This is Coralie Ann, and I am the younger Todd sister. It was my pleasure to co-author our book entitled :”Watch out for the elephants!” with my sister Angela, and a lot of input from our parents: James and Norma.
Growing up, as the daughter of one of the 1st Black US Foreign Service officers, was a privilege. Although we got to see the world in a most unusual and meaningful way, I have always said that Angela and I had somewhat of an ordinary life, in some very extraordinary settings.
Although our father was the official diplomat, our mother was a transformative representative of the US in her own right. She made surethat our family became fully engaged, with each and every community we lived in. Norma, was encouraged by our government to be the unofficial ambassador, and she chose to give back, mainly through the WorldwideGirl Guide/ Girl Scout association. For over 30 years, this was her passion, and Norma became a Worldwide Girl Guide Commissioner. I have been told by many of her former Guides, some of whom I am still in contact with, of the formidable and lasting impact she had on their lives. It was terrific, myself, seeing her in action, as I became a Girl Guide myself, and attained the status of a Queens Guide, which in Scouting is the equivalent of an Eagle Scout. I also learned so much, on a cultural basis, and that rich education remains with me to this day.
In our memoir, I share what it was like to be a Black girl, growing up abroad, navigating both the extraordinary and the everyday concurrently. It is a story of cultural respect, wonder, resilience, and connections that unite us all, across borders.
I was, by all accounts, a curious and sometimes naughty child, willing to test the boundaries, but quickly reined in by my parents, however this curiosity was a true opportunity to fearlessly and fully embrace wherever I lived at that moment.
Like Angela, I also attended mainly local schools and camps. I recall once, when 6 years old, returning from a French language camp in Belgium, I had actually forgotten English, and could only speak French.
Upon returning to the US, in my second year of college, I attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Soon after graduation, I moved to Southern California, preferring the temperate climates I enjoyed Asia and Africa. I also, like Angela, chose the airline industry, as by now, the draw of travel and multiculturalism made it a great fit.
While in Los Angeles, I became interested in the field of Psychology and obtained my M.A. in Applied Psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
After many years, working in Los Angeles, the opportunity arose for an unusual airline position with Trans World airlines (TWA) in St Louis, so I moved to Missouri and have been here ever since. In the early 2000’s post 9/11 there were, as you may know, many changes within the airline industry, so I move to the healthcare industry, which was very rewarding, and subsequently to the Telecommunications and Mental health fields.
Today, I am a Life Coach, practicing in Kansas City. Along with my sister, I have been sharing our book, and the life we were blessed to have with others.
Thank you for your interest in our work and allowing us to take you on a journey of our personal life, across four continents, which was our upbringing.
My name is Cynthia Angela Todd, and along with my sister, I co-authored this work, about our unusual upbringing. This is the story of our family and the wonderful experience of living in 14 different countries, on four continents for 35 years. Our father James, was the 11th Black man permitted to join the US Foreign Service in 1945. James, along with our mother Norma sailed to their first posting of Cairo, and it became home and my birthplace. Apparently, my birth, was a moment of pride, for James, as he wrote I one of his form letters: “I must mention, If I can overcome my pride, that to the best of my knowledge, Cynthia is the 1st American Negro baby to be born in Egypt!” Ann was born in Haifa, next to Tel Aviv, our next posting.
In each and every city we lived in, when we were each of school age, we always attended the local schools in our neighborhood. In hindsight it was a wonderful choice that our parents made, as we learned the local languages, such as Arabic, Hebrew, Indonesian, French, and German, becoming proficient at some: in addition, we made great friends who also helped us with our language skills. We have wonderful memories of our experiences.
At the age of seventeen, when my parents were posted in Lusaka, I needed to be enrolled in a High School course load that would qualify me for college in the US. I was decided that I would attend Cours Maintenon in Cannes, on the French Riviera, which was amazing. I not only made some wonderful friends who attended from all around the world, I actually had the opportunity to have lunch a very famous artist and even took my SATs in Monte Carlo of all places, which was a memorable experience.
After living in France for 1 year, I attended Rockford College, in Rockford, Illinois. With my double language major in French and German, and a minor in Spanish language, in a few years; I went on to teach languages, at Long Island Lutheran high school in Brookville, NY, concurrently obtaining an MA in French language from Stony Brook University, part of the State University of New York System. The opportunity opened up to work within the Transportation industry, which aligned with my formative years and language proficiency, and I launched a career with Trans World Airlines (TWA) beginning in the Air Freight department at John F Kennedy International airport in NY, and 23 years later, concluding, in a position as Equal Opportunity Employment Manager in Kansas City Missouri. Overall, my tenure at TWA was a formidable, memorable, and enriching experience, only adding to my early years, which has shaped the person I am today.
In those 30 years, I met, and married Glenn Takeyama and we were together for 38 years, and had two lovely daughters, Korrine and Rikki. Sadly, Glenn passed away in 2017. Today, I am the proud grandmother of three little ones who, like their folks, truly enrich and bless my life.
Aside from working on some sales initiatives and endeavors, I currently travel the country speaking about our book, meeting with book clubs, schools, organizations such as the Boys & Girls clubs, civic organizations, libraries, and churches to name a few. It truly is a wonderful experience to share with others, especially our youth, about cultures and regions of the world they may have yet to know or experience firsthand.
I hope our website and the book inspire you and the children in your life to explore and visit regions of the world, such as the fourteen countries we write about, that may or may not be on your bucket list.