I’d just arrived in Washington D.C., and, of all things, needed a red wig for Halloween, since I was dressing up as the Russian spy Anna Chapman. My friend Rich was running late, so I walked down 2nd Street. Lo and behold, two blocks away from our meeting place, a wig shop appeared. I walked down a narrow staircase and was greeted by two Chinese women. 

Masada Siegel in Rome

It was an interesting coincidence, as I had not seen Rich since we toured Hong Kong together earlier this year. Giggling, I picked up a wig, tucked my brown locks inside and called him to meet me at the shop, to get his expert opinion.

Smiling into the mirror, a redhead grinned back at me – it was a startling new look and it got me to thinking about change.

This year I wrote about changing the world for others and being motivated to make the world a better place. I don’t know about the world, but I know I have changed over the course of the year.

My adventures started in Rome. I always become religious in Italy – it’s not the influence of the Vatican, it’s riding on my good friend Elena’s motorcycle. I look the part of the carefree party girl – short black miniskirt, tall black-leather high-heel boots, hair blowing in the wind – but looks are deceiving. I’m always deep in prayer, praying that I survive another ride through the cobblestone streets and the insane drivers.

Shanghai skyline

Together, Elena and I laugh endlessly, and spending time with her is unending fun. She works in Italy’s version of Hollywood, and the parties we attend are filled with blinding flashes from the cameras of photographers taking pictures of fabulous famous people.

Having been to Rome a few times, I have made an eclectic group of friends there. They include Serg, who is Italian nobility – stepping in his home is like walking into a museum – and my friend Rami, a glamorous photographer who shoots fashion for the Italian designer Valentino.

One afternoon, I joined the multi-talented Rami at his studio, where he cooked me a gourmet lunch. Rami talked about his first trip to Israel, and how magical and meaningful it was to him.

Contrasting his Israel experience to my Italian one, I realized that while I can’t stop smiling in Rome, the city changed for me from my first visit because I am no longer a tourist. Strangely, I felt at home in a place where I don’t speak the language, simply because I have friends there.

So sometimes, while the excitement of the first time in a new place is exhilarating, I found comfort in knowing the city and in the quality friendships I have made there, which makes Rome even more special for me.

A few weeks later, it was the exact opposite; I was en route to Shanghai, China, and was extremely nervous. Although I generally travel solo, I never find myself alone. Through my friend Gil in San Francisco, I was introduced to David, an Israeli living in China.

I met  David at a Starbucks in Shanghai. We wandered through the crowded, twisted streets of the Old City, and he showed me local hangouts. As he speaks some Chinese, it was a special experience going to the markets. It almost made me feel as if I was at the souk in the Old City of Jerusalem.

I laughed when I realized that in China I was speaking more Hebrew than English. Spending time with David made me realize how one person can make an enormous difference. He turned an overwhelming city of more than 20 million people into an intriguing and manageable place for me.

Every experience I had, every country I visited made me think and taught me about myself and the world. I made friends with people everywhere. I met Scott Willis, an Australian living in Singapore, on the plane from Hong Kong to San Francisco. I drank champagne with Sarah Huebinger, a German living in New York City, in Whistler, B.C.

In a mere 11 months, I experienced a myriad of countries, new cultures and captivating people.

Places such as Ireland made me feel as if I was walking in a fairy tale, while others depressed me with their Soviet-style buildings and poverty. While travelling the world, I met people who opened my heart and inspired me, while others left me feeling dismayed because of their cruelty.

My introduction to Japan was the city of Hiroshima. Standing in the pouring rain of the city’s Peace Park, which commemorates the loss of lives from the atomic bomb that was dropped there in 1945, a lump formed in my throat. Thankfully, the rain splattered on my face, washing away my tears.

The world changes constantly, becoming more sophisticated and technically advanced, however, human emotions stay the same in every culture. No matter where I went, I watched people expressing the same emotions as people everywhere – joy, hate, love and fear.   

Another adventure took me to Washington D.C. I attended host of The Daily Show Jon Stewart’s “Rally To Restore Sanity.” It was also about change. It was intriguing, not only because it was fun but also because it was about the reality of change, which everyday people demand from world leaders.

Sometimes we change because others’ actions teach us harsh lessons, while other times we chose to change to become better more thoughtful people.

I believe filling your world with beauty and positivity is the best way to evoke change.

Rich and I spent time on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. We took the 360 Ngong Ping cable car, in thick fog  and drizzling rain, to get there. The clouds and mist were so thick, we could not even see the Tian Tan Buddha, which is the world’s largest sitting statue of Buddha.

It was like walking in a grey dream world. I wished aloud for the clouds to go away and for the sun to shine. Needless to say, everyone I was with laughed. And 20 minutes later, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, the wind blew the mist into the mountains and then the sun’s rays danced over the water.

The possibilities for change are endless. I know at times this year, just as everyone else, I have walked through my own personal fog, wondering where my sunshine was. However, change happens in the most unusual ways. Sometimes new friends turn into old friends who bring sunshine into your world.

This brings us back full circle to the wig shop in Washington. Rich arrived and hugged me warmly. He smiled broadly as I put on the red wig. I could see the laughter in his eyes when he said, “You have to get it, it’s so you. Really, it’s perfect.”  

I grinned and thought that when such a dashing, sophisticated and all-around good and charming man as Rich used the word “perfection” to describe me, red wig and all, a little change can go a long way!

Masada Siegel can be reached at [email protected].