I’ve always loved the idea of traveling somewhere completely new and seeing what life could be like somewhere else. However, I believed that this experience was impossible, that it cost too much, that I simply had no way to make this dream a reality. For a while that’s all it was: a thought. Until one day I was introduced to a foreign exchange program.

When I had first heard about the exchange, it still sounded intangible to me. However, I knew that this was something that I had been wanting to do, so I decided to fill out the application and see what would happen. In the end, I was matched with a girl named Phoebe from a small town outside of London. When I was first shown her application, to see if we thought she would be a good fit into our family, everything became very real to me. This notion that I had carried with me in the back of my mind was now being pushed to the foreground as this dream was quickly becoming a reality.

Phoebe spent three weeks with my family and I, and then the next thing I knew I was boarding a plane to London. As I was staring out the window, I could help but be filled with excitement and nervousness. I was practically jumping out of my seat when the plane finally touched the ground; I couldn’t wait to see what was in store for me.

While I was there I was lucky enough to be able to see a lot of England, and experience a lot of things that I wouldn’t have in the States. We visited many places: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Warwick Castle and many more. Each one of these destinations was gorgeous and special in their own right. One of my favorite memories, however, was our trip to Scotland.

Every year in Scotland, there is a large festival, called the Fringe Festival. It is one of the biggest celebrations of the arts in the entire world. As we were walking around the festival we were constantly surrounded by people that come to support and watch the shows. The energy and the atmosphere around us was electrifying, everyone was buzzing with anticipation as they headed into the unknown.

Each day we chose shows that we thought sounded appealing and hoped they turned out to be good. Part of the experience, as I was told, was to end up at some bad shows because they can’t all be good. Luckily for us, each show we went to was amazing, and I would certainly pay to go back there. However, I think that part of what made this excursion to Scotland so unforgettable was because I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday somewhere completely new.

When I first found out that I wouldn’t be spending my birthday at home with my family and friends, I was a little disappointed but I wanted to experience this trip more than anything else so I knew I would just have to face the music, no matter how hard it would be. When it came around to my birthday I wasn’t sad at all. I was elated to be experiencing something so insane, something I never would have imagined possible and yet here I was.

The family I stayed with was incredibly kind to me during my time there, and I am so thankful to have been able to be a part of their family. I honestly will never forget any of my experiences there and I hope that one day I’ll be able to visit again. I’ve always wanted to travel, and I still do, but this was something that I will forever cherish.