I spent a year traveling, from June 96 to June 97. It had always been my dream and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I had a really wonderful time and saw many, many great places. I visited 24 countries in total: England, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Andorra, Spain, Portugal, Greece, South Africa, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Taiwan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand. Phew! Some places I stayed only a few days to visit friends or see something particular. The longest I stayed anywhere was two months (Italy, of course, received that honor!) Every country I visited is unique in its own way and each place holds different memories and experiences.

My trip was made particularly special by all of the friends and family I visited and stayed with. Their hospitality was the best! I also met many extraordinary people and made some friends through a host organization called Servas. These people opened their homes, their lives and their culture to me and I will never forget their kindness.

I decided to come back to and stay in California, where I started a job in Silicon Valley at a very small start-up company with a lot of potential (Resolution Health Strategies, Inc. - look for it in a future Fortune 500 listing).

Michael Guadagno, 1287 Cristina Ave., San Jose, CA 95125