When Gelman starts her book, it seems her stories are matter of fact, yet they quickly escalate into adventures which contain that quality that all seekers look for--life lessons and wisdom gleaned through travel. The people Gelman meets, and interacts with reinforce the realization that so many of us lack, that we are all people trying to live a life on this wonderful planet. What brings us together is our humanism, and Gelman's willingness to learn the language of each culture helps her explore this most important fact with each journey. I coudl not put the book down, every chapter was a delightful transportation into the "one world" that we all inhabit, and the perspective of a woman in this instance made it that much more enjoyable.