousin from Austria visited me here in San Francisco, told me how she was traveling around the US for 3 months with 5 others and visiting Americans using Servas. I was delighted to discover such an organization existed and joined Servas immediately -- first as a host and then as a traveler.

My first travel experience with Servas was as a host. Because I have a history of having people stay in my home, having Servas visitors came easy. It is only a two night stay and a good conversation. Being a host brings the travel experience into your home. My first visitors were a couple from Denmark, who helped me better understand what Servas represents. Because Servas was started in Denmark under the name Peace Builders and later changed to the Esperanto word Servas to serve, I realized that the purpose of the organization was to build peace one person at a time. That was for me!

I have had over 300 Servas visitors in my 28 years in Servas and have learned so much from their questions about who I am, what I believe, what the USA is or is not, and how much more there is to learn. There are many ways to travel and see other places. One of the best ways to travel is through the open wide ranging conversations with a travelers whether it be in their home or mine.

3. Please tell us a few stories about some of the international visitors that have stayed at your home or travellers you connected with, and tell us how some of these experiences have opened your eyes..