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“Girls are not allowed to travel; they are not capable of protecting themselves”. “people back there will use your weaknesses and abuse you in several ways, and you won’t be able to defend yourself; In fact, you will not understand this is abuse from the first place! Why! Because you are a woman. This is how I was raised, and this is what I used to hear. The world is not safe and dangerous. I must stick to my roots otherwise I will lose my safety, security, identity, and religion. We are always right, everyone else is wrong. But guess what! I became more religious when I saw people in A church in Romania in tears praying! I light up a candle and I prayed to my god as well. I sited Quraan to the Jews who were killed in the concentration camps in Krakow, to every child and woman who lost his/her soul in such time in the history. I felt safer in South Africa when Zulu friends insisted to stay with me to take me home which was three hours faraway from their home. After they invited me to a dancing party and teach me how to perform a traditional dance “Ingoma” asking god to spread love in the world. I felt more secure in Pakistan when a taxi driver approached me and my American friend at 4:00 AM at the train station. Insisting to take us to our hostel without taking any money because we were alone. The next day, he came early in the morning brought us Pakistani Nan baked by his wife and took us showing us the beautiful Islamabad from Minal peek. I figured out I have more than one identity and I love them all. I am an Arab Muslim Egyptian North African Mediterranean citizen. Each identity holds variant of cultural behavior, traditions, and practices that I would have never explored if I stick to my roots. I have decided to travel to 30 countries in my 30s. I had to do that in 4 years and a half. Every country I visit, I get a key chain from it. It has to be very special in its design, which had a very special icon belong only to this country. I got Flamingo dancers from Granada, Spain. I got Thagiyah from Amman, Jordon. I got a Guitarra for Fado songs from Lisbon, Portugal. Why specifically key chain? Something to hold my keys for freedom, explore and fun. I have only one country left; I want to celebrate my achievement on a special land. In this country, I will be writing my stories and tell everyone what I have learned in my travels, to share my incidents with people I have met, food and customs I have tried, and the tears shed in the way. But most importantly I want to re-assure what my society has said to me earlier, in my way: “Girls are allowed to travel alone; they are capable of protecting themselves” people back there will know your strength and will smile at you in several ways. in fact, you will understand the smile! Why! Because you are human.