Where Did She Go Now?

It all starts with one word: Hello. This word is the doorway to the human connection, the first word we say that may lead to the greatest bonds of all time. This is the one word, besides thank you that I learn in every language possible before visiting a new country. It is our key in unlocking other cultures and allowing our selves to get lost.

My name is Elena Favaro Viana and I love to travel. I am part of the twenty-something generation of travelers, or what I like better, the walking wanderers of a dream. A dream so large, that only the fortunate are able to achieve in their life time. It is estimated that there are approximately 196 Nation States at the moment. My goal is to visit half of them… for now.

I am a recent graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Yes, I am a Canadian, eh! My traveling obsession has gotten the better of me seeing as most of my essays were centered around some form of tourism, cultural destination or political instability in countries I still want to visit. My final thesis was actually focused on my favorite country, where I wrote about the political situations of Cambodia in the context of peace and transformation. This career path has led me to chase after a dream of attending Law School. Fortunately I was accepted and will be moving to Brighton England in the Fall for a whole new adventure. -But this is not where my travel addiction stems from…

Three weeks young I was on my first plane ride to Europe. Nothing domestic for a first timer of course. My parents packed me up and took me transatlantic to show me off to the rest of the family in Italy. Naturally, that seemed like a good idea to them. That was only the beginning. Having been to Italy over forty-five times, I was born to a family of two very interesting parents. Both who can not sit still and never will.

My father, a sweet gentlemen really opened up the door to travel. He pushed both my mom and me to dream and instilled that everything is possible. Having been to over 75 countries (so he says, but he lost track a long time ago… ) he is the real reason I was born with travel running through my veins and ingrained in my bones. My mom on the other hand was born in a small town. Having the classic need to escape syndrome she took off and moved to Canada without any language training and a little child… my older brother. She did it all on her own and hasn’t stopped moving since. She and I are currently in competition over how many countries we’ve been too as we are currently at a tie.

It’s no wonder I am a traveler at heart. I have a love for photography, a passion for writing down everything I see, hear and smell and a calling for being anywhere but here. I am a vegetarian dabbling with vegan-ism and the two foods I miss most while traveling are oddly mashed potatoes and apple pie. Things are rapidly changing in my life with a parade of thoughts and big decisions. This blog will start reporting on future travels as travel remains a constant in my life, will dabble with articles of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles; reports on my struggles and success with yoga as well as the “big move” across the Atlantic ocean.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/weredidshegonow

You can check out my personal favorite post for a taste of what

this blog is about, the connections of hello: A Story from Cambodia.