Passion, Peril, and Adventure: A Journey of Spontaneous Decisions and Hazardous Explorations

Adventure stories are beloved by many for their themes of romance, danger, challenge, and opportunity. The Lofland’s own story is no exception, filled with passion and peril, obstacles and opportunities. Despite facing financial constraints due to their university teaching salaries, Norman and Betty Lofland found a way to pursue their love for travel by living in exotic places and supporting themselves through teaching at universities. Their journey began in Beirut, Lebanon, and continued to more challenging places such as teaching in the Shah’s Teheran, Iran. They spent a total of 44 years teaching at universities abroad.

Spur-of-the-moment decisions led to a lifetime of exploring unfamiliar and sometimes dangerous places… exotic foods, horrifying meals, frigid homes, worn-out mattresses, disease, and adversity. And even the prospect of long-overdue salaries contributes to this tale of adventure: the kitchen window view of Richard’s Crusader Castle, the marvelous sensation of seeing the mountains overlooking the city of Beirut thrusting into the Mediterranean Sea, and a walk through the ruins of Persepolis at sunset are a few of the rewards.

The author’s fascinating story is filled with passion, peril, and opportunity, featuring spontaneous decisions and hazardous explorations of unfamiliar places, exotic foods, and horrifying meals. They met interesting people, including the Shah of Iran and Col. Quadaffi, and made wonderful friends, while experiencing cold homes, water, worn-out mattresses, disease, and adversity. As William Blake said: “Traveling abroad is a progressive exercise in the discovery of our ignorance.” Choirs, performances, churches, and preachers all added to their experience, but the prospect of missing out on months’ pay was always looming. This story reminds us of the possibilities that arise when we leave home and take a chance.

Looking for an adventurous and delightful read? Check out “How Not to Travel” by Norman L. Lofland and Betty J. Lofland, available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and GoToPublish. Join the authors on their journey filled with unexpected pathways and thrilling adventures. Readers will gain a deeper appreciation for the quote, “One never knows what pathways will appear until one begins to take the one nearest at hand.” Copies are available for a reasonable price of $2.99 on Kindle, $26.99 in paperback, or $34.99 in hardcover.

Norman started his teaching career at Bethel College in Kansas before taking an assistant professor position at Beirut College for Women in Lebanon. After obtaining his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University and working as an associate professor at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, he returned to the Middle East as a professor at Damavand College in Iran.

During the civil war in Lebanon, he taught at Beirut University College, while Betty taught at Haigazian College. Norman later became a professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, University of Tunis, and also taught at South China Normal University and Jinon University in Guangzhou, China, as well as the University of Macau in Macau and the International American University in Girne, North Cyprus.

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Romar Cruz

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