BSW Australia

BSW Bali (Indonesia)

First few days of BSW's Eastern Europe portion of the journey. With an emphasis on quality over quantity, these days were filled with genuine warmth and friendship. The perfect start to more incredible interactions to come!

Warsaw through the eyes of my dear friends Magda and Michal, and a profound weekend trip to Krakow and Auschwitz. Overall, Poland was a time of sincere reflection and total appreciation.

Top 10 highlights from visiting the beautiful Vilnius, Lithuania

Top 10 highlights from a quick visit to the vibrant Kiev, Ukraine

Just a few days, but quite meaningful experiences and interactions in one of the most interesting places I have ever visited.

A weekend visit and history lesson on Former Yugoslavia 101.

A few days in Budapest, including some colorful Sziget moments.

Been to a lot of honeymoon destinations in my BSW travels, but Slovenia was the first place that actually felt like I was on a honeymoon - by myself. Gorgeous country, I highly recommend!!

Where everyone becomes a professional photographer 🙂

Istanbul street life and the people who made Turkey come to life for the BSW visit!

BSW Qatar

Nothing is better than being greeted by a dear friend and seeing a new place through their eyes. This was the case with my wonderful host Thulani who showed me his beautiful country in a few days!

From Johannesburg to Cape Town, and a beautiful road trip in between!!

From Nairobi to the Northwest city of Bungoma... reconnecting with a colleague and friend from grad school, learning Kenyan perspectives through their angles, respectively.

A few days exploring Addis Ababa - visiting the most ancient human ancestor (Lucy) to spending time with a modern Ethiopian family - a fun last few days in Africa!

BSW India

A perfect end to an incredible leg of the BSW journey in Latin America. From exploring in Bogota to Carnival in Baranquilla, to the Walled City in Cartagena, Colombia, with a mix of old and new friends - amazing energy and a wonderful end to an unforgettable Latin American adventure!! February 2015

There are ancient civilizations and there are modern civilizations.  And then there is Peru, this extraordinary mix of ancient and modern every day.  Knowing my time would be short in Cusco, I connected with Raul through Tours By Locals and asked him to arrange my few days so that I could see the city, talk to locals, and also make it to the epic bucket list experience of Machu Picchu. This third generation tour guide endeared me to his homeland.  I could feel the pride of Peru deep in his bones. There is such a love of "Mother Earth" I felt in Peru. It made the visit bittersweet as I saw some of the ancient traditions giving way to the modernization of our globalized world.   February 2015

My visit to Denmark started with a lovely overnight in a town several hours by train outside Copenhagen. I stayed with Anastasia, a friend I had met in Nepal. She is an academic researcher on childhood obesity and is working at a university in Denmark. I could have stayed at her home for a week just taking in the calmer pace of life in this quaint town.   But instead, I headed back to explore Copenhagen for a few days. Each city in Western Europe feels like a unique member of the same family. Copenhagen is the  mother who wants the best for her children. Denmark is regarded as “the happiest country in the world,” and I enjoyed a delightful interactions with  residents, especially my Airbnb host who was exceptionally warm - and brilliant as a retired cultural anthropologist. Also a bonus - the upcoming holiday season made for a magical holiday lights display on the downtown streets!   November 2014

Like Big Shared World’s visit to Rome, rain ruled the day in Lisbon, Portugal. Lisbon is a coastal city built on a hill which translates to beautiful seashore. I enjoyed walking the steep streets lined with beautiful tiles or graffiti depending on the block. I also met some very kind shopkeepers, especially Olga who began her business after the economy crashed and she was no longer able to get work as a social worker. Everyone has a story, and I love when the BSW three questions become an entry point to help me learn much more about a person and the life they live.   November 2014

I will remember Barcelona most for the kind heart of my Airbnb host who made the visit feel like stopping home for a couple days. I lived like a local in an apartment just steps from Las Ramblas, the main pedestrian street that connects to all the action of the city, day or night!  While exploring the famous Sagrada Familia church, I met two travelers from Turkey and enjoyed dinner while learning their perspective as well.   November 2014

Big Shared World’s trip to Rome was a quick two days, most of which I spent jumping puddles rather than talking with people. The rain may have prevented the usual random conversations, but it did allow for a museum visit, and several yummy Italian restaurant visits, including dinner with my friend from home who was in town to share his anti-human trafficking work with the Pope at the Vatican City.   November 2014

J’adore Paris. Big Shared World agrees with this popular sentiment! Meeting up with a friend from a social business conference years ago, I experienced like a local expat. Staying in a quaint, attic apartment was a cozy backdrop to this romantic city.  One thing that impressed me was the French opposition to the word “happy” and the concept of “being happy.” For the French, they told me, life can always be better. But in the meantime, drink good wine and enjoy the life you live. November 2014

