For the Love of Mangoes
Meet Julie Allen, a TMAC Travel Ambassador, who shares how her love of Africa is intrinsically tied to the taste of a Mango.
I was born in Manchester, England, the oldest daughter born to a hard-working, life-loving, dancing fools of a mom and dad. Dad was a mechanical engineer for the British Railway; if there was a train museum within 50 miles of wherever we were, I’ve been there. A highlight was hearing the thunder of the train behind our house and the whistle blowing when dad was on the night shift, then I knew I could go to sleep.
At the age of 3 my father accepted a transfer to Malawi, in Central Africa; to this day whenever I taste a mango I am transported back in time. It’s interesting that even though our time there was short – just a little over two years, enough to be coming home with a little sister – the impact on my soul still runs deep.
At the age of 8 we moved to Canada, a place I had never even heard of until I was told we were going. My parents liked the surprise factor. They also liked to move, and as a result I have learned that everything you really need can be put in one packing box and organization and efficiency are your favorite words. Yes, my spices are in alphabetical order.
Always being the ‘new kid’ in class taught me to pay attention to the dynamics of the group, mingle fast and mingle well, otherwise it was a long school year. Luckily, I inherited that life loving aspect and found myself able to go from one new situation to another without much distress. I could also be convinced to check out the odd adventure or two – mountain climbing in Colorado, Vision Quests in New Mexico and many Wildwoman weekends (yes, they do exist).
It was probably no coincidence that I ended up in the field of Leadership Coaching and Change Management … did I mention that my last name was Helps!
After retiring from a successful career ‘helping’ corporations and individuals the travel bug bit and boy did she bite hard. My husband and I bought a world map, aptly entitled “Tom and Julie’s World Travels” a box of small green push pins and made the commitment to put as many pins on the map as we could. To date we have close to 100.
In 2016, at our winter home in Florida, I was introduced to Malcolm through mutual friends and the call of the wild returned! Our first safari in 2018 was beyond our wildest (no pun intended) dreams. Coming through the airport in Cape Town and seeing the sign “Welcome to the Mother City” took my breath away. I was reconnected to the magic of nature and the vast and unbounded beauty of the continent that left such a mark on my soul as a young girl.
I am excited to be part of Malcolm’s team. I want to help others plan safari adventures that will create life-changing experiences and memories that will make an impact on their soul.
Life is short, life is change, life is meant to be lived fully. Embrace the adventure.
