I often think about the vast differences in human perception. All 8 billion of us live on the same planet; we see the same sun, moon, and stars. We all breathe oxygen and we all bleed red. But our experiences are seen through different personalities, insights, and tastes. I love hearing stories from others – especially those with different backgrounds than me – because it reminds me that among all of the similarities, we all have such vastly different lives. Or maybe among all the differences, we have such similar lives, too. I can’t quite figure out which one version it is.

8 billion different days are lived within just 24 hours. I began to put together a compilation of tidbits from the lives of the people I’ve met while traveling. I love to record facts that show the different personalities and perspectives of humans – it’s like tiny windows into other lives. Here are a few of them.

Melisa collects recipes from those she meets around the world. She now has a little international cookbook full of memories and flavors from all over.

Julio was called Tarzan as a kid because he’d swing from tree to tree.

María’s childhood dream was to be the Princess of Uruguay.
David’s was to own a supermarket, mostly so he could sell candy.

Oleksander can eat 8 kilograms of potato.
Gulben can speak three languages, though they get tangled in her head sometimes.
Merve has four brothers and four sisters.

Anil is probably the only person who can talk about black holes and politics in the same sentence.
Mert loves watching cooking videos.
Bayhan dances like there’s a hidden energy drink in his soul.

Anna hates driving (and cars, in general) but has a dog that loves going for rides.
Yasemin seems very quiet until you see her at karaoke night.
Zain once drank so much coffee he ended up in the ER.
Ieva stayed awake for over 50 hours to rave in both Lithuania and Belgium.

Haydar built a beautiful life for himself in another country after fleeing Syria. He’s now learning his third language (English) and working hard to improve every day.
Mehmet always tries the local street food in a new place before visiting the famous landmark.
Ata once threw a sharp stick at a balloon from a distance and actually popped it. He still remembers that feeling of pride.
Adrien is ridiculously good at chess.

Angelza goes to new countries planning to stay one month and ends up staying three.
Shahrzad is confused as to why everyone thinks she’s dangerous upon first meeting her. (P.S. She’s the sweetest!!!)
Sean is an accountant in the Philippines.
Anastasia wrote a theater script and had it acted out on camera.

JD drives the only Rasta-themed Tuk Tuk in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Igor is from Georgia, but starred in a Thai TV series.
Fatih is a man of letters.
Nima is an E.R. doctor who watches a lot of movies but can never remember their names.
Erin has 27 piercings and used to have a pet hedgehog.
Lila loves salty food more than she loves her life, as she knows too much sodium is unhealthy.

Moe DJs and produces sort of famously.
Winnie spends his days perusing Bangkok.
Huseyin is a kind person and concerned with creating a better, more tolerant world.
Erick is a hopeless, romantically inclined triple Libra.
Duha fell off a camel in Egypt, but the camel was more scared about it than he was.
Gabrielle can move each eye independently like a chameleon (I’ve seen it).
Hadjer still has trouble figuring out her lefts and rights.

Angelo never follows through on his travel itineraries and ends up just staying in one place.
Denzel is a DJ and cruise director of a cruise ship.
Roberto prefers TV shows from Spain.
Tugçe can’t think or walk straight before drinking coffee in the morning.
Stefano has a giant painting of him holding a dead pigeon, painted by a French painter.
Lei-Ana’ is allergic to all fruits.
Özgür helped develop a really cool racing game and can play three instruments (but master of none).
Kemal is trained in paragliding and has flown by himself.
Jessie grew up with dogs and can communicate with them.
Yağmur’s favorite book is The Alchemist. 
Medina is easily adaptable to places and people and loves making people laugh.

Alexei claims his entire life is a fun fact.
I think he’s right.

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