As we all go through the journey of life, we seek answers. We seek knowledge. It is in our humanly nature to always want to know more. Occasionally, the opportunity to learn more will present itself in different ways. One thing I've learned throughout my life is that you can learn alot from people. Everyone has a story to tell and more times than not they are willing to share it. All you have to do is ask. This explains one of my recent encounters with a truly remarkable person.

This remarkable person goes by the name of Russell E. Benton. Our paths crossed on my second day of being a college student. I was going through orientation and one of the requirements was to attend a community service event. The community service that my group was assigned to was the opportunity to help some residents at a nearby senior residence. Everyone was given tasks to complete within this small residence. I received my task and I found out that I had been asked to help Dr. Benton with arranging some items within his home along with another student by the name of Levi. While we were completing this task for Dr. Benton, he spoke to us briefly on how he was a historian who had traveled the world and taught many years at the collegiate level. He also revealed his collection of scrapbooks that he had made from his travels. There was a wall of shelves and a closet full of scrapbooks. There were literally hundreds of books full of experiences. I was in awe. This man had done the one thing I had only dreamed of doing and that was travel the world. I was immediately intrigued. I wanted to know more. So I was ecstatic, when he had invited me to come back to his home sometime and spend time to talk more about his travels.

This is the point at which, I decided that I would share this experience with my readers. I thought of ten questions that I could ask someone who had been around the world. I planned on asking them the next time I went to visit Dr. Benton. A week passed from my first encounter with Dr. Benton, when he emailed me to come see him again. I jumped at the opportunity. Our conversation revolved around the following ten questions:

Somethings you should know:

-Dr. Benton has traveled to 126 countries all over the world along with 70 different territories. He has traveled to 196 foreign destinations on all seven continents as of May 2016. Yes, I said 196 destinations. He has been a professor in the history field for many years. As an Erskine graduate himself, he is the most traveled alumnus.

Questions

What made you want to be a historian?

" I have always loved history. I love going to see historical sites . I would rather see things that have really happened rather than created things. Although I love history, I prefer European History over the history of other places."

Why do you travel?

"When I was a child in Florida, I took piano lessons with my sister at a studio. There was a library right beside the studio. On the days that my sister had lessons, I would go to the library. She would do the same when I had lessons. One day, I stumbled across a book called " Around the World in 1000 Pictures". I started looking through it over time. I began to think to myself that I'd like to go to these places and see them for myself."

"My traveling actually began after I graduated from Erskine. I decided to go on an Erskine alumnus trip to Scotland and Scandinavia back in 1962. I still blame the alumni director for my travel bug."

What are your top five countries that you have visited?

1. Denmark- " If Walt Disney would've created a country this would be it. It's a near-perfect country. It's very clean and delightful."

2.India- " I love the diversity and multuple religous cultures."

3.Brazil- " I love the natural beauty. The giant waterfalls, bay, and harbor are breathtaking."

4.Austria- "It has rich history. It was the center of a vast empire in the 19th century. When I have went to Vienna it has felt like I have been taken back in time to the 19th century. I also spent some time at the University of Vienna."

5.Portugal- "It is a very charming place. Charming is the only word that I can describe it with."

What is the craziest thing you've done on a trip?

-"One time I went to the Isle of Rhodes and walked around the moat at the bottom of the Castle of Rhodes built by the crusaders. I was trying to find a way back into the interior of the castle. I decided to climb up the wall to get in. I actually made it in but I barely made it."

What are some lessons you have learned?

-"Don't miss out on an opportunity. Don't worry about the money. Take the opportunity because you never know if you will get it again."

Why do you teach?

-" I teach because I love it. Good teachers teach to teach and not for the money. I don't do it for the money. You have to have love for the subject and topic. God allowed me to travel extensively to share with others. My mother was also a teacher so it had a slight impact on my decision to teach as well. I quickly figured out that you get alot of holidays teaching. I enjoyed that perk because I did most of my travels during summer and the holidays."

What is your favorite culture that you have encountered?

-"Russian culture has always fascinated me. There's so much of it. It has rich music and art along with great literary figures and musicians."

What is the most beautiful place you've seen?

-" Rio de Janiero because of its natural beauty. It is god made and not man made."

What are some places you still want to visit?

"Bali, New Guinea, Iran"

Who is the most interesting person you've met on a trip?

-" I once met the last king of Italy Umberto the 2nd. He was involved with Mussolini in World War II. His family supported the fascist ways. When the war was over, the people of Italy had to vote to keep the monarchy or to become a republic. In June of 1946, they voted and 10 million voted for the king but another 12 million voted against him so he left and settled in Portugal. I was researching in Portugal at the time of our meeting and I was able to have a 45 minute chat. It's not every day that you meet a king."

You see, you truly never know who you may come across in life. When you come across these people you must take the opportunity to hear there story and learn something from them. I was truly blessed to cross the path of Dr. Benton. In the short time that I have known him, he has already taught me so much. I look forward to learning more from him. Thank you Dr. Benton.