“Cartagena and Paris. They’re completely two different cities but yet they both have some of the most amazing architecture and history. It’s the perfect juxtaposition… These two places would describe me as an individual. Cartagena is the feel-good place where the vibe and colorful culture sucks you in. Whereas Paris is the sophistication and mystery that keeps you mesmerized…” – Mel C. 062/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“My first trip to the Grand Canyon was one of my most significant. Maybe I just didn’t expect to be so impressed by anything in middle-America, or maybe I hadn’t quite given enough thought to why it was called “Grand” but that first peak over the canyon was a genuine surprise… It was a last minute trip during my last semester in Grad school, and I had just come back from Rio & São Paulo, so I wasn’t expecting the American road trip to be particularly impressive, but I was more awed in my five days in Arizona than I was in over a week in Brazil. I felt very connected to the earth, and experienced a veritable sadness because it felt like we were standing on stolen land. The native inhabitants of the continent had/have a lot of respect for nature, and there is a reservation right outside the national park, which only added to the sense of sorrow… I became very aware that we are all just visitors on this earth, regardless of …
“I was in Bajawa, Indonesia, looking to explore the indigenous interior of Flores. I met a local who knew of a harvest festival at a remote village. We picked up a German tourist en route, then spent three hours trekking by motorbike past the jungle covered valleys, looming volcanoes, and wild rivers of Flores… We arrived to find the young men in a field surrounded by an enthralled crowd, but we immediately became the main attraction. I learned through my guide that we were the first westerners to visit the town. The men were boxing with a sacred object made from a sharply notched rope block dipped in sacrificed pigs blood, one blow from which easily broke skin… While I opted not to partake in this passage of manhood, enough rounds of palm “wine” and prodding by the locals was beginning to work up my courage. Fortunately, the festival wound down and I was invited by the chief to feast with the men on the rare delicacy of pork stew…” – Steve Cohen 053/100 …
“Experiencing the indigenous cuisines of the places I travel have unlocked the secrets behind Time Travel…My first bite is the teleportation device immediately taking me to the remote time, place, conditions that must have manifested to create the complexities in the flavors, textures and presentation of the foods I am eating or drinking…As a Chef, this always brings a renewed sense of appreciation for the place, people, and culture…” – Michael Elegbede // @michael.elegbede 052/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“My travel style and philosophy go hand in hand. Wherever I go, I want to seem less like a tourist and more like I belong or at the very least live there. I love trying to pick out the subtleties of style and demeanor of the city/country I’m exploring. It’s such a great way to learn about a place, its people and its culture… One way to blend in Paris is through dress. They have such a clean, simple, chic vibe that I love. My style as of late has gravitated towards that aesthetic. The Parisian look is in the details…also one has to sit outside at a café for hours!” – Kivvi Rachelle Roberts // @kivvirachelle 045/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“The energy of Haiti makes you feel more real with yourself and others. It makes you feel like you’ve been stripped down to your core being, and naturally show your character that you’ve been building throughout the course of your life. A country with such a strong sense of culture, a harsh and violent past that demonstrates the determination of the country to be the first Black nation to win their independence, presents an energy that gives you force…though naturally presents challenges at times. You think about what it means to be in survival mode, and find yourself sometimes relating to this term, but in the best way possible. The people are far from being passive, robotic, autonomous, and quiet. If you are working here, you question why you are doing what you do, what it is bringing to people, how are people responding to it, and this makes you want to do the best you can. At the end of the day, you know that as a foreigner, you will never go unnoticed, and …
“Between two worlds. To live in two absolutely different cultures is like living in two different worlds. You know the famous places and the places you wouldn’t dare visit…the danger zones…But so often in my life, I had the feeling that I didn’t belong to anything. Neither to one world or the other. I was not a local…I was a sightseer…a stranger in my own life…I understood both worlds but I didn’t have a sense of belonging. Last year, I took a journey to the other side… My father is Indian and my mother is German. My parents got divorced when I was 4. But, I always asked myself why it was that I only existed in one of the worlds. So, I wanted to go back to discover my roots on my own…to see if I belong more to India or Germany. I wanted to know if I’m a German potato or if there is anything else in me, maybe a little Indian monk! It was a strange feeling standing in Delhi Airport. It …
“Listening to and singing my national anthem then watching my OWN country play live at the WORLD CUP in Brazil! As a football fan from a third world country, I grew up just hoping that my country would qualify for the World Cup. Then, when it happened and I was actually able to combine my obsession for traveling with my love for football, that was just priceless! A trip I will never forget even more so as the Fennecs made us proud! Walking around Rio de Janeiro streets and beaches with my flag, people recognizing it and telling me how amazing our team played and how it’s the first time they met someone from Algeria was pure joy!” – Yasmine Ferdjani // @layasmeen 038/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
“Max and I have been married forever. We met in college and became “that couple that ran to City Hall!” Still students, still kids, we floated around looking for the landing ground. Years go by, seven to be precise, and I spend the summer running around the city between three freelance gigs. It must not be all for nothing, I must go to Italy! A decision was made, we were finally going there for 10 whole days. Our first trip together abroad and our first real vacation… It all begins in Milan. Foolishly we fall into a tourist trap cafe, but it redeems itself by serving the largest bellinis I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. With no time to waste, the next morning we run to the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see The Last Supper. The slides from my art history classes pale and disappear and are now replaced with a new memory that I keep to this day… Our journey continues as we hop on a train to Venice …
“Paris, without a doubt. It was my very first international trip when I was 11, and I fell in love with the pains aux chocolats, the Champs-Elysées and the thrill of not understanding what people were saying. I’ve gone back again and again, and I’ve still never tired of the city’s charms…the effortless style, sunset over the Seine, the surprise down a winding cobblestone street, and those perfectly organized French gardens…” – Christine Amorose AKA @cestchristine 027/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project