My days in Berlin offered me an important history lesson about this influential country.  While the haunting stories from Nazi Germany occurred more than 70 years ago, the city has monuments and reminders of those terrifying days. No visit is complete without some Berlin Wall history as well, and I was a little bummed to have just missed the 25th anniversary celebrations for the “fall of the wall” by a few days. From the beautiful river walkway to the buzzing arts and restaurant scene, a quick visit to this city only gives you the feeling that there is much more than meets the eye in this evolving place. November 2014

The train ride from London to Amsterdam was a great start to the next leg of my journey.  Sharing a train cabin with three men from Saudi Arabia who were traveling on business, I introduced my three questions to strike up a fascinating conversation about faith and culture.  Amsterdam’s highlights included linking up with an old friend from high school who moved there for work. I also followed up with a new colleague who I met at the Sustainable Brands conference days before in London. Saskia’s brand, WOO (World of Opportunity), is all about socially conscious business and making the world a more responsible place. November 2014

Big Shared World’s Western Europe travels began in London, England.  With my Washington, DC colleague Richard from CollaborateUp, a boutique consulting firm, we attended the Sustainable Brands Conference which highlights the leading trends and initiatives in the world of corporate sustainability. With its cultural and ethnic mix, London feels like nowhere else on earth!  The mix of old and new architecture, beautiful public parks, and classy neighborhoods all make strolling the streets of London a real treat!   November 2014

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I call the BSW journey one of "planned spontaneity". I wanted to visit a big South American city that was off the beaten path. My hosts suggested La Paz, Bolivia, and off I went. La Paz stands at over 3,500 feet above sea level, the highest capital in the world. Tours By Locals guide Marisol showed me around and helped me meet residents. I learned that development has real costs, especially to those who have a deep respect for the land. A highlight was seeing the street vendors with their decorations as they prepared for Carnival celebrations. After La Paz, I went to Lake Titicaca, visiting both the Bolivian and Peruvian sides.  With tourism increasing, these places are struggling to maintain local culture, and I felt a bit guilty adding to that pressure. That said, the days were beautiful and I am glad they were part of my visit!   February 2015

I looked forward to traveling to Brazil because previously I had worked on the marketing of Who Cares? a film on social entrepreneurship with a São Paulo-based director Mara. I started my adventure in Brazil staying with Mara and family, glimpsing her life and her city. Next I went to Rio de Janeiro where I stayed near the city’s beautiful beaches. In Rio I reconnected with Marcelo, whom I met on a flight five years earlier and who introduced me to Mara, the filmmaker. Over dinner with Marcelo and his wife, I shared how my story had evolved since that plane ride years ago. Another highlight was the Rocinha favela, a place where life can be tough. But every person I came across smiled bright and gave me a “big thumbs” up after answering the BSW questions. Rio ranks high on my list of places return to! January 2015

I had heard that Santiago’s city center is called "Chilicon Valley" due to the country's policies for global business and tech startups.  But, I had no idea that I would be so warmly welcomed.  Wherever I went in Latin America, there was someone to make me feel at home! In Santiago, that was Roberto, a friend of a new friend I made in Mexico City.  While on break from business school classes, he spent a couple days supporting my BSW project, showing me around Santiago, and helping translate.  As if that wasn't generous enough, he went with me to Valparaiso, the most colorful, smile-inducing city I'd ever explored.  At Roberto's instance, I devoured some of the most delicious sea food I'd tasted. Thanks to the long coastline, there are varieties only available in Chile, and I now understand why this place would is a seafood lovers' dream.   February 2015

Big Shared World kicked off the Latin America portion of travels with a stop in Mexico City, Mexico. Staying at an Airbnb in the classy Roma Norte neighborhood, I sensed the trendy development in the restaurant and bar scene. By reconnecting with contacts made through my work in marketing a film on social entrepreneurship, I was able meet young people who look to create a more socially conscious future generation. A day spent touring the Mayan was a good way to learn the cultural depth of this ancient, yet still influential, civilization.   A second stop in Mexico was to Manzanillo, a port city where my family friends own a condominium on the beach. While in Mexico, I connected with a lot of Canadians who also have property at the complex. It’s technically all North America, so it worked.   January 2015

