An exclusive interview with Savannah Grace

Savannah Grace

The girl who grew her boobs in China

Author Photo

1.)    Give us a brief bit about yourself (I.e. family, where you are from, etc.)

My name is Savannah Grace, born and raised in North Vancouver, Canada. I’m the youngest and probably least adventurous member of a very adventurous family. By the age of 7 they’d already dragged me through 30 U.S. states on various family camping trips. At age 14 I was pulled out of school, this time to backpack around the world for an amazing 4 years. I’m 22 now  and couldn’t be happier about the experience I was forced to endure. I’ve visited 98 countries thus far and because of these extraordinary experiences I was able to follow my dream of becoming a writer and have finally released my first book Sihpromatum – I Grew My Boobs in China. I’m currently living with my Dutch partner in The Netherlands, where I continue to follow that dream.

 

2.)    What is the one thing that inspires you most about traveling?

The beauty of nature is what inspires me the most. Just sitting in a train or bus looking out the window with mother nature’s beauty going by is what gets the words twirling in my brain. Some people focus on architecture, people, culture or food but I am definitely a nature person.Angola, Africa I love capturing sunsets, landscapes, animals, trees… My biggest obsession is over clouds. I have a huge collection of cloud photos which almost seems a shame since they look the same almost anywhere in the world. But I LOVE them!! Big puffy white ones like cotton candy floating in a brilliant blue sky. Perfection.

 

3.)    If there is one, what is the most interesting experience that you have in all of your travels? 

There is such an array of interesting things you discover while traveling that I could hardly name one. A couple of examples of rarer, more memorable experiences would be riding an ostrich in Oudtshoorn, South Africa.

Another was the rat temple, Karni Mata just outside of Bikaner in Rajasthan province, India. This temple is not an easy place to find as it is not (or at least not when I was there in 2006) advertised as a tourist destination. It is truly a holy location where people go in worship of the rats which are among various other animals (cows, snakes, monkeys etc) holy creatures. There are thousands of them and there is definitely no searching required to see the little rodents! Bowls of milk and food are left out for them. It is a must see if you’re into quirky.

 

4.)    With such an exciting life, do you ever see yourself being able to go back to a ‘simple life’?

Equator in North KenyaFor so long I’ve lived on the edge of what people would consider the “simple life” that I almost can’t imagine I will ever be able to fall into it completely.

Though now I am more or less settled, I still have a bit of a hard time finding my roots and satisfying my constant need to explore. Sometimes I feel lost and miss the nomadic lifestyle and I seem to be flittering about not knowing what I need to do. There are times I definitely crave a simple life but I think I will continue to lurk in the outskirts of reality.

 

5.)    In light of the last question, do you have any future accomplishments that you are looking forward to achieving?

I am looking forward to writing this memoir series more than anything. I can’t wait to share my experiences with the world and encourage people to follow their dreams! I look forward to all of the new and exciting things that will happen in the future.

I want to have completed my Sihpromatum series, become a bestselling author and make a living from my writing. This way I will be able to have the freedom to travel and live wherever I want. I’d love to learn a couple of languages (Japanese, Spanish), though that might be adding a bit too much on my plate. A 6 month-1 year South America road trip from Alaska – Antarctica is in the works.

Later on I’d like to buy a big fancy camper van and see the USA and Canada when I’m old and lazy with back problems. Though I think the trans Canada will likely come before then.

There are so many things and yet I don’t dare predict the future, because my life has been so full of twists and turns like a roller-coaster ride I never signed up for.

 

6.)    Everyone wants to know, without giving away your punch line, tell us how you grew your boobs in China?

Lots of sunshine, water and bananas every chance I got. Nah, I’m just kidding. There really is no “how” to it.

I just didn’t want to make a boring, predictable title like “Family around the World” or “One Family, 4 Years, 80 Countries” or “Backpacking Family” or “Long Journey Home”. In fact, I didn’t want to have any of the words “travel”, “family” “backpack” “road” or “world” in my Savannah bottle feeding in Benintitle because I wanted it to be something meaningful to me rather than obvious (which in marketing might not always be the best strategy) because for me, I feel like the story has a lot more depth to it than just some family holiday.

The “Grew My Boobs in China” subtitle perfectly sums up the story in one line. China represents the travel while “Grew My Boobs” is a representation of my youth and growth abroad and altogether it sounds catchy, quirky, mysterious and funny. The perfect title.

While the subtitle reflects the story, my title, Sihpromatum, meaning “A blessing that initially appears to be a curse” is the heart of my entire journey and the lessons I learned.

 

7) What compelled you to start writing?

As a kid, writing was never my dream, though I did often find myself in the dark hours of the night writing down my thoughts and feelings. I remember people always complimenting me on my writing but it wasn’t until the trip and keeping a daily journal that the possibility of actually being an author blossomed. Everything was laid before me and pointed in the direction of Sierra Leone Kidswriting. With so many stories to share, how could I pass up the opportunity? So far, it’s the most rewarding work I could imagine. I love it.

 

8.) Lastly, what can someone be looking to gain from reading your book?

The reader will experiences new cultures and budget travel from a refreshingly unique perspective. The reader will walk away having learned about Chinese and Mongolian customs and history. There are so many lessons I learn along the way about mankind, the importance of family and the art of appreciation. It’s a tale of personal struggle and growth, family hardship and bonding and ultimately the power that the experience of travel can have in helping us all to understand and come closer to the humanity within ourselves and each other. My aim is to inspire people and hope they will have the courage to follow their dreams.

 

Check out Savannah’s book Sihpromatum here:

Author Bio:

Savannah Grace was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada.  Youngest member of a very adventurous family, she’d visited 30 U.S. states by the age of 7 on various camping trips. At 14 she was pulled out of school to travel the world before returning home 4 years later to graduate from high school. Now 22, she’s traveled to nearly 100 countries and completed her first book “Sihpromatum – I Grew My Boobs in China”. She is currently living with her Dutch partner in The Netherlands, where she continues to write and travel.

 

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17 comments

  1. Thanks Andy for sharing my story and for interviewing me on this beautiful site. Merry Chistmas!

    • No problem Savannah, I am glad to share your adventure. I am very happy that you have had such wonderful life experiences and you continue to use them for positive things. I am excited about your future travels and opportunities. Merry Christmas to you!

  2. Thank you, Andy and Savannah for this wonderful story! Really interesting and inspiring. I am very curious to read this book!!!

  3. Hey Alyona! Glad you liked it and thanks so much for commenting 🙂 I’m doing a 99cent special right now on Amazon for the ebook if you’d like.

  4. Wow, a rat temple what an amazing concept. Somehow I can’t quite see it catching on in the UK.

    A great interview Andy and I’d highly recommend Savannah’s book, it is a fabulous read.

  5. She’s fortunate that she got to travel so much. So many people have never even left the country they’re from.

  6. Amazing interview! I was pleased to read it!

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