USD Magazine, Summer 2004

Near the end of their journey, Chris and Angele visited the Sacre Ceour in Paris.

IN YOUR OWN WORDS

The Impossible Dream? In the midst oftheir dream tour ofthe world, Chris '94 and Angele (Farrell) '95 jester were surprised to find out they were expecting a child, also a dream come true. Rather than returning home, the couple found a way to faLjiLL all their wishes. Here's how. I t was Nov. 21, 2003, and we were living in Manhattan. Only three weeks earlier, we had left our jobs in California, cancelled our medical policies in favor of emergency travel insurance, sold our house, sold Angele's car and packed away all our belongings so we could travel the world during our first year of marriage. We designed a 12-month itinerary including New York, South America, New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia and Europe. We decided to rent apartments in 12 different cities for one month each, selecting places where we could experience some of the world's most famous events - Carnival in Rio, the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Oktoberfest in Munich. We imagined ourselves trekking through the Amazon, hiking through Patagonia, camping all over New Zealand and diving the Great Barrier Reef. The anticipation of the world tour is what kept us motivated to work hard, save money, endure endless commutes and persevere

Fortunately, the doctor confidently assessed that Angele was in excellent health and that tl1e preg– nancy was an uncompli– cated one. Most surprising, the doctor explained that we could conrinue to travel until the beginning of the seventh month, as long as we made sure to receive consistent prenatal care abroad and avoid disease– infected regions like the Amazon. Excited, we con– tacted Angele's former employer to elect COBRA coverage, which covered pregnancy and a portion of international care.

By the end ofJuly, we hope to have a healthy little addition to our family. We thank God for watching over us and keeping all three ofus safe throughout our travels.

On Dec. 6, we landed in Buenos Aires. It was the second srop of our tour, which would end up including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, France and Malta. At any time, we were prepared to return to California should there be concern for the health of the baby, but each of our monthly prenatal appointments ended with clearance to continue our journey. Through referrals from doctors and locals, we located English-speaking OB-GYNs in each country and received excellent care. In those six and a half months, we played in the snow at New York's Central Park, explored the Argentine Falls of Iguazu, roamed Chile's Atacama Desert, danced at Brazil's Carnival, drove a motor home through New Zealand's back country, visited Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and marveled at Monet's Water Lily Gardens in Giverny. By the end of our stay in France, Angele and the baby were still as healthy as ever. but following doctors' orders, it was time for us to settle down. In May, we flew to the Mediterranean archipelago of Malta, where Angele's parents grew up and have a summer home. With Angele's dual citizenship and relatives in Malta, it is the perfect place for us to continue our world tour and still be able to have the baby with family by our side. By the end of July, we hope to have a healthy little addition to our family. We thank God for watching over us and keeping all three of us safe throughout our travels. Things may not have turned out exactly according to our plan, but now we see that God's plan for us was equally special and amazing. And we have learned an important lesson - there always is a way to fulfill your dreams. To see more photos and read more about Chris and Angele's travels, go to www.jestertraveL.com. ·

through grad school. Chris had dreamed of a trip like this for seven years, but it seemed like the dream could fall apart in less than two minutes - the amount of time we waited to see the results of Angele's pregnancy test. Three ... two ... one ... time was up. The test was positive. We began to cry. In that moment, we felt our dream of having chil- dren had been fulfilled

Chris and Angele Jester pose with a Samba dancer during the Brazilian Carnival in Rio

de Janeiro.

and, simultaneously, our dream of a world tour was shattered. We waited two days to call our parents, worried they would think we had been irresponsible or would simply tell us to return to California. At the same time, we deeply hoped they could reassure us that everything would turn out all right. Not only did they under– stand our whirlwind of emotions, we learned that Angele's parents, as new immigrants to the United States in the '70s, survived pregnancy without insurance in a country unfamiliar to them, and that Chris' parents traveled safely through Europe while expecting him. Finally, a glimmer of hope! A week later, we sat in an OB-GYN's office, relieved to have found a well-respected doctor in New York City. Our travel insurance wouldn't cover prenatal care, but we decided to tackle one issue at a time.

To share an experience ''In Your Own Wordr, " contactJulene Snyder fo r guidelines at (613) 260-4684 or julene@sandiego.edu.

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