Baraka Journeys - About Us -
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Published on: 3/29/2006
Last Visited: 3/29/2009
Christine Robison
Christine Robison served as the Museum Travel Program coordinator for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for over six years, until a new director at the museum decided to close the program entirely.
While at the museum she coordinated offering 20-25 trips annually to the members of the museum.
These trips were generally hosted by museum curators and specialists.
But of the trips she offered the museum members, she was especially enthusiastic about a category of cultural learning trips she called "Exceptional Journeys" which she managed herself and which were to such destinations as Tunisia, Central Asia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
These trips were all approximately three weeks long, very comprehensive and included many unique elements.
Offering these trips was very successful for the museum and Christine had many repeat travelers on these "Exceptional Journeys".
Learning of the museum travel program closing down, many past travelers from "Exceptional Journeys" trips conveyed their disappointment to Christine and encouraged her to begin her own travel company, specializing in this type of travel.
Christine liked the idea too and thus Baraka Journeys was born.
Christine was raised in the Pasadena area of Southern California and graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles in 1980 having majored in anthropology and comparative religions with an emphasis on Middle Eastern Studies.
At Occidental College she studied Arabic.
After graduating, she received a Rotary International Scholarship and studied anthropology for one year in Montpellier , France where she shared her students' quarters with a Moroccan and Tunisian.
The summer after her study in France she visited Morocco and Tunisia and has gone on to visited Tunisia 11 more times either as a part of living there for almost two years or in the capacity of managing tours there.
Throughout her life, Christine's interest has been people and their various cultures.
She has always striven to make the efforts of her life beneficial to others.
She supported the education of several children who would not otherwise have had the opportunity, including one girl she has known since birth and who was born hearing impaired.
This Tunisian girl (now age 22) Christine sent to school to become a hair-dresser, thus increasing her self-esteem, giving her a means to make a living and enabling her to fulfill her personal life dream.
Christine has also worked to set up "cottage industries" in order to allow various women to augment their family income by practicing their crafts.
For 10 years, as a volunteer, Christine taught evening classes of English as a second language at a community center in Pasadena.
Before working at the Getty Conservation Institute and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, she worked seven years at a non-profit organization which provides family planning services to low income women.
Because of its strong correlation to reduction of world poverty, Christine is very interested in international family planning.
She currently is an active member of the Orange County Chapter of the Flying Samaritans and goes frequently to Baja California, Mexico to serve as an interpreter at a small medical clinic in a village of 500 residents near Guerrero Negro.
There, once a month volunteer American pilots of private small planes, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, chiropractors, pediatricians, optometrists and other specialists gather to serve some 150 locals who come often from miles away to receive health care services which they would have no means of obtaining otherwise.
Journeys organized by Christine always include a visit to a local social service organization where travelers can learn about programs offered, and lend support should they choose to.
It is a great joy for Christine to introduce new friends and long time friends to some of the wonderful destinations she offers through Baraka Journeys and she hopes to welcome you soon.
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