Follow Me as I Start a New Chapter in My Life April 9th-June 8th, 20151. AUSTIN, TX IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association, “Publishers University” conference.
2). ATHENS, GREECE, and possibly the island of HYDRA.
3). GREENWICH, LONDON- Studying for the TESOL, to teach English as a 2nd language.
4). PARIS, to celebrate my dad’s 90th birthday.
5). St. Malo, Brittany for 4 days.
6). Pedraza, Spain, volunteering with Vaughan Town in the 13th Century village of Pedraze
7). Back to Los Angeles, June 8th.
1). Austin, Texas
IBPA (Independent Book Publishers’ Association) from April 9-11 in Austin, Texas. I shall blog about the topics that I’ve signed up for like:
How to be a Profitable One-Person Publishing Company
Building Author Platform with Social Media and Publicity
Profitable Sales Beyond Bookstores and Libraries
What You Need to Know to Get Your ebook Distributed (with or without Amazon.)
Book Metadata from Head to Toe
How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon
My youngest son moved to Austin. He says there are some great restaurants and live bands everywhere, so I shall combine IBPA “Publishing University” with some special time with my son. Here is what I learned from last year’s IBPA conference.
2). Athens Greece
I am spending an authentic vacation in Greece, thanks to Rebecca Hall, who writes a wonderful blog about Greece and more, called “Life Beyond Borders”. She connected me with Marissa and Elena, the Travel Bloggers Greece ladies, They prepared a custom tour for me with “Discover Greek Culture, Dig Deeper, Discover More.”
I shall blog about my adventures in Greece from April 14-18. I start with a walking tour of the National Garden, originally commissioned by Queen Amalia, the first Queen of Greece. This will be followed by a private tour of the museum of the City of Athens, Vouros-Eutaxias Foundation, accompanied by the museum’s researcher. The focus is on modern history of Greece, from 1834 onwards.I shall enjoy the aristocratic life in the early years of the Modern Greek state served at a 19th century dining I also hope to visit the island of Hydra with Beccy.
I have booked a studio apartment on Airbnb with a view of the Cutty Sark
3) Greenwich, London
I am taking the Cert-TESOL certificate in London for one-month. This is the “Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages,” course which is respected and recognized globally by language schools. I have always wanted a qualification I can use anywhere in the world, and thanks to Rebecca Hall, who writes about “Life Beyond Borders” blog, I was guided to this specific course.
I booked my studio apartment with Airbnb for one-month to cut down on my expenses in London. Here’s what I did to save money.
My wonderful dad turns 90 in one month. This was taken last year.
4) Paris
My dad turns 90 on May 20th, so I am excited to be in Paris to celebrate with my European family. Dad’s dilemma is whether to have a small family get-together, which is what he would prefer, or whether to turn it into a big party, which some family and friends are hoping for.
5). St. Malo, Brittany.
My father is still in great shape and loves to travel. This year he, and his wife, Jill, visited Myanmar- (Burma). I am lucky to be invited to join both of them on a 4 day trip to St. Malo, Brittany. Watch this VIDEO to get an idea of the scenery, people and beaches. More photos and information about St. Malo.
6). PEDRAZA, Spain.I volunteered in May 2014, with Vaughan Volunteers in Spain. This time I shall be doing the same, in a 13th Century Village, called, Pedraza. Here is a VIDEOshowing the village where I shall spend one week with Spaniards who have signed up to improve their English conversational skills. Most of them are business people who need to practice with native Anglos. That’s what they call the volunteers. Our first-class accommodation and meals are paid for. I wrote a blog post, “Get a Free Vacation While Speaking English” about my wonderful experience last year. Check out all the photos of Pedraza from a previous volunteer. It’s so beautiful.
My two American volunteer friends in Spain in May 2014 with Vaughan Town. Woody and Kathi.
Sonia, Way to go. Your trip sounds fantastic . . . a combination of sightseeing, learning, visiting family, and continuing to establish your brand of gutsy living.
Your goal to reivent yourself in mid-life is something I certainly can identify with . . . after I left the newspaper in 2007 . . . what to do with the rest of my life? Thus began the adventure of the Women’s Writing Circle, publishing my memoirs and meeting all kinds of new and interesting people. In short, an exhilirating journey. Safe travels, good friend. I look forward to reading about your adventures this next month.
I know you like to travel and come up with new ideas. We both like to meet new and interesting people. It’s a great way to come up with new plans for the future. Sonia Marsh recently posted..Travel with Me As I Reinvent Myself
Sonia, I will love following you on this wonderful trip. Thanks for taking me back to places I went to long ago (Greenwich, St. Malo) and to ones where I’ve never been (Greece). Have a great time reinventing yourself as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. Years ago in Mexico, I took a similar course and taught English for five years. After writing, teaching is the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done. I hated leaving it when I left Mexico. Look forward to hearing about your travels and experiences. Penelope James recently posted..WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YESTERDAY’S HOME WAS A MANSION AND NOW IT’S ONE ROOM?
I just popped over to your blog and like the changes you made.I haven’t been to Greece before either. I also get to meet Rebecca Hall. Do you follow her on FB? Sonia Marsh recently posted..Travel with Me As I Reinvent Myself
Sonia, Way to go. Your trip sounds fantastic . . . a combination of sightseeing, learning, visiting family, and continuing to establish your brand of gutsy living.
Your goal to reivent yourself in mid-life is something I certainly can identify with . . . after I left the newspaper in 2007 . . . what to do with the rest of my life? Thus began the adventure of the Women’s Writing Circle, publishing my memoirs and meeting all kinds of new and interesting people. In short, an exhilirating journey. Safe travels, good friend. I look forward to reading about your adventures this next month.
Susan,
I know you like to travel and come up with new ideas. We both like to meet new and interesting people. It’s a great way to come up with new plans for the future.
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Travel with Me As I Reinvent Myself
Sonia, I will love following you on this wonderful trip. Thanks for taking me back to places I went to long ago (Greenwich, St. Malo) and to ones where I’ve never been (Greece). Have a great time reinventing yourself as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages. Years ago in Mexico, I took a similar course and taught English for five years. After writing, teaching is the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done. I hated leaving it when I left Mexico. Look forward to hearing about your travels and experiences.
Penelope James recently posted..WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YESTERDAY’S HOME WAS A MANSION AND NOW IT’S ONE ROOM?
I just popped over to your blog and like the changes you made.I haven’t been to Greece before either. I also get to meet Rebecca Hall. Do you follow her on FB?
Sonia Marsh recently posted..Travel with Me As I Reinvent Myself
Hi Sonia…I am so excited for your new life. I will be following along your Gutsy journey. Hugs, Charla