The founders of MASS ended up taking what they learned at Harvard and melded that with what they learned working with locals in Rwanda. It prompted them to develop an ethos for all their projects: design beautiful buildings, help as many local people as possible, source local materials and labor, and provide smart, natural air flow for a healthier environment.

What is even more rewarding than studying the thoughts and motives of outstanding philosophers and impactful statesmen? Traveling to their part of the world. Stepping where they have stepped. Seeing and touching for ourselves where they formulated and expressed their ideas. Can you think of a better education than that? I can’t.

Bells have been around for a long while and we find them in most of the cultures around the world. In Europe, it’s easy to become accustomed to the melodies of bells ringing throughout the day, and it’s easy to discover their ap-peal (pun intended) wherever you might be in your own hometowns and in your travels.

Although the loss of income has been difficult, it is that connection with tour members—that sense of community—that I miss most. I miss not only building relationships with my tour members but  also helping them connect with each other and with locals. 

I realize that I am blessed to have been born in the US (thank you , Mom and Dad, for seeking and working for a better life). I realize that I enjoy great privilege in being able to travel and learn from experiences and cultures from all over the world, and I do not ever want to take any of that for granted.

These people still remember vividly about surviving in a city where food was scarce, where part of the city was bombed, about meeting an American soldier and learning how to play baseball, other stories are about the many marriages between American soldiers and French women. Many still remember the joy of American movies and music, which they were able to watch and listen to after the Liberation.

There’s something so evocative to me about pictures of food and the power they have to vividly remind me of mouth-watering meals and moments that I’ve had on my travels.  I can look at my culinary photos and remember exactly where I was, the scent of the dish just placed in front of me, and the way the flavors open up on my pallet.