Welcome to the City that Never Sleeps…..

There are an estimated 18.9 million people living in New York City…………

But there is only one Demetri Elias….

He lives a seemingly privileged life on Manhattan’s Upper-East Side….

But Demetri’s life has been anything but stereotypical…….

Upon graduating high school, Demetri decided to put attending college off for a year and to travel the world to see what else was out there. What began as a vacation turned into the learning experience of a lifetime.

The following images are taken from Demetri’s personal travel log

They are real-life depictions of Demetri’s gap year

First destination: Jordan

Next Stop: Amman

Did I mention his dad is a famous wedding gown designer?

Demetri and two colleagues at the Demetrios bride salon in Amman

After getting a taste for the finer things, Demetri

decided to put things into perspective by taking a trip

to Ghana

Demetri’s pictures from the St. Thomas School, where he worked

“Going to Ghana really helped me get in touch with what’s important in life. You come from this big bad city full of people consumed with what they have and how they dress. It can mess with your head if you live in that world for too long without taking the time to experience something like this.”

Bringing what he learned back to the states……

Hurricane Katrina left New Orleans in shambles. Thousands of volunteers flocked to the southern state of Louisiana to help. Demetri was one of them.

Vancouver Olympics

But surprisingly this American wasn’t cheering for the USA….

GO GHANA!!

Before wrapping up the gap year abroad, Demetri made a few more pit stops…..

LONDON

Belize

SAUDI ARABIA

“I’ve been all over the world. Every place has brought with it a new experience; a different perspective on the way in which I saw the world before. The earth is a rapidly evolving place, and as long as you’re on it, why not get up off your ass, get out and see it? It doesn’t hurt if you help a few people out along the way.”