My Travels
India
As a high school junior, I was selected to serve as a “junior ambassador” through the federal Kennedy-Lugar YES Abroad scholarship program. Funded by the U.S State Department, YES Abroad selects 65 “junior ambassadors” from several thousand applicants to build bridges to countries with significant Muslim populations. After undergoing an exhaustive application process – essays, group evaluations, individual interviews in Washington, D.C. – I jetted off to Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, an industrial city near New Delhi. Interested in the program? Also, check out some of the pics below!
The summer before my junior year of college, I backpacked through Europe. I booked one ticket into London and the other out of Lisbon. Everything else was up to me, although you’ll see my “attempted” itinerary down below! I solo backpacked for 52 days before my younger sister came to join me for the last 12 days. In my first week abroad, my phone broke and my debit card was stolen! I had to survive off the kindness of strangers and 16 euros in my pocket in Paris, one of the most expensive European cities! Find out more about my misadventures here.
Europe
Panama
Seven hour bus rides that should have taken 2 hours? Sign me up! When you board local Panamanian buses, you know you’re in for the long haul. My family’s ten-day trip to Panama City and Isla Grand included the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal and the Summit Botanical Gardens.
