Fifty-five days, three continents, eight countries, 13 cities. I strolled through the most romantic streets in Paris, ate flavorful food from street stalls with a friend in Marrakech, got a full body scrub in a communal shower by an old woman in Essaouira, met distant relatives for the first time in Annemasse, breathed in fresh air as I walked around the serene lake in Geneva, received a visual history lesson on WWII and the Cold War in Berlin, was enchanted by colorful baroque architecture and cobblestoned streets in Prague, met a group of fascinating free-spirited travelers in Vienna, savored mouthwatering pasta and gelato with friends in Rome, stayed at a Tibetan monastery and arm wrestled with a five-year old monk in Mundgod, India, thought I was going to die in a car accident in the chaotic streets of New Delhi, meditated underneath the bodhi tree where Buddha once sat to reach enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, and watched bodies burn in a Hindu ritual along the Ganges River in Varanasi.
All my family and friends asked what was my favorite city. It's hard to choose just one because I had unique experiences in all of them. Paris is, hands down, the most beautiful city that makes you want to fall in love with someone just so you can kiss that person as you cross the bridge Pont Alexandre III or as you stand in front of the Eiffel Tower as it lights up at night. The people in Morocco are welcoming (as long as they're not trying to sell you something or extort money from you by leading you to a wrong address) and their culture is rich in traditions. Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains provide a glimpse of the natural magnificence of Switzerland's landscapes. Rome or any city in Italy will never fail your tastebuds. India will assault your five senses and literally clog your lungs, but if you learn to embrace the culture and the people's spiritual way of life, your soul is nourished for a lifetime.
During the time that I was away from the comforts of my own bed, familiar faces and the English language, I rediscovered that if you open up yourself to trust strangers and to experiences outside of your comfort zone, you will have more enriching experiences than if you were to travel in fear and with a closed mind. This trip rekindled my passion for seeing the world, the way different people live and think. It reminded me to live in the present, that you can be amid chaos and poverty and still be happy if you have inner peace, and to be appreciative of your life because most people in the world would fight to have a fraction of what you have. And most importantly of all, it showed me that despite all the incredible experiences I had, none of it would matter if I wasn't able to come home to share my stories with the people I love.
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