Henry just hit Level 13, and if life were a video game, he’d be playing on expert mode. Since we started our world travel adevnture when he was 7, he’s racked up 52 countries, a lot of passport stamps, and enough stories to make geography teachers jealous.
He’s Advanced Scuba Certified— He got certified in Thailand, advanced scuba certified in the Philippines, and completed his deep dive certification in Bali after he turned 12 last year.
Last week, he and his friends, Vivian and Dexter, came in second in their age division and fourth overall in a robotics competition. They had one month to build and program a boat that would navigate a watercourse. Not bad for kids who aren’t in a traditional educational system.
Henry’s also collected a ridiculous list of adventures: zip-lining through the jungle in Laos, surfing in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Vietnam, boxing in Nicaragua, fencing in Malaysia, hip-hop dancing in Thailand, and paragliding and flying in a plane in the jungle of Ecuador, just to name a few.
He has stood at five of the seven modern wonders of the world (and one of the ancient wonders). (Only Christ the Redeemer and the Taj Mahal are left—probably next year’s birthday goals.)
He’s lived more independently than most teenagers—handling his own food budget and even sharing an apartment with Lucas in Bulgaria and Vietnam. No adult supervision, just two brothers, and questionable laundry decisions. Henry listens to over 100 audiobooks a year and stays up to date on current events by watching YouTube shorts, which might explain how he knows random facts about everything. He stays physically fit with calisthenics, tennis, skiing, scuba diving, and activities like trampoline parks and rock-climbing gyms. He taught himself tricks with a diablo circus toy. This year, he mastered his front and back flips on the trampoline. He’s also a certified animal magnet: he is fostering kittens in Cyprus, he volunteered at a shelter walking dogs in Bulgaria, and he mentored younger kids at a worldschooling program in Southeast Asia.
He’s floated over the Valley of the Kings in a hot air balloon, driven ATVs in Panglao, swam in the Dead Sea, and visited Bedouins in the Siwa Oasis, Egypt.
Through it all, he keeps up with family and friends from every continent—thanks to video games and Wi-Fi strong enough to hold global friendships together.
This year on this birthday he started the day at sailing club. Oh yeah- did I mention that he is learning to sail? Then we made bagels with the help of our friend, Vicki. We supported Lucas at a tennis tournament where he came in second. Henry and his friends escaped from a Harry Potter-themed escape room, we ate pizza, smashed a pinata, and carved out Squid Game cookies. It was jam-packed and so much fun.
We’re proud of Henry—not just because he’s done more before 13 than we did before 30, but because he’s kind, curious, strong, and funny through it all. Happy 13th, Henry. You’re officially a teenager… but still grounded—well, figuratively. Because we all know you don’t stay in one place for long.
