SLIDE PROGRAMS

Teacher / Booking Info

Images of the World
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & ARTWORK

Each year we receive hundreds of great letters. Here are some of the questions, comments and artwork.

Bruce
  Take (Thank) you for the sowe (show). I liked it. My favit (favorite) pate (part) of it was the frid (fried)grasshoppers. Wat (What) did they taste like?
  Drew, First Grade
  Columbia Heights, MN

     Many people around the world eat insects, which are high in protein. Fried grasshoppers taste like fried chicken.

Bruce with Maddie, a San Benancio Middle School student who made this poster as a part of her book report on The Road of Dreams, the story of our 26-month world bicycle trip.

Maddie recieved an A+ on her report, and was quite surprised when Bruce showed up to do a program at her school!

     Our sociology class at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa, just finished reading your book The Road of Dreams. While reading the book we kept looking at each other like, “Wow, how do they keep going?”
     Did you ever feel like you missed out on life while being away for two years?
     Taylor, Chelsea, & Obsie

No, but sometimes we feel like we are missing out on life when we are home and we haven’t been traveling for a while. Life is definitely more interesting and exciting when we are traveling.
Being home is fun for a few months, but then we usually start getting antsy to do something a little more adventurous.

More questions from Grand View University students

We are amazed at the details kids remember from our slide programs!

Carley's drawing shows an enthusiastic audience with hands raised up in excitement. Tass is on a podium on the right, with a microphone, narrating the story.
The picture on the screen (which is outlined in shadows) shows a dramatic encounter Bruce has with a jaguar in the Peruvian rainforest. The key elements of the story are all portrayed: Bruce, holding his camera and shouting in surprise; a jaguar sleeping in a hole in the tree; the same jaguar on a limb after it jumps out of the hole.

Dear Ms Thacker,
    Thank you for showing us a lot of cute animals. My favorite part was learning about the buildings on stilts. I learned that people in South America need money. I think you had fun.
     Sincerely,
     Carley, 1st grade
     Sacramento, CA

Dear Mr. Junek,
     Thank you for showing us your pictures of your bike tour. We liked seeing the firey volcano! The heavy hats of the women who keep all their money on their heads it looked beautiful. We hope you have many more exciting trips.
      Sincerely,
      Ignacio and Javier
      3rd grade, Cottonwood Elem.
      Montrose, CO

Dear Mr. Junek,
     I would like to be very quiet and have a plate of bird food in my hand and have parrots fly on me.
     Your friend,
      Lacey
      2nd grade, Cottonwood Elem.       Montrose, CO

Dear Tass,
     Thank you for coming to our school. It was very fun. The three things I liked are all the...1. rainforests, volcanoes, waterfall, and the Maya cities! 2 All the plants and animals, and insects! 3. All of the people in Guatemala, Honduras, etc.
     My dream for the future is to become a teacher, then retire, then be what you are-an explorer. Hopefully I could ride up the hills like you did. Man, do I need to work out!
     Love
     Royelle, 5th grade, Las Vegas, NV

Tass riding at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Dear Tass and Bruce,
    Congratulations...I think that riding around the world is a great accomplishment. Meeting people in their native cultures would be a great experience. I want to know if you guys kept the clothes from the countries you visited, or did you give them back?
    Mark
    Grandview University, Des Moines, IA

Many families we stay with are very poor. In fact, some people only have two sets of clothes, an everyday set of clothes, and a set of special dress-up clothes. So after we make photos of us wearing their clothes, we always give everything back.
To celebrate Tass's birthday in Fiji, an Indian family cooks a huge feast, and then dresses Tass in the mother's red silk wedding dress. We feel honored when people share their customs and beliefs, which helps us better understand how they live.

More questions from Grand View University students.

Dear Mr. Junek,
Your performance was so inspiring. The most important thing I learned was anything you want to do you can do!!
Jamie, 6th grade, Canon City, CO

Dear Mr. Bruce Junek,

   Our class really appreciates your coming to our school to do a wonderful presentation...I think that would be really cool to see all the different styles of dress and jewelry. I also learned a lot of cool things at your presentation.
   It must have been hard learning all those different languages. I hope when you go around the world again on your bikes you will have another great adventure.
   Sincerely,
   Jessicca, 5th grade, Manitou Springs, CO

     Neither of us speaks other languages fluently (extremely well). However we usually learn enough in each country that we can have simple conversations, joke around, and get directions .
     We study language books and try to learn a few hundred words before we arrive. While traveling Bruce writes down a group of words and puts it on his bicycle handlebar bag, or even hangs the list from his backpack, and tries to memorize 15-20 new words a day.

Bruce is studying Indonesian from the list of words hooked to his chest strap while climbing Gunung Agung volcano on the island of Bali.

Dear Tass and Bruce,
  I litd (liked) the pwgma (program). Som (Some) day my dad and mom weo (we'll) tav (travel) owna (around) the wrd (world) som (some) day.
  My fvwi (favorite) pitr (picture) wos (was) the volcano.
  Fove (Love),
  Paris
  1st grade, Rosemont, MN

Dear Bruce,
   We would like to thank you for sharing your dream with us and inspiring us to go for our dreams as well.
   We really enjoyed the slide show of your glorious adventure. It was wonderful.
   We like the part when the monkey jumped on your wife Tass's back and when you showed us the slide of the sunset over the ocean (That was so glamorous). Thanks again.
   Your friends
   Mrs. Zeilers 4th grade class
   Canon City, CO

Dear Tass Thacker,
   Thank you for coming to this school and showing us the great places you've gone to. I loved the ocean and sea turtles.
   My dream for the future is finish school.
   I don't want to get married because then I'll have babies. They cry too much. I want to be an artist. I like painting. It's so fun.

Yours Truly,
Mariela, 5th grade
Las Vegas, NV

Dear Tass Thacker,

Thank you for presenting your slide show and sharing your adventures.

I really liked all the necklaces the people wear because they have alot of stuff and I really liked the rainforest.

Thank you for sharing your dream. My dream is to visit all the places you visited.

Sincerely,
Adriana, 5th grade, Olathe, CO

More Students

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1st - 3rd Grade

4th - Middle School

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Dear Mr. Junek
     I like the pictures you took. I liked when there was a picture of the volcano. It was cool.
     I wanted to ask you why people put earrings on their nose and why they put sharp thorns through their ears.
     I bet you had the funnest day of your life traveling.
     Your friend,
     Heather, 2nd grade,Sheridan, WY

     People around the world wear jewelry. Pierced ears and noses are common in many countries.
           In the U.S. people go to a store, where someone with a piercing "gun" puts a hole through the skin. A needle or a sharp thorn will just as quickly punch the hole. Sometimes this is done when the person is very young, and later they don't even remeber it happening.