Bonita W. Yip: The “W” in my middle name really stands for “World-traveler,” but according to my Mom, this wasn’t the idea of it at all!
“W” is for “Wai“…or from my Chinese name “Yip Wai Yee.” Per Mom, the Chinese meaning includes a combination of “happiness, beauty, and intelligence.” Seems like Mom intended for me to always be happy in whatever I choose to do, so I am grateful for that!
My parents were quite the adventurers too! Prior to immigrating from Hong Kong to Boston shortly after I was born, for their honeymoon, they took a month long vacation throughout the U.S. My aunt tells me that I may have been a “honeymoon baby.” Guess that means I was born to travel?! 😀
[Will find a picture from their honeymoon…fair warning, my parents may have worn bell-bottoms! ]
Prior to my career change and the start of my full-time Simmons MBA program in 2011, I went on a two-month back-packing trip in Europe. While taking an early morning hike in Santorini, Greece, I contemplated where my life would be in the next decade.
Besides achieving the “American dream,” (married with 2.5 kids and a pet dog, a house with the white picket fence, two cars, and all that jazz…), I wanted to challenge myself to live life to the fullest. So, in that moment as I reached the top of the hill and saw the sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea, I created my “travel bucket list:”
#1 Reach the base camp of the Himalayas (either from Tibet 
or Nepal/India): Be at the highest point on earth humanly possible (without endangering my life). To me, this represents when others deem a task impossible to accomplish, I will have the determination and perseverance to complete it. Also, my college roommate (Tenzin) and her family were displaced from Tibet into Nepal/India in the China-Tibet conflict. This means that her and her family can never return to Tibet, so it would’ve been amazing to visit her home country and bring a little of that back to her!
#2 Bethlehem or Jerusalem: Understand what drives the common man to act purely on faith. During my middle school years, I was heavily involved with the Catholic & Christianity community (either via private school or friends). Although I am no longer associated with either of them, I’ve gained a
deep respect for religion and the historical significance it has played throughout history.
#3 Stay at an ice-hotel: A very specific scene from a James Bond movie influenced this decision! I’ll let you in on a secret: I own the entire James Bond DVD collection from Sean Connery onward (except for Daniel Craig’s , still debating if he really is Bond material…)
In 2013, I will be approaching a significant birthday in September. Yet life has given me an amazing opportunity to potentially reach my #1 bucket list item before turning another decade older and while during my work in India. By now, hopefully through my experience, you’ll begin to see that traveling is much more than just the destination, rather, it should be about the journey too. For me, it’s sentimental life moments that really inspires me to get on that plane and begin new adventures!
May my journeys spark your inner travel bug and inspire you to create a “ bucket list.“ In the meantime, please enjoy my blog as I explore India! 🙂
