Homer Alaska - Letters

My name is Keeley Chiasson and I would like to acknowledge the travel award I was granted last May. I received the award from the Alain and Daniel Rieser scholarship, supported by the Tin Roof Fund at the Homer Foundation. They granted me $3,000 to help support my two-month trip abroad.

During my travels I visited seven countries: Holland, Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Denmark, Finland and France. I was exposed to many different cultures and placed in areas where I couldn't properly communicate with people. Often body language was the main form of communication. The whole experience was mind evolving and I got to see how people lived on the other side of the world.

I think traveling is something every person should do, at least once in his or her life. It helps open your eyes. So many people these days are close-minded, but once you step onto someone else's land, you are almost forced to see and adapt to their way of living. I feel blessed to have experienced all that I did, and I intend to continue traveling through my entire life. I would like to send my final thank you to everyone involved. It means the world to me.

Keeley Chiasson