Photo History of an Ex-Muslim Traveler

Throughout my life of traveling I have dealt with many politically incorrect, prejudiced and socially awkward situations in many cultures. In Japan, it was extremely difficult for me to get a job as an English teacher despite having a work visa. “Mojo-san. So sorry but you cannot teach English because you are Indo-jin, Indian.

In Zimbabwe, I was called “little Indian man” wherever I went. In rural Switzerland, I was told by a very kindly lady whose daughter I was dating, “In Switzerland, we eat at the table but if you want to eat on the floor, that’s okay.”

If I had chosen to be offended in any of those situations, I would not have had many other experiences that ended up happening to me. I had a fantastic time living in Bulawayo with the Matabele people. I loved the older Swiss lady who had hardly ever known a foreigner in her little corner of Switzerland.

With the Japanese experience, I had hair at the time so I got a perm to make me look more Italian than Indian. All the projects in the Hedonisia Activist & EcoFeminist Portfolio are based on a lifetime of immersive travel.

The reason I'm curating and publishing this photo history is for the "receipts". In the Hedonisia Book Trilogy, there are many stories and anecdotes from my travels. When I tell these stories on a social level, many people are slightly incredulous. "How old are you?" "Did you really travel to all those countries?" "Did you really live and date in them?"

My travels in the 20th century shaped my life purpose and the creative yet practical path I chose. The photo history shows the intellectual foundations of the work I ended up doing.