BSW Argentina started in Buenos Aires, where I had studied Spanish in 200. A highlight was reconnecting with the woman who watched me stumble through Spanish and grow into myself during my home stay.  While in Buenos Aires I stayed with a Brazilian diplomat. She and her colleagues made me realize this beautiful country is under economic pressure. (The Argentinian currency exchange rate with the US dollar has jumped from 3:1 to 12:1 in just eight years.)  I hope this vibrant country can find economic stability in the future. Next, I went to the wine region, Mendoza. I took a vineyard tour where I imagined that working with grapes would be a pretty good life. The next day, though, I visited a small, family-owned vineyard, and found the work to be much less glamorous than I guessed! I have a new respect for the work that goes into making wine.   January 2015

Big Shared World (BSW) started with a month-long journey through United States. I began in San Francisco (CA) and Seattle (WA), two prominent tech-centered cities. I visited Salt Lake City, (UT), and Albuquerque and Santa Fe, (NM) before flying home to Minnesota. Realizing that US cities sometimes lack public transportation, I decided to finish the BSW United States journey by car.   Over the next 18 days, I traveled 6,000 miles, talking to people along the way.  Chicago (IL), Detroit (MI), Cleveland (OH), Austin (TX), New Orleans (LA), Montgomery (AL), Atlanta (GA), Charleston (SC)… just a sample of my stops.  The month ended in Washington DC, where I said goodbye to friends as I embarked on the international portion of the trip.  Although I logged 130 BSW interviews in the first month, I had just scratched the surface and could have learned so much more! October 2014

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BSW Thailand began in the cultural city of Chiang Mai.  Here you see temples one day and elephants the next. I made friends with my hair dresser one day, and a father/son traveling from Michigan the next. I was lucky that my trip overlapped with the Songkran water festival which is basically a country-wide water gun fight lasting three days. Nothing malicious, the event is all about fun as people get splashed and drenched in water.   After Chiang Mai, I went to Thailand's capital city,  Bangkok. A lot more crowded, the Songkran festival here was a little more disruptive here than fun, but still a site to see. A huge highlight was my day with Tours By Locals guide Michai and the people we met, especially biking across a young boys’ Buddhist camp where we stopped to ask the questions of the older monks and learned so much wisdom. April 2015

Everyone who has visited Cambodia told me how much they loved it. My first stop was the Siem Reap—home of the beautiful Angkor Wat temple complex. Through a new friend in Vietnam, I was met a young missionary doing work outside the city. It was nice to see the work she and her friends were doing with the local community.  From Siem Reap, I went to the capital of Phnom Penh and learned more about the country, and its devastating history during the Pol Pot regime. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I ended the week with a visit to Sihanoukeville, a coastal city where I was warmly welcomed by friendly hosts and gorgeous fish on my first SCUBA experience!   March 2015

I've been lucky to have generous friends, and friends of friends who hear of my project and take me under their wings.  In the Philippines, I was greeted at the airport by my friend Cathy and her father. I met Cathy when we were both moving into the same apartment building in Washington, DC. As she moved home after graduate school, I promised I'd come to visit. It was a pleasure to see Manila from her perspective, and I was grateful to have them show me around. After Manila, I flew to Dumaguete City, where the wife and son of my South Korean tour guide live. I especially loved touring Silliman University, asking students and faculty the questions along the way. We went for an afternoon to Dauin Beach. It seems like a lovely way to spend a vacation!   March 2015

This website is thanks to BSW Vietnam.  I messaged my friend Ryan, who I had met studying abroad in Beijing, China in 2008. Ryan's family raised him in both the United States and Vietnam. When it came time to choose where to live his adult life, both he and his sister chose Vietnam. While I was hoping to at least grab dinner with Ryan, I had the pleasant surprise to hear that his family runs a web design firm in Danang. I was welcome to stay there and work with them. The BSW website is the result of that! While in Vietnam, I got to just scratch the surface of this beautiful country. A highlight was a 14-hour road trip from Danang to Hanoi, with its beautiful mountain views. I'd like to go back one day and motorbike from village to village, seeing this amazing country up close.   March 2015

Big Shared World's Asia adventure started with a one-night layover in Seoul, South Korea.  Immediately off the plane and onto the train to the city, I was struck with how technologically advanced this city seemed to me.  Perhaps a self-fulfilling prophesy given my  expectations, but everywhere I looked I saw people on their phones. While most people were dressed in neutral colors, their phone cases were all sorts of glitz! I stayed right across from the bustling Myeong-dong shopping area which is full of shop after shop and full of friends after friends.  A fun place to visit for sure!   My second day in Seoul was spent talking with students from my Tour By Local guide's college class. I was delighted that even while my time in the country was brief, I was able to have substantial interactions with this next generation and learn about life in this rapidly changing place. March 2015