Where in the World Is Grammie Now?: The Adventures of a Globetrotting Grandma

By Ava Kabouchy

‘Grammie’ has loved geography since she was in the third grade. So, it is no surprise that she has travelled to and made friends in more than fifty countries! Her first trip in an airplane was to Paris, where she studied French language and civilisation during her junior year of university. Then, when her own son and daughter became grown-ups, she started travelling again and hasn’t stopped. Her adventures include snorkelling with jellyfish in the Arabian Gulf, riding a camel in Egypt, paragliding over the mountains of Saudi Arabia, teaching English in the world’s largest all-women university, being a volunteer photographer for a health clinic in the mountains of Guatemala, visiting an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka, walking in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi and many, many more. She fell in love with all the colours, sights, people and sounds that our beautiful world has to offer.

So, for all of you grammies out there reading this book with your grandkids, close your eyes for a moment. Where do you want to go? Where have you dreamed about going? Paris? Egypt? Italy? Sri Lanka? Jordan? Let’s go on these journeys together and let this book be your guide. Better yet, if these stories spark your wanderlust, there are just three words for you:

Go for it!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jun 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781398408845

Ava Kabouchy

As a child, Ava loved to travel by means of one of her favourite books, her world atlas. Her first voyage was to Paris during her third year of university, and then to numerous other destinations. She recently spent four remarkable years in Saudi Arabia as a teacher of English, taking photographs of and notes on her travels, and the idea for writing “Grammie” was formed. While there, she travelled not only within the Kingdom, but in nearby countries and in the United States during the summers. Currently, she divides her time between her island home in Maine, where her grandkids visit, and southwest France. A recent adventure was a trek along 200 kms of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and later enjoying the beautiful chaos of Morocco’s souqs, and walking barefoot in the sands of the Sahara, yet another childhood dream realized. Please join her and travel off the beaten path together.

Book preview

Where in the World Is Grammie Now?

The Adventures of a Globetrotting Grandma

Ava Kabouchy

Austin Macauley Publishers

Where in the World Is Grammie Now?

About the Author

Dedication

Copyright Information ©

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Message to Grammies

Our First Adventure Together

Saudi Arabia? Grammie, Are You Sure You Want to Go There?

Arriving Late at Night in Riyadh, the Capital of Saudi Arabia

Grammie Sees A Camel For the First Time

The Shop in the Souq in Riyadh, where ‘Desert Diamonds’ are made

Grammie Goes Snorkelling With Jellyfish in The Arabian Gulf

Grammie Goes Parasailing Over The Mountains of Saudi Arabia

Grammie Visits A Camel Farm And Puts A Falcon on Her Arm

Grammie Goes Camping at the Edge of the World

Grammie Visits the Camel Market in Qassim Province

Giant Coffee Pot Welcoming Visitors to Qassim Province

Stories to Read About Saudi Arabia

Grammie And Her Friend Get Lost in The Arabian Desert and Learn More Interesting Facts About Camels

Grammie And Her Friends Share A Beautiful Evening in the Desert Under the Stars

Recipes

Ingredients

Instructions

Recipe for Shattah

Description

Ingredients

Preparation

Recipe for Kunafa

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition

Thoughts to Share with Grammies

With Age, Comes Wisdom. With Travel, Comes Understanding.

Sandra Lake

For Grammies: If You Go to Saudi Arabia

Recommended Books if You Go to Saudi Arabia

Recommended Websites

Travel Resources for Grammies

Bibliography

About the Author

As a child, Ava loved to travel by means of one of her favourite books, her world atlas. Her first voyage was to Paris during her third year of university, and then to numerous other destinations. She recently spent four remarkable years in Saudi Arabia as a teacher of English, taking photographs of and notes on her travels, and the idea for writing Grammie was formed. While there, she travelled not only within the Kingdom, but in nearby countries and in the United States during the summers.

Currently, she divides her time between her island home in Maine, where her grandkids visit, and southwest France. A recent adventure was a trek along 200 kms of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and later enjoying the beautiful chaos of Morocco’s souqs, and walking barefoot in the sands of the Sahara, yet another childhood dream realized.

Please join her and travel off the beaten path together.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the Grammies out there. It is also dedicated to all their grandkids with my hope that reading this book with their Grammies will inspire both them and their Grammies to learn about our world: its people, cultures, languages, schools, sports, food, and ways of life. The more we learn about or world, the more we will understand it, and the more we will love it.

Grammie’s Grammie, Eva Hamsani Kabouchy, who emigrated from Aleppo, Syria,to New York around 1895.

Perhaps travel can’t prevent bigotry but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.

Maya Angelou

Copyright Information ©

Ava Kabouchy (2021)

The right of Ava Kabouchy to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398408821 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398408838 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781398408845 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2021)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Acknowledgements

With love and thanks to my grandkids for their suggestions, insights, ideas, and enthusiasm that helped create this travel adventure in Saudi Arabia and others to come: Owen, Adam, Abbie, Zoe, Bella, Cam, Lily, Ryan, Liam, Sophie, Noah, and AJ.

Oh, the places you’ll go!

Dr. Seuss

My thanks also to my dear friend, Pat Erickson, for giving me the idea for this book, and to Lissie Sorensen for her unfailing encouragement.

All illustrations, except where noted, were made from