World Traveler

    CHICAGO, IL – In Tanzania, Haley Henscheid camped in the Serengeti.
    Her group made a fire and was hanging out after dinner when they started to hear noises that sounded like cows.
    “We looked around and realized we were surrounded by hundreds of zebras and wildebeests, migrating from the Maasai Mara,” Henscheid said.  “There were even hyenas walking around and stalking us.  It was such a sight to see.”
    In Peru, she visited the mountains, the beach, and the Amazon rainforest, also attending a music festival in the middle of the jungle.
    “I went with a group of strangers and it was one of the most fun experiences I have had,” she said.
    At a salsa club in Cuba, she caught Jack and Ozzy Osbourne filming a documentary.  Since many Cubans are unfamiliar with American bands, only a few recognized the crew.
    “We were just a couple tables away from them, but they left as soon as they were recognized.”
    Also in Cuba, at an art museum in an abandoned factory, Haley thought she saw someone familiar.
    “It turned out to be Joe Schmitz, who I went to high school with,” she said.  ‘It was such a coincidence to run into someone from Harlan, Iowa.
    “We also found each other at a café over a week later and had dinner together.  I know the world is small, but that was a fun one.”
    So goes the life of a world traveler.
    Henscheid, a 2013 graduate of Harlan Community High School, has made it a mission to travel as much as possible during her nine years since leaving Harlan.  It’s been one exciting adventure after another, and she hopes to continue with more travels post-pandemic.
    “I enjoy meeting new people from different cultures and learning about their country from their own experience,” said Henscheid.  “I have learned that humans, no matter where they live, are more alike than different.
    “I have had strangers, who don’t speak English, help me on the street, invite me into their home, and share their lives with me.  I love being able to share a human experience with people who, on paper, live very different lives than me.”

Full article in the NA.