My name is Savanna Champagne and I’m a traveling, 26 year old teacher lady trying not to vomit on this mid-twenties life roller coaster.
This blog is a fun way of keeping my friends and family updated and to document the life and travel.
Things could get personal. They could get ugly. I can only hope that this window into my strange life provides you with some sort of entertainment, because life’s a ride and I’m a hands up and scream kinda girl.
Enjoy!
Sincerely Savanna 
Savanna, I absolutely love reading your blogs and I am glad you write them! You are such a talented and hilarious writer, but in a style that us non-english majors can understand and enjoy reading. You definitely should one day take all your travel blogs and publish them…you know once you have South Korea, Europe and India under your belt too (and of course not forgetting your already traveled Africa blogs)!! It sounds like a big transition, but an amazing transition that you are loving. I hope it gets easier for you day by day! Thank you for writing these!
Savanna, I cannot write and express myself as well as you can, but I read this and it really explains what I mean by being proud of you. Uncle Ray and I both are so very proud of you.
“I started to write her a message. I typed the words:
I’m so proud of you!
I erased them.
I re-typed.
I hit delete 20 times.
Still conflicted about phrasing — for reasons I’d not yet identified— I sent the snippet below:
I’m so proud of you.
The five words felt oddly condescending when typed & sent—but I couldn’t figure out why.
I was proud of her. I was impressed by her. I was proud of her progression beyond the comforts she’d known.
The rest of my day I pondered the words.
I considered who’d said them to me (parents, siblings, dear, dear friends.) and how I felt (happy, noticed, affirmed.).
I thought about the PROUD-sayer’s relationship to me (close relatives, long time companions) and wracked my brain for anyone who’d used the P-word in reference to my actions/accolades where it had meant little.
While I was pondering this, she messaged me back and referenced a post about the word *proud* and teased me that I’d chosen it in my writings to her.
To be proud of someone means you know where they’ve been and how far they’ve come — pride is a word about growth.
The last six words above were my ah ha! of sorts.
Pride is a word about growth.
That *nailed* the reason I’d welcomed the word PROUD from family/close friends and bristled at a vague sense of condescension the P-word elicited from mere acquaintances.
Yet it was not until I went to use it toward another I realized how laden with meaning & power the word was for me.
From the proper person, a welcome and often needed affirmation of my work. A reminder I mattered and what I do matters.
For me proud is about connection, shared history and growth.
Which brings me back to you. “
Savanna, you are an amazing woman! Your honesty, strength and wonder and love for life is
contagious! Even though you have come to realize that this location is not what you had expected or hoped for, the fact that you embarked on this adventure makes you a woman of character. We are very proud of what you have accomplished and we know because of your character you will experience many, many more adventures!
We love you! Uncle Ray and Aunt Joanne
There’s a beauty about a woman whose confidence comes from experiences. Who knows she can fall, pick herself up, and go on. (Anonymous)
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” ~Helen Keller –
When life knocks you “to your knees, and it will, why, get up! If it knocks you to your knees again, as it will, well, isn’t that the best position from which to pray?” (Anonymous)
“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” (Corrie Ten Boom)
I have a Tumblr system that I’m using for blogging.
I want to know if you would be interested to create an article for
me? I could possibly pay you. Let me know?.
PS. Awesome blog