My trip to Portugal

Last summer I had the opportunity of traveling to Portugal for three weeks. What I thought was going to be an intimidating trip to a foreign country turned out to be the best experience of my life to date. The whole way to the airport and in the weeks leading up to my trip my mom was worried sick about my safety. However, from the minute after I stepped off the plane in Portugal I felt safe. My leaders were these really inspirational and kind people that really cared about all of the kids they took on this trip. They were dedicated to making this trip the best that it could be for everyone in my group. I made twenty nine new friends on this trip and we still talk every week. It’s truly amazing how close you can come to someone when your stuck in a foreign country learning about a new language and culture. This program really impacted my life when I got home. I never realized how independent I actually was or could be. My parents started to trust me more and I started to trust myself. I also learned about a whole new culture which was super interesting to me. The most important lesson I learned, though was that there is more to life than what’s just on my phone or in my neighborhood. Going on this trip really opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities and adventures that I can take in my life. I am just excited to see what I will be able to do in the future!