https://www.travelbygwen.com https://www.travelbygwen.com/musings-of-an-introvert <div data-rss-type="text"> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <h2> <span> What leaving home teaches an introvert about openness </span> </h2> <h2> <br/> </h2> </div> <div data-rss-type="text"> <p> <span> So, by nature I am an introvert. I’m not shy per se, but interacting with strangers zaps all my energy. I tend to prefer being alone or with my small circle. But when I travel, I find myself not only talking freely to strangers, but actually initiating conversation. (Anyone that knows me well knows how much of a departure that is from my norm.) </span> </p> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <p> <span> It’s something about being in a different culture that makes me interested in others’ and their lives. Take the pictures here - these are young men from the Maasai tribe in Tanzania. In my visit to the Ngorongoro and Serengeti areas, I was able to spend time with them. We took part in Adumu, a traditional jumping dance. We visited the community school and met several elementary students. They also opened their homes, called manyattas, to us. (I learned that it is primarily the women that build these homes made of cow dung, mud and sticks). I spent several minutes inside one with the young man in this picture as he described what daily life looked like for him. It is an incredible gift to be invited into someone’s world. It makes one vulnerable to misperceptions, judgment and even exploitation in some cases. It was an incredible honor to be trusted with his story.  </span> </p> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <p> <span> Unlike my U.S. self, I eagerly accepted the invite. And I believe that I am the better for having done so. While, I will likely remain an introvert, maybe in the future I won’t always have to go out of the country to be open to opportunities like these.  </span> </p> </div> Mon, 09 Feb 2026 00:43:55 GMT https://www.travelbygwen.com/musings-of-an-introvert thumbnail main image https://www.travelbygwen.com/heart-journeys <div data-rss-type="text"> <h2> <span> Travel That Stays With You </span> </h2> </div> <div> <img src="https://irp.cdn-website.com/899be60b/dms3rep/multi/IMG_2750.JPG"/> </div> <div data-rss-type="text"> <p> <span> It’s the people, I think. Or maybe it’s the experiences. Or something else or everything else. I’m struggling as I try to put my finger on precisely what, about travel, impacts me so significantly. I can’t point to just one thing. I just know that after every return home, I’m left with something valuable (and I don’t shop, so not souvenirs). Take this picture for example. These are ladies I met when I went to Dakar, Senegal. We participated in a women’s bible study together. There were at least 4 different languages represented in the small group of 12 or so women. The conversation was translated from French to English to Wolof and other tribal languages. It was at that moment that I saw, not our differences, but our similarities. We shared common concerns, challenges and joys. On a whole different continent, in languages I don’t speak, I met sisters who had hearts like mine. It’s experiences like these that the term Heart Journeys is born from. Travel that is more than a trip. Travel that is a journey of the heart.  </span> </p> </div> Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:42:35 GMT https://www.travelbygwen.com/heart-journeys thumbnail main image