Miguel Doran and Cara Endyke met and fell in love in Nicaragua, conceived their first child, Jack, in Mexico, then spent seven years in the U.S. before their next overseas adventure, all the while accumulating children, degrees, jobs, a home, and a series of minivans (sorry, Miguel, I meant “Man-Vans”). They also dreamed of finding a way to go abroad again, which they had not been able to do since we all served in the Peace Corps together in Nicaragua. Last week, they made this dream a reality by packing up all three kids and a small pile of worldly possessions, and moving to Zambia, where Cara will be working on HIV/AIDS issues through the University of Maryland.
My hat is off to the Dordykes for several reasons — not least of which that they introduced me to my wife three years ago, setting us on our own round-the-world romance. But this is about the Dordykes’ dream-making skills, not their matchmaking abilities. They wanted to get out and they did.
Now they’re settling down in a red brick home in sunny Lusaka, giving their children a perspective on the world which would have been unobtainable in suburban North America. We video chatted last night at midnight Colorado time, laughing, burping, and fart-noising over the ether as we watched Clan Dordyke wake up, take their malaria medicine, and eat African Froot Loops (“There’s no blue!” reported Jack). Suleyka told us about the zebra she saw and 18-month-old Liam did his part by emptying the Froot Loop box onto the floor.
We’ll be checking in with our five heroes periodically, but you can also keep an eye on the Dordyke Family Blog. Let them know you’re out there with a comment, especially all you long-lost Peace Corps cats. Suerte, amigos!
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