“The world is a great book, of which they that never stir from home read only a page.” -Thomas Fielding

The many variations of pithy statements that describe the benefits of travel often fail to capture the full reason for “[stirring] from home” which I learned while traveling. Through the blessing of the Harvey scholarship, I saw 12 countries across 3 continents in 7 months accompanied by a plethora of excursions and encounters with an abundance of diverse cultures and strange situations.

In Tanzania, where I and fellow Harveys taught STEM subjects at VST college, our diet consisted of ugali and beans, possibly-contaminated water, and kindness. We lived and broke bread with many wonderful souls– Lapani, Juma, Yona, Fraison, Amani, Kibona, and so, so many more. If you ever get to stay in Tanzania, you won’t regret it. Just don’t forget to bring a few Pop-tarts.

Next up came Thailand, where I traveled (mostly) solo up and down that beautiful country for a month. I stayed in a floating bungalow on a lake in Khao Sok, scootered around the mountains of Pai, got rained on in Bangkok, and temple-hopped in Chiang Rai. But what really made the journey special was Nathan, Sofia, Patrick, Makoto, and the many other strangers who became good friends in a short time.

By the time I reached Cyprus to study at the University of Nicosia, I was ready to have a home base for the next three months. Between the two countries, I had dinner with a family in Manila, ascended the Burj Khalifa, and spent a week exploring the vast city of Istanbul. In Cyprus, I reunited with fellow Harveys and met other study abroad students from across the US and the world. We studied little but learned a lot by traveling across the divided island and taking weekend flights to nearby countries. In both Cyprus and Greece, I learned of the importance of mythological heritage and the gift that is halloumi pita and lamb gyros. In Armenia, its Soviet-era brutalist architecture belied the kindness and solidarity of its citizenry. In Gdansk and Malbork, the region’s independent spirit was highlighted by its history; in Krakow and especially Auschwitz (Oświęcim), the legacy of the Holocaust burned into its visitors a poignant reminder to never again forget our humanity.

Over the course of these seven months, the vacant pages of my passport rapidly populated with the names of foreign countries, my camera roll filled up with pictures of landscapes I’d never dreamed I would get to see, and my appetite was satiated (and sometimes disturbed) by gastronomic peculiarities I never knew existed. I hope I will never take any aspect of my travels for granted, but when people ask me about the best part of my travels, none of the numbers or stamps or foods take top spot. The best part of the journey was, and always will be, the people. If you ever “stir from home”, don’t forget to make a few friends along the way.