A few of the humans we've met along the way
We’ve met so many incredible and resilient people who opened up and welcomed us in. These are some of their stories.Meet the kids of Rajasthan
On an overnight tour of the Thar Desert in North Western India, we stopped in a small village near the border of Pakistan to have some tea. I think most of the other travellers went inside, sat around a chatted with the rest of the adults. But when we saw the kids playing outside with their toy made out of a plastic ring and a metal rod, we had to go check it out.
Two minutes later, we were running around with the kids, they were showing us how to do it properly, and we were all laughing even though we couldn’t understand each other. For the life of us, we could not get the hang of it! Here we were with our fancy iPhones and toys we grew up with back home, but we could not figure out how to play this game with them.
We’ll never forget it.
Meet Tim & Hector
The first time we met Hector (Hecta in Aussie) was at a fish factory that we were working at. We spent many long days together, and his curiosity inspired us whenever he could sneak in a conversation, as he’d ask us all of the questions he could possibly think of about the “great big world”.
One day, Hector invited us to come spend the day at his family’s house in Penguin, Tasmania, where we met his dad Tim. Their round house reminded us a bit of a “Hobbit” house, with its’ quirky character and warm charm. On your right when you walk in, there’s a shelf made out of a coffin, and so many instruments from around the world that we had the pleasure of listening to Tim and David jam out on later on. After, we took a walk around their property and explored some caves where it is believed that Indigenous people inhabited, as there was evidence of old stone tools. That day reminded us of the importance of connecting with nature, and spending quality time with family.
We ended up becoming really close to Hector, and now think of him a bit as a little brother. We even caught up again when he visited us in Queensland and we went on a grand adventure! Til’ we meet again, Hecta!
Meet Senégalese Entrepreneur
Though we may not know her name, we passed by this woman almost every day on the streets of St Louis as she would sit outside selling her handmade artisan jewellery. She’d always greet us with a smile and invite us to take a look at her products. And we always promised that we’d get something before we left - and that we did.
This was one of the first times it started occurring to us that one of the best ways that you can empower people is just by supporting their businesses.
Meet Bishan
We met Bishan on our 7 hour flight from Germany to New Delhi, India. He was on his way home to Nepal, after working in Germany and we were on our way to India. By the end of the flight, we had exchanged contact info and he invited us to visit his at his family’s home in Dhulabari, Nepal.
After about a month in India, it ended up being the perfect time of the year to go to Nepal, so we video chatted with Bishan, asked as many questions as we could and then made the decision to go for it. After a 16 hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Bishan’s village (and some minor food poisoning), his family welcomed us into his home with so much kindness, and delicious food (like dal bhat). Bishan’s family showed us the Nepalese custom of “Atithi Devo Bhava”, which means 'Guest is God’.
We spent the days with his family and he showed us all around the region and to some tea plantations. We went for a long scooter ride on a day trip to a tea plantation, and later that week we celebrated Chhat - a Hindu festival worshipping
the sun god and thanksgiving for a good harvest season by praying at sunrise and sunset near a body of water. We were completely drawn to the site as it was nothing like we had ever seen before. The river was lined by bright gold Marigold flower garlands, giant banana leaves, offerings and candles. We were so humbled when they included us in their celebration of Chhath, where we were also welcomed to participate in their Puja.
We feel immeasurably grateful for the memories we made, and for Bishan and his family and friends’ welcoming us into their lives.
Meet Mozambique Mom
Claudia took care of me (Tara) and my team during my time in Mozambique responding to Cyclone Idai. Claudia and her family made sure that we always had everything that we needed, and went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable by having a shower built in our “guest room”. Claudia was always there at the end of a long day with a smile on her face, even though she had been up working since before the sunrise. Claudia showed us the true resilience of humanity, and the importance of showing up for people. She also taught me that it’s important to make people feel welcome, and to have a good laugh. Until we meet again 🙂
Meet Babacar
We met Babacar when we lived in St Louis, Senegal. He worked as a tour guide in the region, and we wanted to see a bit more of the rural areas of Senegal before leaving, and so the adventure began. He took us to an island made entirely out of shells, to the largest Baobob tree in Senegal, and we learned a lot of about the history of Senegal, and how the tourist industry has really slowed down which has affected his and other’s businesses greatly.
Meet Old Delhi Entrepeneur
We almost couldn’t believe our eyes when we came across this entrepreneur working in what couldn’t have been bigger than a 5x10’ cement box making food, with the biggest smile on his face.
Growing up in Canada, it was a scene that we’d never encountered before. It was almost obtrude, the difference in working conditions, though the worker had the proudest smile on his face. It left us reflecting back on the way that we thought the world was, but isn’t for so many.
Meet Rifka
We actually first met Rifka in Senegal, while she was doing her year abroad and also working for an NGO in Saint Louis. We got along well, and invited her to spend Christmas with us and the whole gang.
Later on while passing through Europe, we asked Rifka if we could crash at her place in Switzerland for a few days while we explored around town. Her family greeted us with such kind hospitality, and even got each of us our own personalized chocolate bunny for Easter! Thanks for making us feel like we were at home. We’ll never forget it.
