Written by: Mahir Daiyan Ashraf
If you’d told my 10-year-old self—stuck in Dhaka traffic, face pressed to the window watching people go about lives completely different from mine—that I’d one day be heading to France to study, I probably would’ve laughed. That boy was curious, yes, but he couldn’t yet imagine the world being that close, that real.
And yet, here I am.
Bags packed, passport stamped, and a heart full of curiosity.
I didn’t grow up traveling abroad constantly, but I grew up learning how to observe. Whether it was during long drives through rural Bangladesh or afternoons in the local farmer’s market, my parents always reminded me to look closer, to ask questions, and to keep an open mind.
They believed that every person, every place, every plate of food carries its own story, and they taught me to listen to it. When we traveled within Bangladesh or nearby countries, we would go beyond tourist sites and into villages where we’d sit for community festivals or eat dishes we couldn’t pronounce. That’s how I first fell in love with travel, not just the physical movement from one place to another, but the cultural immersion. The little rituals, the stories in between, and above all, the people and the omnipresence of humanity.
Fig: Aarti ceremony at the Tal Barahi temple, Pokhara, Nepal
Fig: A family moment around a globe of light
(Also, that’s how I fell in love with Nasi Goreng in Singapore. Still undefeated in my book.)
As I grew older, I searched for more ways to explore cultures beyond mine. I picked up French in school and held onto it for three years, imagining one day I might visit France and speak it outside the classroom. But eventually, the emergence of COVID-19 put a halt to it.
That’s part of what drew me to the Georgia Tech-Europe program, returning to something I once loved.
GT-Europe feels like the perfect middle ground: an opportunity to continue my coursework while reconnecting with the French language and culture in an authentic, lived way. I get to wake up in Metz and walk through the very streets that once only existed in my textbooks. All while staying on track academically. As someone who values both structure and spontaneity, that’s a rare opportunity.
But beyond the language and the credits, what excites me most about this semester is the chance to slow down and notice.
I’ve always been drawn to moments that feel fleeting: the glint of sunset on old rooftops, the quiet rush of a train station before departure, the laughter of friends at a roadside tea stall (or tonger dokan, as we call it in Bengali). Maybe that’s why I found my way to photography, an attempt to hold onto the things that pass too quickly.
Fig: Tea shared with friends
Fig: Silhouettes at sunset, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
This fall, I want to chase those moments all across Europe.
I’ve already started planning with my friends:
- Hiking in the Dolomites
- Wandering through the streets of Vienna
- Catching a glimpse of Aurora Borealis
- Watching the Monza Grand Prix in Italy (I’m a huge Formula 1 fan)
- Getting lost in cities I’ve never been to just for the joy of finding something unexpected
But even more than that, I’m excited for the everyday moments: the morning walks past a bistro, the quiet bike rides by the river, the language slip-ups that turn into conversation starters, perhaps sitting in a café, watching all the people passing by, each with a story to tell.
Through this blog, I hope to document both the spectacular and the simple.
You can expect photos, of course, plenty of them. From landscapes and architecture to little details I stumble upon. But I also plan to write about the contrasts I experience: between my life in Dhaka and Atlanta, and life in Metz, between comfort zones and adventures, between what I thought I knew and what I continue to learn.
There may be stories about food, conversations with locals, spontaneous trips with friends, and even reflections on what it means to travel with intention as someone who never took that opportunity for granted.
In short: I want this blog to feel like a journey we take together.
Whether you’re a future GT-Europe student looking for tips, someone craving travel stories from your desk, or just a fellow curious soul, I hope you find something here to relate to.
One of my favorite quotes comes from a video I once watched: “You don’t need to go far to explore. You just need to notice what others overlook.”
That mindset has stuck with me. And while I am going far now, I’m hoping to keep that same spirit alive, one blog post, one photograph at a time.
Thanks for reading! I am excited to share my adventures with you.
Fig: Sunrise over the Himalayas
Fig: Courtyard reflections in Putrajaya, Malaysia
Fig: A quiet corner in Nepal
Fig: Sunrise from a hot air balloon
Fig: Hills in Bandarban, Bangladesh
Fig: A fisherman in Tanguar Haor