Frequently Asked Questions

After six months and close to a thousand people, it’s about time I provided some answers behind the social experiment I call Finish the Sentence. Here are ten questions I get asked the most, and will definitely shed some insight as to who these people are, why I ask them these particular questions, and what I hope to achieve by all this.

1. What is Finish the Sentence?
2. Why are you doing it?
3. Who are all these people?
4. What happens when the people don’t speak English?
5. Do you ever get the same responses?
6. Why did you choose these particular sentences?
7. What are some of the best answers?
8. Do people ever say no?
9. What will you do with this when you’re finished finishing the sentence?
10. Can you remember the 60 countries the people came from?
11. What are your answers?

1. What is Finish the Sentence?

Every person I connect with on Modern Gonzo, in every country and every town, every bar or club, bus, plane or train, hostel, hotel or hike, I ask them to finish the same three sentences. I write their answers down, take their headshot (with their approval), and upload it to the website with each weekly update.

2. Why are you doing it?

I knew I would meet so many people on this trip. Hundreds! I wanted to remember everyone, learn from them as human beings, and at the same time create a snapshot of my “people” journey, which is just as important as my “places” journey. I have pages of people’s names and addresses from previous travels, of which 90% of them I will never contact again, or don’t remember who they are. I am too cynical to actually believe I will reconnect with many of the people I meet on this trip, but that doesn’t mean I want to forget who they were. At the same time, everyone who follows Modern Gonzo can also meet the folk I come across. If you were travelling the world, these are the kind of people you would meet.
FTS always proves to be an engaging conversation, whether in a group or one-on-one. Everyone finds something positive in it, and often I’ll bump into people a few days later and he or she will still be thinking about it. I met a Welsh girl in Puerto Iguazu who told me about some guy asking three questions to travellers in Buenos Aires! Naturally, I asked her to Finish the Sentence.

3. Who are all these people?

Fellow travellers mostly, because these are the people I meet the most. There is a sense of camaraderie amongst backpackers, especially in more remote regions. It’s instinctive to start talking about where you’re going, where you’ve been etc etc. I love asking locals, but it is not always that easy to meet them, certainly not as easy as it is to meet travellers. I only ask people once I get to know them on some level, in other words, I don’t randomly ask people on the street. Sometimes FTS comes up early in a conversation, sometimes I only ask people a few days later. I have learnt that if I don’t ask when I have the opportunity, I won’t see that opportunity again. Browsing through the faces, names and responses, I can honestly say I remember every one I have spoken to, and where I happened to meet them. Far more rewarding for me than names scribbled on paper. In one week, I met over 40 people from 12 countries!

4. What happens when the people don’t speak English?

In each country I find out the translation to the key words - inspiration, regret, grateful - and hack away at it from there. I have become quite good at deciphering what people are saying even when they don’t have the words to say them. Many times there is also someone around to translate for me into English. I’d love to ask more locals, but it is not always possible with the language barrier.

5. Do you ever get the same responses?

I was pretty sure that similar answers and themes would emerge as answers, no matter whom I was speaking to, no matter on what continent. Many people do have the same responses, but it’s amazing how the same answers can be expressed in so many different ways. I’m not going to tell you the most common answers - if you browse through the countries you can pick them up pretty quickly yourself. I remind myself that even after hundreds of interviews, people are hearing these sentences for the first time, and their response is unique and thoughtful. I don’t judge anyone’s responses, and I certainly don’t get disappointed with similar responses.

6. Why did you choose these particular sentences?

What would you ask? The idea came to me three days before I left Vancouver, and, over dinner with my friends, we discussed what would be the most interesting, yet universal questions to ask hundreds of strangers from around the world. It is important to stress that none of these sentences have to be taken seriously by anyone, and any answer will suffice (unless it is “Nothing” - see REGRET). People can further take the sentences in any context they choose to, such as their lives, their trip, or their day.

I AM INSPIRED BY: inspiration as a concept fascinates me. What is it that makes you passionate, motivated, excited, eager to get out of bed? So many of us don’t know any more, much less think about it. On hearing the first question, so many people say “that’s a hard one!” These days we have to really think hard about what drives us to live! So this response allows us to see other’s inspiration, perhaps in a light that will help us find our own, or reinforce some of the things we really believe in.

