Have you ever considered the experiences, of a child living in Alaska, versus those living in the center of the United States. While traveling along the inside passage of Alaska , I realized that children of this area would not be as familiar with cows, sheep and horses. This was something that I brought to question with one of the tour directors. Since this area is too cold for regular farming, he explained that these animals are kept for show. Much like one would go to a zoo to see exotic animal, the area children are taken to a farm like setting to expose them to these animals, they are rarely free ranging. In contrast, children of this area grow up seeing whales, bear, eagles and salmon every day. I realized I take the “normal” animals that I see daily for granted. This was when I began adding photos and details of unique animals to my travel journals. Imagine a child seeing a new animal for the first time. Imagine that he is with you when you journey. What makes this animal exotic? What would you want this child to know about this animal? How is it different from those that you see at home? Think of yourself as this child as you travel. Explore the unusual, the unique and the unfamiliar and if you are anything like me, the first time you see a shaggy or horned cow, you might just shout out, “look, wildlife” and begin frantically clicking away on your camera to preserve the moment! Be warned, your husband might find you more than a little amusing, since he knows that this is really just a cow, in a new disguise. What he doesn’t know is that as soon as you return from this trip, you will be scouring the internet to understand why some cows keep their horns and others are born without them all together. He doesn’t know that you will learn that a cow may lead her herd with just a toss of that majestic headpiece. He also doesn’t know that keeping these horns may allow for less anxiety among the herd and actually aid in digestion. So the next time you see a crazy lady taking 50 pictures of an animal that you think of as common, just know that it is for a good cause. That woman may be seeking a higher understanding of all that exists around her.
