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DCIM103GOPRO

Home » Adventures » How Mongolia Changed My Life » DCIM103GOPRO

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Liz

Hi, I'm Liz, and I got my first taste for traveling when I was 16 years old. On my own, 10 years and 50 something countries later, my wanderlust has only grown and the list of countries I want to visit longer.

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The solo female travel blogger ✈️ Author of “Houseplants & Design” 🪴 Friend of kākāpō and the girl with the whales 🐳 Polar expedition guide ❄️

Eight years ago I worked with USAID in Kyrgyzstan

Eight years ago I worked with USAID in Kyrgyzstan around tourism development with the aim of reducing poverty and creating job opportunities in a country where millions leave to find work elsewhere. These are the kinds of projects that I love, where you feel like you’re actually making a noticeable difference. This is all part of the larger picture when it comes to the “soft power” of US international policy started by JFK. You don’t always win allies with weapons. Supporting democracy, stability and development in a strategically important region of Central Asia benefits the US. In fact, it saves millions of lives around the world. And Trump and Musk took a sledgehammer to it without a second thought.
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People will say “well why does the US have to provide so much foreign aid?” US spending on foreign aid is TINY when you look at the federal budget. The money spent here makes *literally* no difference to the average American but has had a massive impact on international relations. It has been a core part of the US power strategy for 60 years. And for a selfish, vindictive government, USAID is an easy target.
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This is just one example of Trump’s decisions that horrifies me. I know people who lost their jobs overnight. But what terrifies me more is when I hear people talk about it like it’s a good thing. The most terrifying part of the current government is its lack of empathy, its spiteful and malicious decisions that destroys lives with one pen stroke by a man you know probably can’t even spell. It encourages people to talk about “us” versus “them” and to blame or write off people as if they were nothing. To have foreign aid, which helps the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, arbitrarily destroyed by the richest and most privileged men in the world is gut-wrenching, and I’m just so sorry. This lack of empathy and failure to think deeper will be our undoing, and I’m torn between wanting to scream and hiding away in a cave. I hate this.

One year ago with @hollielovesplants on the most a

One year ago with @hollielovesplants on the most amazing adventure. Taylor Swift healed me and it was worth every penny ❤️

Memories of a few months working in Antarctica wit

Memories of a few months working in Antarctica with the best humans ❤️

Back home in New Zealand for summer! Looking to pl

Back home in New Zealand for summer! Looking to plan some missions and tramps ❤️ have any suggestions for adventures?

“If adventures will not befall a young lady in h

“If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” - Jane Austen

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Who is Young Adventuress?

Hi, I'm Liz, and I got my first taste for traveling when I was 16 years old. On my own, 12 years and 50 something countries later, my wanderlust has only grown and the list of countries I want to visit longer. After living in Spain for the past few years and returning home for a stint, I then quit my job and moved to New Zealand and I've been here ever since. Follow my misadventures as I wander, eat, and photograph my way around the world

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