Traveling. Every day, people travel, either to school, work, or maybe even another state. In 1954 the Vietnam war started. The rise of Ho Chi Minh and his Viet Minh party was the main cause of the war. “More than 3 million people (including 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War; more than half were Vietnamese civilians” (History.com Staff). There was a same anti-war movement, in 1965, that was covered up by many other news articles (“The Vietnam War”). The anti-war movement was not that important. Over 500,000 American soldiers were part of this major conflict. President Nixon called to remove all American troops in 1973, by 1975 the war was over and uniting the country as the “socialist republic of Vietnam” (History.com Staff).
            New Zealand. An independent dominion in 1907. Made up of two major land masses, this small country holds over 4.5 million people (Guide, New Zealand Tourism). One of the last countries to be found and settled, because it’s like an island, making it hard to find for settlers. Having 25% of the country born abroad, this country is very open to travelers (“A Brief History”).  Having so many people that are not native to the land, they speak many languages. English is the main language, followed by M?ori, Samoan and Hindi (“A Brief History”).
            September 11th, 2001. A tragic day for anyone in the United States. Two towers, three years to build, taken down in a couple of hours. The north tower standing 1,368 feet tall, holding 35,000 people this was a tower to see ("The World Trade Center History.”). The south tower, 1,362 feet tall held 430 companies ("The World Trade Center History.”). Being the tallest buildings in the world, some might say they were targets. One plane crashed into the south tower around 9am, making it crumble by 10 (History.com Staff).  A second plane hit the north tower, making it crumble by 10:30. This attack killed nearly 3,000 people (History.com Staff). A day to truly be remembered.
            My grandma Sherry has traveled to many different places. Some might not seem possible, some are for family reasons, and some were just for fun. She married my grandpa Chuck in 1971. He was in the military and got deployed to Hawaii for the Vietnam war. Being part of the military wasn’t as fun as it sounds. Sherry got shunned by family because the military became her life. Her husband was in Hawaii, on base, fixing planes, and other materials that were needed. Sherry stayed at their home in Hawaii worried about him. Any minute they could send him away to Vietnam.
            After finding their first place, Sherry went sightseeing. She saw many different places including Waikiki Beach, and the Polynesian Cultural Center. My aunt Bev came from California to live with Sherry and Chuck in Hawaii. In 1975 she found out she was pregnant. Bev, Sherry, and Chuck moved into a three-bedroom house. Climbing onto the roof, you could see the ocean. This was grandma’s favorite part of the house. In July of 1976 she had my mom. She spent the day viewing the ocean, walking the beach, and picking the fruit off the trees near the house, while taking care of her new baby.
            She moved from Minnesota, to California, to Hawaii in a few short years. Once getting to Hawaii she moved a lot. From a one bedroom apartment, to a three-bedroom house, to a two-bedroom apartment. Not including going from base to base in Hawaii. Vietnam was a very interesting time for her growing family. Not only was her husband part of the war, but she had to move from where she grew up and knew. It was a major change. Hawaii was not the only place she traveled to though. She went to many other places, including New Zealand.
            What to do in the summer of 2000? Sherry said, “I am going to go to New Zealand!” She had five thousand dollars set aside and headed off to New Zealand. She took a plane and had a couple of bags. Met some friends and spent most of her time with them. They took her to see some of the sights, and their everyday activites. She came here because she was stuck in her life. She was ready to try something new. After spending three months on the North Island of New Zealand, she said her goodbyes and headed to the South Island. There she stayed at multiple hostiles. “Everyone was very open to me, and it was really nice to have a new scenery,” she said as the memories flooded her mind.
            Thinking about going backpacking, she sent a good portion of her stuff back to the states. Sherry met a nice family in a hostel on the South Island. They took her to see a glacier. Walking in the warm weather, she got hot and took her jacket off. That was a mistake. She spent the rest of the day walking and exploring the glacier. She had a ton of fun. Getting back to the hostel, she started to get sick, coughing and shaking. The sickness hit her hard, but she kept going. the next day she found another hostile to stay with. This is what she remembers the most.
            The person she stayed with owned a store. It was a store that carved gems, into earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. Sherry spent the entire night trying to figure out what to carve out. She went back and forth between different animals, items, and designs. She finally settled on something with dolphins. She showed him her design, and had him get it started. Shortly thereafter, he came back with it completed. Confused, she asked, “I thought you were just getting it started for me. Why did you do the whole thing?” He then explained to her that this piece of stone kept breaking anytime he wanted or tried to cut it. He didn’t want it to break on her, so he did it himself. It turned out to be an amazing piece, that he bought the rights to, so he could continue to make more. This is one of the more vivid memories that she carries with her every day.
            September 2001, a tragic day. At home in California Sherry got a call to turn on the news. In awe, she saw the north tower go up in flames as a plane crashed into the building. She saw people jumping from high floors of both buildings. Being her spiritual self, she gathered some friends and went to a large oak tree where they prayed a lot. She brought along with her, Morning Star. He was a neighbor of hers, and was the first person who showed her the big oak tree.  She said, “It was an amazing experience!” Some might say that it’s weird, but she felt that she was there in New York. Her body stayed here, but her spirit and mind were in New York helping the lost souls cross over.
She remembers helping thousands of people cross into the light. Many people were lost, shouting for family members. No one really knew they were dead. Very few stayed on earth or went the other way. When she came “back” from New York, she had a mind opening realization that she was here to help people. Ever since she “traveled” to New York she has been helping people. With the loss of family members, tragic accidents, or even with massage therapy, she has helped many people that live near or far from her. It’s great to hear that a family member has and is helping others around the nation.
            It is very weird to think about traveling without all the expenses, but my grandmother believes that she really did. That she went to the other state to help the people that needed her. She still thinks that she is helping people, not only with what she does every day, but with what she has done in the past. It is crazy some of things people can do, whether it’s believed or not.
            My grandmother doesn’t think that her traveling has had an impact on other people’s lives. She knows that with her “trip” to New York that she helped people but that with any of her other travels, that it was just for her. She doesn’t realize that with going to Hawaii for the Vietnam war, helped the US fight. It also was how my mother was conceived. If she never went to Hawaii with her husband, she would have never had my mother.
            Her trip to New Zealand helped her find herself and what she wanted to do with her life. This allowed her children to get out on their own two feet as she was going to. It was a team effort that everyone made a new step in life. If she wouldn’t have traveled, many things would be different. She wouldn’t have all the memories that she does and that she shares. I am glad that this amazing wife, daughter, and sister, is my grandmother.







Works Cited
"A brief history." A Brief History of New Zealand | New Zealand Now. N.p., n.d. Web. Jan.          2017. https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/living-in-nz/history-government/a-brief-                history
Guide, New Zealand Tourism. "New Zealand." About New Zealand, New Zealand Information,            Facts about New Zealand. N.p., n.d. Web. Jan. 2017. http://www.newzealand.com/us/
History.com Staff. "Vietnam War History." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web.    
Jan. 2017.  http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history
"World Trade Center." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web.              Jan. 2017. http://www.history.com/topics/world-trade-center
"The Vietnam War." Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. Jan. 2017.                    http://www.ushistory.org/us/55.asp
Weaver, Sherry. Personal Interview, Jan. 2017.
"The World Trade Center History." National September 11 Memorial & Museum. N.p., n.d.               Web. Jan.  2017.