The Traveler

 
 
 

Vocabulary

 

scold	resident	hesitation
sneak	run away	long distance
slip	slip away	sooner or later
trick	missing	long-distance
appear	stowaway	get on board
cargo	progress	rainforest
vessel	A-student	get on board
pier	wander	conductor
excel	grow up	accompany
notice	volunteer	discover (3)
harbor	explore	entomology
science

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Wandered Around

Ryan was three when he left home for the first time. His mother had not closed their back door completely, and so he went out and wandered around the back yard . . .

Two hours later he appeared in the next village. He was just able to tell residents there his name and the name of his village.
 

Missing Child

By age seven, Ryan would go missing three times a year. At first he went on long distances on foot.

Later, Ryan would get on city buses and subways. He sat there, enjoying the ride — until a conductor asked for his ticket. Not having one, he was sent to the police, who brought him home.
 

Why?

“Why do you do this,” the police asked Ryan. “Do you have a bad home? Are you unhappy there?”
“No, I have a happy home,” he answered.
“Then why do you keep doing this?”
“I just like traveling and seeing places.”
 

Scoldings

Ryan continued to “travel” and see places, even though everyone scolded him and told him not to do that. His parents and teachers used to watch him closely . . . but sooner or later he managed to slip away.

As Ryan grew older, his favorite trick was to sneak on trains and long-distance trucks. Sometimes he would travel hundreds of kilometers before being discovered.
 

Progression

Eventually, Ryan snuck on board a ship (he was twelve at the time). It was a cargo vessel. Many days later, Ryan found himself in Sumatra, Indonesia.

“How did you get on board?” the captain asked him.
“It was easy!” replied Ryan. “I just went to the harbor, walked along the pier, and boarded the nearest ship.”
 

A-Student

Despite all this, Ryan was an A-student. He excelled in math, science, foreign languages, writing, history, and especially geography.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ryan’s teachers asked him.
“An explorer!” he replied without hesitation.
“An explorer? But it’s very difficult to become an explorer in this day and age. Why don’t you become a doctor, lawyer, or a businessman instead?”
 

Geography, Geology, Biology

At university, Ryan studied geography and ecology.

After graduating he tried to find work, but couldn’t since the labor market was very competitive. Then one day he saw a notice in the university bulletin board. It was for assistants to accompany some scientists conducting research in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador.

Ryan signed up . . . and in two weeks, he found himself on a boat in the Guiania River.
 
 
 
 

 
 

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Questions

 
Bicycle. Ryan started wandering away from home as a teenager. True or false? What did he do when he was three years old?

Scooter, Moped. What did he do when he got older? Ryan used to . . . . .

Car, Automobile. Were his parents mean and abusive?

City Bus, Intercity Bus. By the time Ryan became a teenager, he became interested in football and dating. Is this right or wrong?

Train, Railway. Because of all his wanderings, was Ryan a poor, failing student in school?

Passenger Airplane. Did he want to be IT expert or software engineer when he grew up? What did he want to be when he grew up? Did his teachers encourage him with his goal?

Boat. At university, Ryan majored in business administration. Is this correct or incorrect?

Yacht. What happened in the summer of his senior year?

Cruise Liner, Luxury Liner. What will probably happen to Ryan (in the future)?
 
 
 
Village. I got lost when I was young. True or false?

Town. Did your friend run away from home? Do you know anyone who had run away from home?

Large Town, Small City. Have you ridden a bus, coach, train, airplane, or ship? What is your favorite journey?

City, Urban Area. Where would you like to travel to? What would you do there?

Metropolitan Area. What are or were your favorite subjects in school? What did or do you want to be when you grew up?

Megalopolis. What will happen in the future?