Where have I been?
The best way to keep up with my current travels is to follow my social media.
An Introduction…
As you may have guessed, I thoroughly enjoy travel. I am constantly thinking of new places to go and saving up to make my imagined adventures reality. The maps here show the locations around the United States and the World that I have traveled to.
If you have any questions on where I have been or want some advice on traveling just shoot me a message through the Contact page or by clicking here!
Are you are curious in how I am able to travel so much? You can do plenty travel too! Even if you don't have a ton of money or time! Take a look on "How" under Travel or by clicking here!
P.S. If you're interested in taking a look at some of the Itineraries I have for my different locations just click on the "Itineraries" under Travel or by clicking here!
Diving Deep...
Ece (no middle name) Kremers, I probably the only person in the world with this name. I’ve heard it pronounced in every possible way. I’m American, German and Turkish, born in Switzerland and raised in the Midwest; not the typical cultural background for a kid in Southeastern Minnesota. Growing up, I hated my name and was ashamed of my Turkish identity. I was totally confused about my diverse nationality and religion.
Every year, I spent my summers in Turkey. While in Turkey, I was a local, not a tourist. I stayed with my strong-willed grandmother at our summer house in a small, hazelnut farming community on the Black Sea. One of my favorite childhood memories is waking up as the rooster sang and walking to the local bakery with my cousin. We’d buy two warm loaves of bread-one for the walk home and one to eat for breakfast. I was introduced to Nutella and the addictiveness of spreading the decadent chocolate-hazelnut spread all over the warm, soft, white pillow of bread. Nutella has a special place in my pantry because the sweet smell reminds me of my home across the globe.
In elementary school, although I felt proud to be able to travel, I felt embarrassed to be Turkish. I believed that countries in that part of the world and all Muslims were bad. Little did I realize, I was making exactly the same judgment I had hoped others would not make. I didn’t want people to think I was inferior because of my mother’s heritage. Yet, I believed it myself. My furtive stereotypes ended up crippling me and my true identity. In contrast, my father had German heritage and grew up in Michigan. I had no shame about his nationality.
I began changing my views on my multinational identity in high school. History opened my eyes to how Turkey was the heartland of diverse civilizations. I recently did a foreign exchange program in Germany. I realized that, even within cultures that we believe are similar to our own, there are beautiful diversity in expectations, values and lifestyles.
My personal struggle and acceptance multicultural ethos not only defines me, but influences how I interact with others and how I live my life. I am compelled to challenge the stereotypes that divide communities around the world. I have an itch to get out there and explore a place I’ve never of my been to, try a food I’ve never eaten, speak a language I’ve never heard, meet people I’ve never seen and experience everything that planet Earth has to offer.