Finley's Reflections

June 12, 2025

1. What was your favorite part of the trip?

My favorite part of the trip was riding camels in the Sahara desert of Morocco. I loved sliding down the sand dunes and swimming in the pool. We met a really cute baby camel named Ramadan. Ramadan is also a Muslim holiday where they don't eat while the sun is up.

2. How do you think you grew as a person as a result of this trip?

Going on this trip gave me a new passion for traveling, hiking and seeing different countries. My favorite hike was the Everest hike. It was a multiple day hike that I didn't think I could do.  My independence got bigger by doing grocery shopping with no parents. 

3. What was the hardest part of traveling for a year?
The hardest part of traveling  was not getting any room to breathe. I felt like I was trapped in a bubble with my family. There was a lot of yelling and fighting.

4. How did “worldschooling” compare to learning at your home elementary or middle schools?  Be sure to consider both positive and negative factors. 

School and homeschooling are different. Homeschooling was shorter than school but it was harder. I think school at home was harder because my parents made me write essays.

5. What culture did you find the most interesting to you and why?  A culture can be a country (Morocco) or region (ie. Basque culture) or a religion (like Buddhist or Muslim culture).

The most interesting culture to me is the Basque culture in Spain because instead of a whole meal they eat a bunch of small portions of food usually held together by toothpicks. They call them pintxos. Also you have to get to the restaurant in time or else the restaurant will close. This is called a siesta. 

6. How did it feel to travel with your family for a whole year?  Be sure to consider positive and negative factors.

Travelling with my family for a year, I felt like I got more mommy and daddy time. But sometimes they were on their phones booking houses and hotels. I feel like we got closer as a family because we were always together but being together too much leads to yelling and fighting.

7. What, if anything, would you do differently if you were to do this again?

If I were to do this again  I would visit all the countries that might be safer in the future like Russia. I would make the trip shorter, like 3 months. I would stay in each country for three days but I would go to more countries.

8. Would you want to do a trip like this again? If yes, where would you want to go?

If I were to do this again I would visit Finland because I love the snow and I want to see the northern lights. I also want to visit Iceland to see all the volcanoes and go to the Blue Lagoon again. I also really want to go to Russia to see the big rainbow building called St. Basil’s Cathedral.