I REGRET: the Empire Strikes Back of the three. Darker, more serious. In the beginning, many people responded with “nothing”, quickly, almost as a defense mechanism. I no longer let them. When people say they learn from their mistakes, I ask them to tell me a mistake they’ve learnt from. Sometimes this leads into a conversation about semantics, because Regret is a strong word. But it allows us to think about negatives in a new light, to truly make an attempt to learn as opposed to repress. On the incredible One Giant Leap DVD, Tom Robbins cites a study that asked senior citizens what they regret in life. It wasn’t money, success, working harder. It was spending more time with family, travelling, learning more. Strange how so many of us don’t live like this when we have the chance.

TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR: Whether travelling or not, every day blesses us with something positive, even if we have to think long and hard what that is. After pondering inspiration and negatives, this allows people to appreciate the positive, and they always do. It’s the kind of question that leaves you feeling good, recognizing that nothing should be taken for granted.

After all three sentences, people have thought about themselves and the world around them, and I know from experience that just about everyone appreciates the opportunity to think about these things. This gives me the energy to keep asking, because I know the outcome will be positive for everyone. Of course, they only need to take my sentences as seriously as they want to, and I enjoy the lighter responses as much as the heavier ones.

7. What are some of the best answers?

For this, I urge you to browse because they are all good answers. Some of them are hysterical, others heartbreaking. One young girl regretted not living life to its fullest, before she got leukemia. Another regretted having a fight with a boyfriend, before he was killed on a motorcycle. One guy regretted not having a natural immunity to gastro-intestinal pathogens! Inspiration differs from person to person, but it never ceases to amaze me how much I learn about myself when I ask these questions, and how the best answers come from the unlikeliest people.

8. Do people ever say no?

To date, a handfull of people have refused to finish the sentence, usually because they are too shy about having their picture on a website, or sharing something about themselves with others. I never force anyone, and of course, everyone approves their photo when I take it - I want them to look as fabulous as they do! I don’t judge people who want to keep it bottled in. Having said that, everyone seems to benefit positively from the experience, and love the idea of joining hundreds of people who have already done so. I remember the five people too, one of whom was convinced I was working for some kind of Girls Gone Wild porn site! She flattered herself immensely.

9. What will you do with this when you’re finished finishing the sentence?

I’m not sure at this point. Perhaps this would make a fascinating book, or a great visual art exhibit, or maybe an interesting sociological survey. There is no doubt that taken together, FTS teaches a lot about the human condition, and is a fascinating glimpse at who is travelling the world today. It is also represents a personal journey, because it is truly the people that have defined this trip as much as the places. Flipping through the faces and responses allows me to revisit all the amazing people I have been lucky to meet - 12 months around the world in faces.

10.Can you remember the countries the people came from?

I sure can!

• Italy
• Ireland
• Russia
• Latvia
• Estonia
• Germany
• Sweden
• Swiss
• England
• Phillipines
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Belgium
• Holland
• France
• Norway
• Denmark
• Luxembourg
• Canada
• USA
• Peru
• Bolivia
• Chile
• Argentina
• Brazil
• Czech Republic
• Slovakia
• Poland
• Croatia
• Hungary
• Albania
• Japan
• China
• U.A.E
• Lebanon
• Saudi Arabia
• Turkey
• India
• Pakistan
• Kenya
• South Africa
• Zimbabwe
• Scotland
• Wales
• Serbia
• Egypt
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Zambia
• Russia
• Mongolia
• China
• Taiwan
• Nigeria
• Estonia
  
• Ghana
• Iceland
• Laos
• Korea
• Cambodia
• New Caledonia
• Fiji
• Tonga
• Israel
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Portugal
• Finland
• Austria
• Singapore
• Mauritus
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Costa Rica

11. What are your answers?

I am inspired by: Challenges, instinct, characters, goosebumps in the warm wind, sincerity, diversity, humour, freedom, kindness, and things that work when you really, really need them to.

I regret: The forces, both within and out of our control, that prevent us from believing in our possibilities and follow truly meaningful adventures. Also, mosquitoes, bedbugs, taxi drivers, and sand flies.

Today I am grateful for: So many once in a lifetimes, my ability to write about them, and the wonderful opportunity to share them with you.