Growing up in Canada, Madame Aline left there at the age of twenty-two and sailed for Europe. For the next four years she lived and worked in Copenhagen, Paris, St. Cergue, Switzerland and Rome. Next she took a position with the United Nations working in New York for a few years before transferring to the Republic of Panama. It was in Panama that she met and married a fisheries expert working for FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) of the UN. Their first assignment and home was in Djakarta, Indonesia. Their assignments were transferred about every two years thus living in Palau, Kuwait, Oregon, the Marshall Islands and more. Madame Aline settled in California in 1987 with her two teenage children. I believe this book would benefit travelers or armchair travelers, young people searching to find their path in life, or, anyone emotionally struggling with life. -- Madame Aline REVIEWS: Some books make us laugh. Some make us cry. Others teach us or amuse us for a short while. But most books are soon forgotten. "I Became a Vagabond Traveler" will make you laugh and cry. It will teach and amuse you. But it is not a story that you will forget. The courage of this young girl will make you want to wind back the clock, be twenty-two again, and explore the whole wide world. The adventures of Madame Aline's memoir are things that great movies are made of. -- Becky White, retired Executive Editor of Shining Star and A New Day Magazine. I enjoyed this book so much from a private perspective. However, I was also thinking of it's benefit to those inflicted with mental illness and emotional problems. Madame Aline, in her journeys, took some risks to fulfill her dreams. She explored life as it came and created a stronger sense of herself to develop a deeper self identity. I believe that this book shows the heroism of an individual who has the courage to explore the unknown and really gain insight into what is possible. If a person steps out of the normal boundaries, life can take on more positive meanings and bring about hope. Madame Aline did so at a very young age. Thanks Madame for the encouragement and hope you demonstrated by taking the risk of exploring what is out there and the possibilities that can become reality by taking action on your desires. -- Phil W., retired Mental Health Supervisor Madame Aline, a continental vagabond, deserves a Master's degree for her vivid descriptions of people and places in Europe, New York, the Republic of Panama, Indonesia, Oregon, Kuwait, and the South Seas. She relates with clarity and alacrity, stunning stories of European adventures and tantalizing tales of the South Pacific. At times, she seems to find a measure of joy amid grossly deficient living conditions and lack of personal effects. The author keeps readers captivated and anxious to continue from each page to the next. -- Alana M. H., Clinical Laboratory Supervisor and Scientist. I really love it. In fact, I told my husband that he needs to read it. It's just a great "read" and it's hard to put down, even on the second or third read. It has a fast pace, which is a good sign, and you have to keep reading to see what happens next. All in all, it's perfect. -- Shirley H., retired CALPOLY State University 30-year English Professor.
About the Author: Aline was a foundling left on a doorstep and later adopted. At eighteen, she escaped a miserable home and harsh adoptive mother. At age twenty-two, never looking back, she sailed from Canada and settled in Europe. She only returned to Canada to visit friends and aunts and uncles. Aline sought adventure in many exotic places and courageously worked in many interesting fields. In 1987 she and her two teenagers settled in California. Her son and granddaughter now live nearby, and her daughter lives in Paris, France.