I could write a book responding to this question. I have lived in seven different countries on four continents. I have visited many others. I adore travel.
My family drove to many places around the US when I was growing up in the South, so I got to see a many different terrains and experience different tastes and sights. I loved it all. I remember our trip to California and Disneyland. There was one to Yellowstone National Park, and we made a trip to Washington, DC, as well. As part of different groups in high school, I went to Chicago, Nashville, Washington, DC again, Philadelphia, and New York City.
I loved the regional food, the smells of the mountains versus the plains, and the sights that were so vastly different.
I lived overseas for much of my formative young adulthood, and it radically altered my psyche. Japan gave me a appreciation for stability above all else. I learned about the dissolution of individual ego through the practice of Buddhism. I gained an appreciation of beauty in utility.
Each country opened a part of my soul that I didn’t know existed. I am a richer being for having lived in such vastly different places: Japan, England, France, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and the US.
And now, I live in Polynesia. It’s part of the United States, but so much is different here. Family relations often trump individual ideas. When strangers meet, it’s not unusual to hear “Who’s your family?” early in the conversation. The food is good, and the language is a real mixture that is hard to describe.
I am blessed.