Thomas takes us on a personal journey through the gritty streets of Mumbai and edible diversions of Barcelona, a travel immersion that serendipitously reminds us of the single thing missing in his adventures -- the familiar. Thomas Girard is a Continuing Studies Instructor at his alma mater, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, with a unique cultural perspective. Having lived and worked in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Vancouver and London, he is a person of many places. A 5x Emerging Scholar Award recipient, he speaks, receives awards and sits on panel discussions around the world. Once employed as a Staff User Experience Designer at Lenovo Innovation Design Center User Experience Center in Haidian District, Beijing, his days are often spent thinking about where he’ll be tomorrow as he designs possibilities for our future selves. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx