Tonight I embark on another adventure, a half-planned, half-unplanned romp through some very unique parts of the world. It’s tough to control your emotions when standing on the precipice of something so far out in the unknown. It’s difficult to know what to think.

I have been very fortunate in my life to know traveling, to be friends with it, and to be surrounded by those who know it as well. Someone I spoke with a few weeks ago said they firmly believe going abroad should be a mandatory component of every American child’s education. I think there’s a lot of merit to that.

There’s also the oft-quoted wisdom that those who travel discover not more of the world, but more of themselves. I would argue it’s some of both. When venturing through foreign lands, one gets exposed to things (s)he wouldn’t ordinarily. This challenges the person. And how (s)he deals with that challenge is the subsequent growth that happens.

I hope on my journey I can share some of the beauty from foreign lands, both in my writing and in my photography, and perhaps we can grow together.