Jennifer Wilson is author of Running Away to Home: Our Family's Journey to Croatia in Search of Who We Are, Where We Came From, and What Really Matters.
Many Americans long for a family trip around the world or a stint abroad. Travel writer Wilson, her architect husband, and their two small children spent a family sabbatical in Mrkopalj, Croatia, an unlikely destination for most folks but the birthplace of Wilson's great-grandparents.
Wilson and family arrived in the village speaking little Croatian but soon became part of the community. She relates how they explored the area, tracked down distant relatives, and became immersed in the traditions of daily life. In this village, people grow a year's worth of potatoes, survive on sausage and alcohol, and work together to chop wood, roast sheep, celebrate, and survive. The scars of hardship and wars are ever present in Mrkopalj, and Wilson reflects on how different her life has been thanks to her relatives who came to America. What she finds in Mrkopalj is a firm connection to family: her own, those who left, and those who remained.
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Jennifer Wilsonwas born in Colfax, Iowa, in 1970, where she did not excel at foursquare, but found solace in writing. She purchased a plane ticket with her first detasseling check as a teenager and has been traveling ever since. She's been a rock writer , reporter, newspaper editor, and travel writer. She lives in Des Moines with her husband, two children, a schnoodle, a cat, and a flock of urban chickens.
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