Opening the World

Interested in traveling (18+) and being part of a supportive community of young adults? Applications are open! Apply today: online application (www.openingtheworld.org/apply)

Other events and workshops are always open to youth and young adults (ages 14-26)!

For all youth and young adults in Marin County: Trivia Night, Art, Food and Prizes (SF Giants Game Tickets for Labor Day and more)!

Date: Monday, August 24th
Time: 4:30-6:30pm
Location: 824 Fifth Ave. Suite A. San Rafael, CA

This event is for youth and young adults (ages 14–26); contact us or sign up via the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4EA4AE23AAF5C34-64985453-summer

Today our OTW 2026 annual trip comes to an end. We are homeward bound and already planning our next years’ adventure. Here are a few last photos of our trip - thanks Omar R. for sharing your fantastic photos!

Back in beautiful Istanbul. Street life, Galata Tower and photos of the Blue Mosque. Photo credit: Omar Ramirez.

We visited a variety of 8th century churches that were built in caves. We also explored an underground cave that is over 3,000 years old and built by the Hittites. The Hittites were an ancient civilization believed to be Indo-European. They carved tunnels due to hot and windy climates. Photo credit: Omar Ramirez

A few of us woke up at 3:30am so we could see the sunrise from a hot air balloon. Initially going up more than 2.200 feet in a balloon was a bit unnerving. However, seeing the beauty of the other balloons and the landscape made us soon forget there was nothing but air beneath us. Photo credit: Omar Ramirez and Angel Chavarria ̇a

We learned about Turkey’s carpet and pottery industry. We were shown how these beautiful items are meticulously made.

Another photo of the House of the Virgin Mary, the next photo is the various prayers people leave for the Holy Mother to hopefully answer and latter photos are of the ancient city of Ephesus. At the time when this city flourished the population was 250,000! Apostle John’s burial site is located here as well as various Greek myth statues including Medusa and Nike. Nike was a Greek goddess and represented victory, strength and speed. Hence the origins of the name of the sports company Nike.

We visited the town of Pamukkale. This town is located in western Turkey and is famous for its mineral-rich thermal waters. We all dipped and soaked our bodies in the pools. Pamukkale neighbors Hierapolis, an ancient Roman spa city founded around 190 B.C. The last photo is of The House of the Virgin Mary near Ephesus. It is believed the Holy Mother lived her last years in this home and was taken care of by Apostle John (author of the Book of John, Revelations)

A few photos of Istanbul. This city is amazing. Fun fact: Did you know the city of Istanbul is on both the European and Asian continents?