My name is Ashley. To start this new blog I feel like I need to tell a quick re-cap of a few pertinent details my life. This blog is not so much the beginning of the story, but a re-entry after a very long hiatus.
Previously in my travel blogs I wore a saree to the Taj Mahal and a burkha to the souk. I drove a moped through the streets of Chennai and stumbled upon a dragon dance in Singapore. I climbed the Great Wall of China and drank beer in Tokyo parks under cherry blossoms. I tiptoed on untrodden white sand beaches in Western Australia and swam with squid and rainbow fish in the crystal clear water of the coral islands of the Maldives. I was a child of the world who thrived on exploring the beauty and comedy of cultural differences. I believed strongly that we are more similar than we are different, and identifying those similarities, especially when they are not on the surface, was one of my favorite things to do. Now I'm back.
But let's go a little further back, a pre-quel you can call it. Throughout my life I have been on an unusual path, filled with love, adventure and drama. The defining quest of my life is simply to learn and explore, and I have very actively sought and received unusual opportunities to do that.
I grew up in the all-american suburbs of Sacramento, California playing soccer, eating Dairy Queen and attending public schools. I dreamily read National Geographic and envisioned myself one of their intrepid explorers - uncovering the hidden secrets of exciting and exotic civilizations. In my spare time I sung opera, because it turned out that I could, and that talent along with some other factors got me into Stanford on an almost full scholarship. Stanford changed my life because it introduced me to a huge diversity of people who were all interested in learning and exploring just like I was. I was in heaven.
The moment I arrived in India for the first time, alone and unsuspecting, the whole world opened up - I had found a place that was unquestionably the most different place from Sacramento, California in the entire world.
Previously in my travel blogs I wore a saree to the Taj Mahal and a burkha to the souk. I drove a moped through the streets of Chennai and stumbled upon a dragon dance in Singapore. I climbed the Great Wall of China and drank beer in Tokyo parks under cherry blossoms. I tiptoed on untrodden white sand beaches in Western Australia and swam with squid and rainbow fish in the crystal clear water of the coral islands of the Maldives. I was a child of the world who thrived on exploring the beauty and comedy of cultural differences. I believed strongly that we are more similar than we are different, and identifying those similarities, especially when they are not on the surface, was one of my favorite things to do. Now I'm back.
But let's go a little further back, a pre-quel you can call it. Throughout my life I have been on an unusual path, filled with love, adventure and drama. The defining quest of my life is simply to learn and explore, and I have very actively sought and received unusual opportunities to do that.
I grew up in the all-american suburbs of Sacramento, California playing soccer, eating Dairy Queen and attending public schools. I dreamily read National Geographic and envisioned myself one of their intrepid explorers - uncovering the hidden secrets of exciting and exotic civilizations. In my spare time I sung opera, because it turned out that I could, and that talent along with some other factors got me into Stanford on an almost full scholarship. Stanford changed my life because it introduced me to a huge diversity of people who were all interested in learning and exploring just like I was. I was in heaven.
All american soccer kid turned opera singer
At my first opportunity, I signed up for free travel - and for that instance it turned out that I signed up to do manual labor on an archaeology dig in 110 degree heat (with no shade and no air conditioners!) in Sicily - and it was totally worth it. Since then, I've signed up for every exciting travel opportunity that comes my way (luckily they didn't involve more manual labor), and I was lucky enough to explore India and Asia in a very unique way - as a Google training specialist. Google flew me around Asia as I met hundreds of interesting and welcoming people across India, Singapore, China, Japan and Australia (check out my blogs from those good times- first in India and then in Singapore).
The moment I arrived in India for the first time, alone and unsuspecting, the whole world opened up - I had found a place that was unquestionably the most different place from Sacramento, California in the entire world.
Since then, in my quest to discover the diversity of the world firsthand, I have traveled to over 500 cities across 36 countries, but the 158 remaining countries remind me that my journey of cultural appreciation is still in its adolescence.
This blog is my journey from cultural adolescence to adulthood - and there is going to be a lot of interesting experiences along the way.
I'm leaving for India in less than two days - my first time back in four years and the only time I'll have ever been there without the resources and protection of working for Google. Fingers crossed that I'll be safe and healthy (neither items to be taken for granted, particularly in India), but I'll be bringing my blog and my camera along for that ride.
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