"I'll be here at 5:30 am ... have the coffee ready!" commanded our "capo" (boss) Dottore Gaggi.

I am SO very excited to share with you one of my very favorite International Educators, Cynthia Engel, as part of our Profiles in International Education. I love to share the great work that is going on in international education, by speaking with incredible international educators. I first met Cynthia when she came to the University of Minnesota - and our friendship bloomed. I was amazed to find such a committed interculturalist, backed up with global experience and an avid desire to soak in all that she could.

One of the things we loved most about staying in one place while we were in Ireland was the chance to get to know our "neighborhood." While we were in Ireland last month, We stayed only 4 miles from Caherdaniel, home of "the Liberator" - Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847).

Lifelong residents of Michigan, my husband and I now divide our time between the Great Lakes State and California, where we keep our eyes peeled for great travel finds. Our months spent in the San Francisco Bay Area are flooded with visitors. When we aren’t looking to amuse ourselves, we are anxious to explore ways to entertain guests. We’ve done the Napa Valley Wine Train, delved dozens of museums, luxuriated at Tahoe ski resorts, shopped every store or outlet within a hundred miles, and walked parks and historic sites too numerous to count.