In Oman it was pretty great for opening the eyes of the teenagers to the bigger world. And they are *sharp*. It took almost zero time before they were walking me around their town via satellite view, showing me where the go to school, where their various family members live, etc.

I agree that Airbnb or home stay experiences are great for two-way storytelling. We used to carry postcards of our various home towns (e.g., San Francisco and Prague) and photos of family with us when we traveled, but now we often just show pictures on our phone. The idea of using google satellite view is great, especially as many people often just think of the U.S. as New York City, LA/Hollywood, Grand Canyon and Washington, DC.

Interestingly, that same google maps show works nearly as well even with more cosmopolitan hosts. That person in Iceland may have been to “America” or “Canada”, but will always be interested in seeing the satellite view of your house and the view of the mountains on your drive into town….

Have you been to Bangladesh?

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you, Summer, and I’m glad that this concept of two-way storytelling resonates with your own experiences. When both parties give, it opens each one up even more. And yes, we can all use more connection and understanding in the world, especially now.

Just the other day, my husband and I were talking about how there seem to be people we connect with and others we don’t and we realized it had something to do with how the conversation goes. I love that you call it 2 way storytelling. This type of conversation allows us all to engage more with each other which is so essential to understanding one another, breaking down barriers and growing!