Let’s Get Personal with AYLIT’s Administrative Director
In this playful question-and-answer session, we get personal with Cheryl, our longtime friend and Administrative Director. Read on so you don’t miss her wit and humor. Peek behind the curtain into Cheryl's life and what it means to be a travel guru, an administrative genius, a patient friend, and a fiercely bookish woman.
How did you end up working at AYLIT?
Once upon a time, a Border Collie named Rosie and a West Highland Terrier named Stirling liked to walk around the block with their people, Cheryl and Jean. Because Jean and Cheryl loved dogs and travel and history and books, they became fast friends. Jean would chat about her adventures to England and the year she lived there, and Cheryl would get ideas for what to see, taste, and do while she was in the UK with a group of students. In 2013, the two (people, not dogs) led an AYLIT trip together to London, Cornwall, and the Cotswolds. Thus began Cheryl’s joyful journey with As You Like It Tours. The end.
Tell me about your first trip to England.
In 2003, I traveled with a group of students and a few adults to England, spending most of our time in Oxford and exploring the works and influence of JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. Stepping off the train in Oxford, I experienced the same awe Lewis describes when he arrived: “There behind me, far away, never more beautiful since, was the fabled cluster of spires and towers.” Unlike Lewis, I seriously overpacked and had to slog my overstuffed suitcase from the train station to the youth hostel. Thankfully, it wasn’t far, and I learned a lesson that has served me well in my fifteen or so subsequent trips across the pond: Pack light!
What are your personal hobbies and interests? What do you enjoy doing on the weekend?
I am a word nerd, voracious reader, and day dreamer. Hobbies include Wordle; interests include bird watching; and weekend pleasures include hanging out with my husband, sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, and grand dogs. It’s a good life!
How would people describe you?
Slow. Curious. Patient.
Where would you love to travel? Why there?
I’d love to spend a month in New Zealand, pretending to be a Hobbit and enjoying food, friends, fellowship, and a pint or two. Every day. For a month.
How do you approach travel?
I aim to be a good steward of the earth and a respectful, curious traveler. I long to go deep rather than wide (hence, a week in Cornwall or Scotland instead of the entire UK). I practice being present, noticing the details of a place and the people, creatures, and plants who live there. I look for the good, the true, and the beautiful, and as a result I find them. (Yes, my nickname is Pollyanna.)
What are your top 5 must-pack items for every trip?
A collapsible water bottle; a reusable shopping bag; a lightweight, nylon fanny pack stocked with lip balm and hand sanitizer; sturdy, comfortable, waterproof shoes; a windproof rain jacket that packs away in its pocket.
What are you currently watching and reading?
I’m currently reading (and loving!) Ann Patchett’s new book, Tom Lake. I’ve recently rewatched what has become my all-time favorite TV series, Ted Lasso. (I’m a born-again believer in The Gospel According to Ted!)
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Continuing the journey…
Tell us your funniest or most embarrassing travel moment.
The hardest I’ve ever laughed on a trip was that first trip in 2003. We took a coach from the middle of England to Edinburgh, Scotland. Long trip, so we made ourselves comfortable, i.e., spread out, unbuckled trousers for a bit more breathing room, etc. When we arrived, my friend-who-shall-remain-unnamed hopped off the coach and began fiddling with her purse. I exited the bus, looked up at Edinburgh Castle with appropriate oohs and aahs and then glanced over at she-who-shall-not-be-named to see her trousers bunched around her ankles. She, of course, was clueless! Thankfully, she was wearing long underwear, so she wasn’t completely exposed. I laughed for hours, for days really. I realize this isn’t funny to read. I guess you just had to be there. 😉
What’s a day in the life like for the Administrative Director at AYLIT?
An AYLIT day starts with coffee: Strong, black, and abundant. I settle into my office, turn on my Mac, open a spreadsheet (or two or three), and peck away. While Jean is our big-picture person, my niche is in the details, dotting T’s and crossing I’s. I enjoy daily collaboration with Jean and Emmeline and an occasional face-to-face meeting, especially in the early days of planning an adventure.
What is something you wish people knew about you?
I can declaim the prologue to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in Middle English; I can wiggle my ears; I’ve been struck by lightning; I always botch the punchline of jokes.
Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met on your adventures?
So many! A taxi driver in York, the day after the Brexit vote in 2016; women from Northern Ireland sharing a bottle of wine in Covent Garden and confirming my love of Derry Girls; a 20-something-year-old man from London on the train to Penzance who could tell what part of North Carolina I was from based on my accent. I relish such serendipitous encounters!