Going global

Just think of it as my own "Amazing Race."
My quest to learn more about my father's life for my next book recently took me on a three-week journey through Europe - from Spain to Serbia and Germany. It gave me a chance to visit new cities, to reunite with some relatives I haven't seen in 16 years and to meet others for the first time.
While staying with one cousin who lives near Barcelona, I fell completely in love with the Mediterranean city teeming with life, history and culture. I felt my heart break when another cousin I stayed with in Belgrade told me there's no future for her own daughter there. I developed a love-hate relationship with Munich while visiting my aunt.
I came home with priceless memories, a deeper understanding of my Serbian heritage, and more questions than answers about my dad. Was he a thief, a spy, or both?
I came home with not only a deeper love and appreciation for America, but a deeper understanding of the damage done by our government in the former Yugoslavia.
I came home knowing there's no way to change the past, and no reason not to embrace the future.
Until next time, "That's life..."