Guest Dad Joe Burris tells us about his daughters' unusual opportunities for traveling abroad -- and how it shapes their view of the world:

When I was a youngster, I marveled at taking a trip to the Canada side of Niagara Falls. The wonder of being in another country and the opportunity to see different things fascinated me, even if it was just across the border.

Yet my Canada trip pales in comparison with my daughters’ travels thus far.

As I write this, Nyaniso (12) and Onalenna (3) are with their mother in Istanbul, Turkey.

My wife is a priest of South African descent whose work takes her around the world. Anytime she heads to a land we know we’re not likely to visit anytime soon, we try to make it possible for our daughters to go. Two years ago, they traveled with her to Singapore, last year they went to Shropshire, England.

Most of the trips occur during the summer, but the Turkey trip is one of few that have happened during the school year. Each time, we sit down with Nyaniso’s teachers and principal to make sure she keeps pace with the class lessons. This time, she’s turned the trek into a school project, complete with a video she’s shooting.

Both of my daughters have been to their mother’s homeland much of their lives, and Nyaniso lived there at age 5. Onalenna won’t remember much about her travels at this age, but we plan to continue both of their visits to foreign lands.

It’s interesting to hear about such places from a child’s perspective; they couldn’t wait to tell me about the exotic flavors of ice cream offered in Singapore. Unlike their father -- and many Americans -- their initial perceptions about these faraway places haven’t come from news reports or Hollywood films.

I’m anxious to see how their first-hand experiences shape the way they see the world as adults. Already for Nyaniso, it’s made for some interesting conversations among kids her age.

A few years ago, she commented to friends how she couldn’t wait to go back to South Africa.

They questioned why she would want to set foot in Africa, saying it’s nothing but a mangy jungle full of crime and people dying from starvation.

“No it’s not,” she replied.

“Yes it is,” they said.

She then drew silent stares when she asked, “How do you know?”