How to begin a blog loaded with such overwhelming feelings?

Perhaps with a story.

Almost a year ago, I was sitting on some steps in the city center of Amman, Jordan with a traveler friend named Gus. It was one of the first stops on my trip and frankly, I was a little nervous.

There's this perception back home that the Middle East is hostile and thus, I sat there tensed as if danger would break out at any moment.

We were eating some knafeh (a fantastic dessert by the way) when a man approached us and welcomed us to Jordan. Immediately, I was on edge.

What did he want with us?

Gus was much more at ease. He'd spent the last year in places like Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan and he knew what was about to happen, even if I didn't.

The Unforgettable Day

The man introduced himself as Hassan from Iraq. He had heard us discussing the Israel-Palestine conflict and asked if he could add some thoughts.

Sure, Gus said.

For the next hour, Hassan shared everything. He told us about the war from a perspective seldom heard in the US media. He talked about Iraq, his home which is still recovering from the US invasion.

I just sat there and listened. His experiences were leagues away from my cushy life back home.

Then Hassan asked if we wanted tea. I declined, still transfixed by his story. Ten minutes later he asked again. Again I said no.

Hassan took a short break from our conversation and returned with three cups of tea. "You are my brothers," he told Gus and me, "I just want you to feel welcome here."

Hassan was far from the last person to extend such altruistic hospitality. However, he kickstarted the beginning of a debt I'll be paying for the rest of my life.

This is my story of travel debt.

More than Just Tea

The tea probably cost less than a dollar, but the gesture was priceless. All my feelings of vulnerability and unease evaporated in one sip.

Furthermore, I'm constantly thinking back upon the perspective that conversation brought. How beautiful is it that travel can expand your horizons like that?

In the US, if someone buys you a cup of tea, the immediate response would be, I'll pay you back. How much was it?

To Hassan, that might as well have been jibberish. There is no pay you back in his culture. There are no tit-for-tat scores to settle or any notion of indebtedness whatsoever.

There is just friendship. A tea is no price to pay compared to friendship.

Thus, due to cultural differences, I just acumulated a debt that I could never repay Hassan. He would never accept my money, and even paying for the tea wouldn't be enough to repay the knowledge I'd just gained for life.

It was a situation that would repeat itself around the world.

The Unpayable Gifts

As I reflect on the people and places that welcomed me, the gestures that resonated were wide-ranging.

There were unforgettable meals like the one Adrian treated me to in Kosovo or Johannes's family cooked up in Germany.

There were cultural tokens, like the South African running sleeves I was gifted by Stan, or the Saudi Arabian shemagh from Ibrahim.

The gift of a bed went a long way with this weary budget backpacker, and I won't forget the generosity of Chloë in Belgium or Darlington in Malawi.

(I won't forget anybody else either! There are simply too many to list here.)

But even when people had nothing to offer, I received the gift of conversation that I could keep for the rest of my life. I won't soon forget the perspectives of Max from Israel, Zayan from Bangladesh, or Harry from Greece.

They say travel broadens the mind and I can't imagine living life without the firsthand experiences, anecdotes, and memories that each step in my journey took me.

When I think of travel debt, that's where I'm indebted the most.

Gratitude

So, as I sit here writing from my childhood bedroom, I'm still trying to make sense of everything I saw and learned. But I can at least say this.

Thank you.

If we met somewhere on the road, I'm massively indebted to you. Whether it was for an hour or a month, I will cherish our time together forever.

Like Hassan, most of you would say I don't owe you anything. Regardless, I can't pay back the amount of travel debt I'm in. So I'm forced to turn to the only other option.

Paying it forward.

Open Doors

After journeying around the world and coming back home, I can confidently say there is nothing like the United States of America.

It's the best country in the world for me, and for hundreds of millions of others too. It's also a culture unlike anywhere else and can be difficult to visit and understand without a local.

So, here I am! (In Washington, DC for now). I invite you to my country and to city!

Let me show off our freedom and democracy that we're so proud of.

Let me treat you to the biggest, greasiest hamburger you'll ever try.

Let me have a late-night conversation with you comparing our countries.

I learned time after time how small gestures can make big impacts. As Hassan showed, it just takes a cup of tea.

Let me pay that tea forward to you.

:)