A Warm Welcome Back to Maryland Day!
I want to start by giving a huge thank you to all the wonderful people who came and visited our table at Maryland Day. It was the first one that was held in person in quite a while, and it was so nice to get to see everyone talking and having fun face to face. Meredith and I did a lot of crafting in the office to prepare, and we especially loved giving out hundreds of balloons. I never would have expected them to be so popular.
Aside from the balloons, which were truly a hit, our main attraction was our large world map. We asked passersby to pin a tag to a country and tell us a way that traveling has changed their perspectives. It was gratifying to see how many people were excited to engage, and the responses we got were as fascinating and diverse as the people who participated.
I loved hearing from everyone, and several stories stood out to me. I was struck by the number of people who shared what an amazing experience they had had visiting the countries where their parents or grandparents were from. They shared ideas about how they felt closer to their families, had learned things about their culture they never knew, discovered new aspects of their own identities, and got to experience amazing food.
Many people told us of their beautiful vacations, or trips they had taken for business and ended up loving. Several stories of unique reasons for travel also stood out to me. One person told of their experience going to Russia to adopt their child. They highlighted the incredible experience of meeting their new loved one. Another told of their time in Yemen, which was where they were during the 9/11 attacks. It was a unique story to hear how that day unfolded from an entirely new perspective.
In total, we had over 160 pins placed in 75 different countries all around the world. Places like the US, Canada, Russia, China, India, and Italy were all very popular destinations. Japan, Australia, Mexico, Nigeria, Greece, and Germany also all had four or more pins. It was fascinating to hear different perspectives on the same places. It was also interesting to see all of the countries that had only one pin. There were places like the Galapagos Islands, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and Belgium.
I didn’t expect quite so much excitement about sharing travel stories. Towards the end of the day, we had people tell us that others had suggested they visit to mark the map. Several times, young children insisted on writing their own tags, carefully forming words in colorful sharpie, and asking their parents to spell out words letter by letter. Perhaps our table, and the in-person celebration in general, reminded people of a time when travel and human interaction were safer and more accessible.
I saw people’s faces light up when I suggested they could place a pin on a country they most dreamed of visiting. “I hope to go back” was a common refrain from travelers of all ages. I didn’t quite know what to expect from my first Maryland Day, but the experience was beyond my expectations. Like so many of our visitors, I think travel is an amazing way to expand your horizons, challenge yourself, and experience the new and unfamiliar. I’m excited to see how travel can change my perspectives as we look to the future.
Countries Maryland Day Goers Visited
USA 20 Columbia
Alaska 4 Costa Rica
California 3 Dominican republic
Florida 4 England
Hawaii 4 Eritrea
Massachusetts Ecuador
New York 3 Galapagos Islands
Utah Greenland
China 9 Ghana
India 9 Guatemala
Italy 7 Haiti
Canada 6 Iceland
Russia 6 Iraq
Japan 5 Kazakhstan
Australia 4 Kenya
Germany 4 Liberia
Greece 4 Lithuania
Mexico 4 Morocco
Nigeria 4 Nepal
Bolivia 3 New Zealand
French Polynesia 3 North Korea
Ireland 3 Peru
Ukraine 3 Puerto Rico
Cambodia 2 Scotland
France 2 Serbia
Indonesia 2 South Korea
Iran 2 Spain
Israel 2 Sri Lanka
Mongolia 2 St. Croix
Norway 2 Switzerland
Philippines 2 Syria
Singapore 2 Tahiti
South Africa 2 Taiwan
Thailand 2 Venezuela
Western Sahara 2 Vietnam
Albania Virgin Islands
Amsterdam Yemen
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Bhutan
Brazil
About the Author
Stella Hudson is a Graduate Assistant with the Baha’i Chair for World Peace. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2021 with a B.A. in English. She is attending the University of Maryland and pursuing a Master’s of Library and Information Science.