It wasn’t always You and Me!

Our journey today began long before we met. We were both born and raised in New Jersey, USA to American immigrant parents of Egyptian heritage (it’s a coincidence that we met and married each other – despite popular belief this was not a family requirement! ) This cross-cultural upbringing combined with family adventures around the world forced both of us into a global mindset at a very young age.

Alright – Sam here! Also known by my full name Sami, and I don’t mind either. By profession, I’m a full-time Entrepreneur in the Leadership Development space. Before meeting Heba, I had done extensive traveling across dozens of countries as far as Morocco, Turkey, and Vietnam. My most transformational journey was in 2012, when I completed a 17-country solo journey in a rental car across almost the entirety of Europe, from West to East. I’ll talk about it in a separate post, but let me say – the experience of being alone for 4,000 miles changed my life, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! But now turning this over to Heba!

Hey all – Heba here! By profession, I’m a Senior Accountant at a global healthcare company. Growing up, I spent a great deal of time traveling with my family between the USA and Egypt. My parents, while both very proud Americans, always wanted to instill in us an appreciation for where we came from. I was able to learn the language, take in the culture (especially the food!), and far more greatly appreciate the opportunities that had been given to me in the USA. I thank my parents every day for this chance.

Since meeting each other at a friend’s backyard barbecue back in 2015, and eventually getting married, we promised each other that our lives would be defined by more than traditional societal and cultural expectations. In short, we wanted not just to live, but to experience life. We choose to live so that when we do one day say peace to this beautiful Earth, we do it exclaiming “WHOAH, what a ride!!” And we have been working daily to fulfill and build upon that promise since.

Fun fact! We currently live in Paris, France, where Sam is pursuing his International MBA at Sorbonne Business School – and we’re incredibly excited to see where the journey takes us next!