It’s been 70 days since I left my job, my home, and friends to travel for a year. In that time, I have…

Had hour-long conversations with people who spoke no English.

Had the flu.

Hyped myself up with an R&B playlist to walk down the street in Beijing.

Had an encounter with the Chinese police.

Consumed more boba than I thought possible.

Fallen in love anew with xiao long bao.

Gotten sick from three different meals.

Learned how to count to ten in Mandarin.

Visited the Great Wall.

Went to a cafe to fish for live prawns, which were promptly consumed.

Had the best banh mi of my life for two dollars.

Camped on a cliff that overlooked the easternmost coast of China.

Discovered my new favorite city, Shanghai.

Traveled for three days by motorbike in the northernmost part of Vietnam.

Fallen in love with the people, food, and nature of Vietnam.

Face-planted off a waterfall.

Lost a debit card.

Met a restaurant owner from Argentina and shared a lunch of peking duck.

Celebrated my friend’s grandpa’s 80th birthday in a small village in China.

Negotiated half the price off various goods and still likely overpaid.

Prayed for the hostel hosts in Israel I was going to stay with.

Risked my life willingly, and with a questionable amount of enthusiasm, crossing streets in Ho Chi Minh.

Crashed a motorbike.

Learned about what I value when visiting a new place.

Got scuba certified to dive to 30 meters.

Met new friends from China, Argentina, the Netherlands, Montreal, Germany, and California.

Had the best dim sum of my life.

Visited an art museum in every country I’ve been to, six at this point.

Entered the two shower a day club due to suffocating humidity.

Had more mango smoothies than I’ve had in the rest of my life combined.

Actively sought out the most unassuming street vendors, where the true gems lie.

Experienced enough torrential rain to satisfy me for years to come.

Gained confidence in my ability to navigate new cities.

Greeted clean laundry like it was my firstborn.

A remarkable lack of craving for Western food.

Been to more markets and had “I don’t know what I’m eating, but it’s good” moments.

Eaten frog legs, pig intestines, and balut.

Read nine books.

It’s been a good 70 days.