Appreciating Diversity

There’s often a point while traveling when something monumental hits you. For me, a moment like that came in Japan.

I was walking around alone in Tokyo. I have to admit, it was a bit overwhelming. I couldn’t read most of the signs, I didn’t hear any English, and people were moving really quickly.

Near a train station, one of the busiest places in the city, I stopped to rest on a bridge overlooking the hundreds of people walking around below.

That’s when it hit me.

Finally, I understood.

Nobody down there looked like me. I was different. I stood out.

I had never had that feeling before. Usually, I look like almost everyone else in the room. Until this moment, I had never been the one to look different.

This realization changed me. It made me want to learn more about other people, other cultures, and step more into places where people didn’t look like me.

I wasn’t searching for a lesson about diversity, but I found one. Travel really can take you to places you never unexpected.

Have you had an ah ha moment while traveling?