Roaming Reflections

As I walked out of the bus stop and into the Wadi Rum desert of Jordan, the sun beat down, making the sand dance. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. I had lost communication with my guide and was in the middle of the desert without a plan. Still, I recognized I wasn’t as freaked out as I probably should’ve been.  

In my nearly four months of traveling across Asia and the Middle East, there’d been difficult experiences like this, but also good ones. Bedbugs in Taiwan, illness in Hong Kong, and scammers in Vietnam—they were all uncomfortable at the time, but they opened the door to new encounters that I would relive in a heartbeat.   

As a lifelong resident of Texas, I was looking for new experiences when I set out to travel the globe, departing within weeks of my December 2024 graduation from Texas State University. I saved up money for two years as I studied finance in the McCoy College of Business, and I formed a plan to visit 16 destinations, including 14 countries, Hawaii, and Hong Kong. I also scoured LinkedIn, reaching out to TXST alumni who live in the places I was planning to visit.  

My journey would ultimately last a little over five months. I met Bobcats from all over, made new friendships, and felt welcomed in places where I didn’t speak the language. This wasn’t just a trip, it was an education, one that taught me lessons I’ll carry long after the passport stamps fade.  

The journey started in Hawaii, where you’re supposed to chill by the beach, piña colada in hand and soaking in vitamin D. But I could always do that in Galveston, so I decided to spice things up, get the blood pumping, and make some memories. With that, I had the bright idea of hiking the Mount Olomana Trail (Three Peaks) on the island of Oahu with my hostel crew. Partway through the hike, wearing sandals and clinging to rocks, I wondered if I’d bitten off more than I could chew. But adrenaline and laughter with my new friends pushed me through. It was the first lesson of many to say “yes,” even when it seemed scary.   

Tokyo was another shock. I landed in Narita in midwinter and promptly got lost for hours on a freezing day, wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. No phone service, no plan. What could’ve been a nightmare turned into a comedy of errors—me, my backpack, and Google Translate failing miserably. As lost as I was, it was a great learning experience. I figured out how to navigate public transportation and develop a new sense of direction in a foreign land.  

While in Japan, thinking there was no one to depend on, I found hope in the form of Hiroko Torisawa, a 2007 graduate who lives in Tokyo. She showed me around the city’s Senso-ji Temple and Asakusa Shrine, where Hiroko taught me about the coming-of-age holiday that coincided with my visit, offered travel tips about Japan, and explained differences between shrines (part of the Japanese Shinto religion) and temples (part of Buddhism). We dove into conversations about life in Japan versus the U.S., TXST, and everything else in between. Crazy to think our connection started from a cold message on LinkedIn.  

Seoul became my winter escape—jjimjilbangs (Korean spas) for the body, PC cafés for the mind, and coffee shops for the soul. I also met with Sei-hyun Kwon, a 2006 TXST graduate in applied mathematics, who told me about his career path and the importance of leaning on his network as he built a career in real estate. It was good advice to fuel my post-graduate job hunt.  

Taiwan gave me one of my greatest tests—bedbugs at a hostel in Tainan. Thirty bites, endless laundry cycles, no sleep, and a dose of paranoia. I wanted to quit and fly home, feeling homesick and sleep-deprived, but instead I washed, repacked, and carried on. Sometimes growth isn’t glamorous, it’s perseverance in the face of itchy skin.  

Beijing nearly broke me, hours stuck at immigration, my cellphone and payment apps failing me. Yet it didn’t take long before I found myself walking on the Great Wall of China, where restored stones gave way to crumbling ruins and steps that made San Marcos look like a walk in the park. I found peace here, hiking alongside locals, trading nods and snacks. I realized sometimes you don’t need words to connect. A smile is universal.   

Vietnam hit me like a wave. Food poisoning on day one in Hanoi nearly sidelined me. I decided to hike (more like crawl) up Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest peak at over 10,300 feet, while still weak from sickness. That was pure stubborn joy.  

Reaching Ho Chi Minh City, I continued the alumni meetup series, cold-messaging Quan Nguyen, a 2022 graduate of TXST’s master’s program in communication disorders. We grabbed coffee as we talked about TXST, family in Vietnam, and the field of communication therapy. Though communication therapy—and its strategies for treating speech and language difficulties—may not yet be well known in Ho Chi Minh, keep an eye out for Quan as his practice emerges in Vietnam.  

By the end of my five days in Ho Chi Minh, a fellow traveler I’d met at a hostel convinced me to stop hedging with “maybe” and embrace “yes.” That meant late-night street soccer, chaotic beer halls, and friendships I never would’ve made otherwise.  

Singapore was supposed to be pricey, but I discovered hawker stalls where $4 plates of chicken and rice tasted like comfort itself. On my last night, I bet my $150 cash at roulette at the Marina Bay Sands Casino. All or nothing. Let’s just say I left Singapore grinning ear to ear.  

Then Istanbul, a city of mosques, baklava, and scarves. Omar, a young shop owner, welcomed me into his family’s store for tea, stories, and laughter. When two earthquakes shook the shop, we stood outside together, strangers turned friends.   

While I can only showcase a few stories from my journey, there are endless to share. Through the chaos, beauty, and exhaustion, I learned important lessons that guided me along the way:  

Don’t let a single bad experience deter you. These experiences remind you that you’re just one small cog in a much bigger wheel.  

Take the first step. That’s where the momentum begins. Start with a smile, say yes, and let your curiosity do the rest. Once you’re there, ask for help, seek advice, and start the conversation.  

Lean on your network. Some of the best experiences of my trip came from reaching out to fellow TXST alums. With a Bobcat connection, introductions come easy.  

Not everyone can drop everything to travel abroad for five months, but you don’t need to. Growth starts with small steps. Whether you’re hitchhiking in the Jordanian desert or walking across campus in San Marcos, smile at someone. Ask a question. Lean on your network. Say yes. The world opens up when you do.