A record breaking global traveller who has visited every country in the world had her hairiest moment in her home nation.
Jessica Nabongo made history* when she claimed she had become the first black woman to travel to every country in the world (although that title is in contention following fellow adventurer Woni Spotts' decision to go public on her own achievement).
The Ugandan American arrived in the Seychelles flanked by dozens of her friends and family to make it all 195 United Nations recognised countries visited in 2019.
Four years on and the Detroit native has turned her talents to hosting season one of WhatsApp’s Crossing Cultures, a series that explores how diasporic communities around the world create a home away from home while maintaining connections to their culture.
In the show she goes off the beaten track in a number of countries in a bid to find less often visited communities and examines how they've built a new home.
When she comes to London that means exploring the Nigerian community in Peckham, and the Indian community in Southall.
The 38-year-old is the perfect person for the job, having been born in the US to Ugandan parents, moved to London, and visited dozens of countries and met hundreds of people by herself during her years of travel.
While most of the experiences she had were overwhelmingly positive, Jessica did share her hairiest moments with the Mirror.
"In Paris someone tried to grab my phone and in Rome a taxi driver tried to kiss me," she said.
"But it was in Miami that a police officer put a gun in my face because they thought I was trying to break into my friend's house.
"My parents are immigrants so we don't have gun culture, so I'd never seen a gun. The first time I saw one it was in my face.
"You're trying to calm them down. I don't want to make any sudden moves. I'm an upstanding citizen. I don't want to be shot in my face.
"We're in swimsuits with beach gear, we are not looking like people who would be robbing an apartment."
Thankfully Jessica managed to stay calm and explain what was actually happening to the police officer, yet she still described the situation as "the most traumatic thing".
On another occasion the globetrotter was moving through an airport in Pakistan when she was accused of being a drug mule.
"They put me in a proper X-ray, a medical one, I was alone, it was 2am, I remember them saying 'people keep drugs in their stomach'," she said.
"When I later went through regular security as well the woman was just groping me. It was so horrifying."
Jessica said that she has "been welcomed in most countries" and that generally the issue is not with the people, but with border control.
When she uses her American passport, she gets accused of it being a fake, and when she uses her Ugandan passport, "they think I will overstay my visa".
It is this sense of a split identity that Jessica explore in Crossing Cultures, where she tells the stories of diasporic communities and examines their cultural fabric.
"I lived in London, there is so much rich cultural diversity there," she continued. "We've captured that. We were in Peckham. We explored Peckham. We went to Prince of Peckham. All these beautiful stories of people managing to maintain their culture, while allowing in the influence."
One person who made a big impression on Jessica in the south London borough was Mark-Ashley Dupé, who starred in reality show Peckham's Finest and has helped to forge out a very specific safe space within the community.
"He is a DJ and producer, he grew up in Peckham, and he is black, queer and Nigerian," Jessica said.
"He didn't necessarily feel that when he was growing up in Peckham he saw people like himself. Now he has created this safe space for the black queer community.
"I wasn't expecting that. I think it's so beautiful as being the child of an immigrant it can be really complicated. When the dominant culture is accepting but yours isn't. Trying to navigate that isn't really easy."
Jessica found herself surprised and her expectations confounded, usually in positive ways, many times during her tour around the world.
"What did surprise me was Dhaka in Bangladesh," she said. "There are a lot of human beings in that place. The traffic I wasn't expecting.
"Moldova and Belarus really didn't do it for me. I didn't find people to be particularly open. I just wasn't super interested in that, but I always find things to do.
"In Belarus I went to this really beautiful library, and Moldova has the biggest underground wine cellar in the world.
"Iran and Uzbekistan were so welcoming it was overwhelming. They were so warm. Uzbekistan there was no language in common, but lots of smiles and laughs and hands.
"People welcomed me into their homes. In Iran I was having these really beautiful conversations about the complexities of being Iranian.
"The global image of their country is only because of their government. Everyone I know whose been has loved it. The people are so warm and welcoming."
In terms of the best beach she's ever visited, Nungwi beach in Tanzania is the top of the pile, thanks to its "perfect white, super soft sand" and the fact it sits on the Indian Ocean with "absolutely gorgeous" water.
When it comes to big nights out, Accra and Lagos top the list for partying until sunrise.
For others who are considering following in Jessica's footsteps, her words of wisdom are simple.
"My biggest piece of advice is just go. As black people living in the world, we're made to think how will I be received, what form will racism take in this country.
"I'm very grateful to my parents because I didn't grow up feeling that way. I don’t go in thinking about my blackness.
"In rural Kirgizstan I was walking with guide to the sim shop and the traffic began to stop. I think 'what's going on?' then I realised it's because I'm black.
"I'm not focusing on it. There are a lot of racist people in the world, but I bring positive energy and the good people come to me."
The first episode of Crossing Cultures is live now.
* Woni Spotts has also claimed the title of being the first black woman to travel to every country in the world - you can read about her acheivement here.
