The first exhibition of my exhibition project was held in my home country. The meetings organized for the exhibition were attended by people who didn't have travelling experience as well as by people who had a lot of experience traveling to the East.  Among the participants were also people of Eastern origin who enriched the conversations with stories about their lives in the East, their travels in the West, or their experiences of migration and adaptation to life in the West.

During the 5 meetings that took place during the month of exhibition, various topics were discussed that arose from the curiosity of the participants about my travel experience, including

- The importance and quality of traveling without airplanes.

- The differences in privilege between Eastern and Western people;

- The extraordinary hospitality of the Eastern people;

- The impact of new Asian architecture, with the construction of skyscrapers and very large roads, on the social fabric and the creation of situations of alienation and isolation typical of Western society.

- Overcoming the belief that women are at a disadvantage compared to men when traveling alone, especially in areas considered high risk.

The concreteness and simplicity of the subjects portrayed in the paintings offered the participants an immediate opportunity to mirror themselves in the subjects narrated and to share in conversation the sense of familiarity and communion they felt with them. The harmony of the landscapes and the serenity of the painted faces led the participants to question the origins of this well-being, especially that shown on the faces of the women. All of this led us to ask what is the condition of life that helps one to be happy: enjoying so much freedom or being deeply connected to one's homeland and community? At the heart of Eastern culture is the connection to nature, one's community and traditions, the fundamental reason for the harmony that shines through the faces of the characters portrayed.

The conclusions and reflections that we have reached together with the participants of the different meetings are the following

- The need to travel in order to be exposed to different cultures and to broaden one's perspective;

- Contamination with different cultures is functional to our ability to establish healthy, fluid and non-judgmental relationships.

- Today, our task in relation to the East is one of connection, harmonization and knowledge: the challenge of our time is to learn to look, to see the other and to be seen by the other.

- East and West are not separate: there is both physical continuity, in that there is a continuous stretch of land from Europe to Asia, and cultural continuity between the two areas. It is only a matter of recognition and appreciation.

- The pressure to cultivate one's individuality and the loss of connection to the land and one's traditions may be at the root of the West's difficulties in being happy.

- The feeling of being part of a whole annihilates loneliness and motivates the individual to participate in community life, where the individual does not disappear into the multiplicity, but is recognized in his specific and fundamental role within the whole.