Many people dream of being able to travel the world, and lucky for him, Sahuaro history teacher, Mark Chandler, is making it happen. Mr. Chandler has been to 42 countries in total; even though some of his trips were less than ideal, he was happy either way. Chandler began his travels when he served in the U.S. Marines for four years before his teaching days, and even now outside of his service, his wanderlust has consumed him and taken him all over the world.
Did he want to travel because he loves history, or did his appreciation for the subject morph from his travels? He explains he “…liked history even before traveling. It gives you a different perspective on history when you get to touch, see, and, smell the places instead of reading it in a book…Visiting places I teach about is incredible. By visiting places that are thousands of years old and so important to mankind, in a way, brings the places to life.” said Mr. Chandler. The desire to travel has always been there for Mr. Chandler “…and it came to fruition when I was in the Marines.”
During his service, Mr. Chandler went to countries in Southeast and Southwest Asia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Naturally, compared to his adventures in Japan, Europe, Costa Rica, Israel, and Cuba – Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait were some of his least favorite countries. “The way we do things here is very different from them. There are a lot of things that you can’t do there that you can back home,” he said. Even though Kuwait was not one of his favorite places to be stationed, he did come home with a significant memory. “I didn’t buy anything but instead I was given something. I was given a Kuwaiti flag by a member of the Kuwaiti military,” Chandler said. His latest trip to South Korea was far from perfect too; Microsoft’s technical outage affected the computers on his way home, leaving him stuck in Seoul, Korea for a few extra days.
Even though some are less-than-ideal trips, there have been some rather good ones that he loved. Some of his favorite places he’s been to are Italy, Spain, Germany, and South Korea. “I love eating anything Italian. Anything Italian is amazing. Along with the street food in Seoul,” Chandler said. “If I could live in a different country, I would like to live on the Mediterranean coast of Spain.” He also hopes to one day find himself on an adventure to Argentina and Brazil.
Mr. Chandler heavily encourages students to travel as well. Along with Ms. Lange, he has taken students on educational tours to over a dozen countries. “It gives you a better understanding of people, places, and cultures different from your own. If you have the means or are able to travel, make it happen,” he advises.
