Derek and I met our junior year of college in Europe. He was on exchange from Vancouver studying Economics at the Sorbonne; I was getting a minor in French Studies as part of my IR/Global Economics degree. We bonded over the invisible hand, monetary policy and our love of Leonidas chocolate.
One weekend, a bunch of us trained it to nearby Antwerp. I knew Derek was well traveled, so I asked to see his passport after the train conductor punched our tickets. It looked something like this:
What I saw: pages and pages and pages of stamps from countries like Pakistan, Croatia, Madagascar, Brazil, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Singapore and Finland.
What I felt: ridiculously, insanely, speechlessly jealous.
What he said: “Whenever I have an extra $500, I’d rather see the world than spend it on something stupid – like video games.”
What I realized: I need to seize every opportunity I have to travel, because otherwise I’ll hate myself.
Canadian Derek, you should know that you’re the main reason I now have a love affair with travel. And thanks to what you shared with me during that 45 minute train ride, I’m fortunate enough to have visited, experienced and learned from places like Morocco, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Aruba, and yes – even Canada.
My kids, future grandkids and I – we all owe you. BIG, BIG, BIG TIME.


