1968 FRENCH FAMILY

France became part of Lisa’s family many years before ‘76 when she would be born.

As the story goes, Lisa’s grandparents took their children on a Mediterranean cruise during which her teenaged uncle fell head-over-heals for a stunning French girl. Following a storybook romance, they married and started a bi-lingual family in Ohio.

As a result, Lisa grew up with holidays filled with French chatter and French ways of her aunt. But, no one anticipated the unfortunate turn of events that would bring her French aunt and uncle to take Lisa in when she was a teen…

1976 A FRANCOPHILE GRANDMOTHER

Lisa was born in the town where her father’s parents lived. From birth she forged a tight bond with her paternal grandmother spending every Wednesday and Sunday at “grandma’s house”.

Lisa’s grandmother, a Francophile, was an intrepid traveler who spoke often to Lisa of her dream that grandpa (a professor of European History) would take a sabbatical when Lisa reached high school so they could take her to France for a year.

1981 A RESILIENT MOTHER

Lisa’s parents divorced when she was five. Her father had suffered from a mental breakdown which left him disabled and though her parents loved each other deeply, Lisa’s mother had to make the difficult decision that it would be healthier for everyone in their little family of three if she and Lisa’s father didn’t live together. From 5-14 years old, Lisa’s resilient mother endeavored to raise her as a single working parent which was especially challenging with the tight finances and erratic schedule of her R.N. nursing position.

1976-1987 CULTURAL OPENNESS

On a tight budget and in need of childcare, Lisa’s mother was clever and resourceful.

Graduate students were moving to her hometown from various countries abroad to study at Ohio University and the economic disparity between China and the USA meant that students from East Asia were arriving with little to nothing. Lisa’s mom ingeniously bartered a room in her home for babysitting. As a result Lisa was raised with the help of a succession of two brilliant Chinese women who were studying toward PhDs and the husband of the latter who gained a visa to join her.

Lisa’s childhood memories include drawing at a desk next to the studious women who were preparing for their doctoral classes pouring over thick text books, preparing things like egg rolls and shrimp chips, and fashioning kites out of wire hangers with newspaper.

1981-HOMEMADE & HOMEGROWN = LOVE

Lisa’s mother passed down her grandmother and great-grandmother’s baking secrets.

Lisa’s maternal grandmother had seven children and by the time Lisa came along they’d had children and grandchildren such that Lisa had about 40 cousins and second cousins. Her grandmother always had two freshly baked pies on the counter so she was ready to serve a slice to anyone who might drop in. She also continued to farm a huge “victory” style kitchen garden right up until through her seventies. At the end of every visit to grandma’s house, Lisa’s grandmother would send Lisa and her mom home with canned green beans, frozen strawberries, fresh tomatoes… always saying “None of my children will ever go hungry!”

Lisa’s mother passed on the knowledge of baking and vegetable gardening passed down from mother to daughter in that family for generations.

1984-1985

Lisa discovers her childhood hero, Sojourner Truth, in the 4th grade Ohio History curriculum thanks to her teacher, Mrs. Barcikowski, who emphasizes significant figures in the fight for women’s equal rights.

The lesson on the “Ain’t I a Woman” speech given by Sojourner Truth at the Akron women’s convention and her walk across the States would stay with Lisa and inspire her forever.

1980s TEA PARTIES

Lisa’s love for hosting manifested itself early with progressively complex tea-parties. Throughout her childhood and early teens, Lisa thrilled at using her baking skills to create high tea gatherings complete with flower arrangements and paper top-hats for her gentlemen guests.

1986 FRENCH LANGUAGE & CULTURE

When Lisa reached 10, her grandmother enrolled her in an after-school French club where Lisa began learning French and made her first French crepes.

1991 LIVING CHEZ AUNTIE

When Lisa reached high school her mother succumbed to illness and her father’s brother and French wife warmly accepted Lisa into their bi-lingual home.

Lisa’s aunt patiently supported her efforts to master French, teaching and practicing with her daily.

1992-1994 AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION

Lisa graduated from the best private boarding school in Ohio. Lisa’s aunt and uncle enabled her to attend Western Reserve Academy where they taught. Lisa studied French with her aunt and took a class on French Literature with her uncle.

She would go on to get a BA in French and Anthropology with a minor in photography from Bennington College then an MA in International Studies from Ohio University and an MA in Anthropology at the University of California Santa Barbara.

1996 France

Lisa’s paternal grandmother, who was never able to fulfill her dream of taking Lisa to France for a year during high school, offers Lisa a junior year abroad in France. Lisa spends a year studying in what will turn out to be her future husband’s (Sojo guide Francis) hometown: Besancon.  While studying at the university, she shares an apartment with other foreign students, including two women from Japan.  When one day an Irish friend invites a young French fellow to a party: Lisa meets Francis.

Francis takes Lisa hitchhiking across Ireland. Lisa then backpacks around Europe on her own and makes a special trip to Sweden to meet distant reltives..

1999 Swaziland (Southern Africa)

Lisa spends the summer in Swaziland at a teacher training college.

1999-2001 JAPAN

Lisa spends two years teaching English in Japan and falls in love with the country. She travels from the south to the north and then begins organizing and leading excursions to introduce friends and family to the places that enchant her. She also writes a guide to the Ibaraki region which is published for other foreign teachers.

Francis joins Lisa in Japan for her second year and teaches French and English. 

Lisa convinces Francis to join her for a year of backpacking in Asia.

Spending at least one month in each country, they will visit almost a dozen countries. During the first month in China, they engage in intensive tourism with a focus on visiting the biggest and most famous tourist sights. Hopping from one tourist destination to another, they see all the big sights, are exhausted and realize that they have a lot of great pictures of important places but have learned very little about Chinese culture.

During the second month, in Vietnam, they begin to ease into "slow travel" and shift their focus toward food and culture.  They are rewarded with richer experiences and more contact with the local people by staying in one place for an extended period of time and taking day trips. They start asking local people and other travelers what they should see instead of relying heavily on a guidebook. They begin choosing restaurants based on how many people are in them rather than how attractive they look. Gradually these methodical changes grow into a full-fledged travel approach, the travel philosophy of "sojourning" is born. By the end of the year they'd: eaten in local people's homes; learned how artisanal products are made; had countless "off-the-beaten-path" adventures; and, were even invited to join a wedding!

2002

Lisa’s Francophile grandmother, who had always dreamed of taking Lisa to France and who paid for her junior year abroad in France, finally makes it to France to be with Lisa for the wedding!

Lisa puts her PhD plans on hold to focus on being a mother for few years, teaching some French classes at a local university. She volunteers frequently at a Community Supported Agriculture Farm boxing vegetable shares and planting seeds in the greenhouse in a barter exchange against locally grown organic vegetables.

2012-present AUSTIN

Lisa and Francis returned to the Austin area where they’d raise their two boys as bilingual French-American citizens. The boys would attend elementary school at the Austin International School where their education followed the French national curriculum and was taught in French and English with a dash of Spanish!

Lisa and Francis spent every summer in France so the boys could know their French family.

2012 AN EARLY INHERITANCE

At 92 years old, Lisa’s Francophile grandmother gives each of her 6 grandchildren $6,000 saying “I don’t want people sitting around waiting for me to die to receive their inheritance. I want the fun of seeing what you are going to do with it!”

Her grandmother lives three more years to see Lisa use $2,000 to begin beekeeping as well as installing a backyard vegetable and herb garden complete with chickens —AND, in honor of her grandmother who’d made sure France and French were part of Lisa’s life, Lisa used the remaining $4,000 to start Sojourner Tours…