And you're going to........

Thinking back, time has really flown by. So much has happened in these past 5 months that words cannot describe these feelings and experiences.

In September I was invited to go to the inbound orientation, which was centered around a rafting trip, and it was amazing! The stars shone so brightly during those couple of nights while I stayed up making new friends and hearing of homes from around the world. Italy, Belgium, Russia, Brazil, Thailand are just a few countries that have students here in District 5130.

During that weekend I had a sense of where I wanted to go, where I wanted to chose for my district application. Just like choosing a core for WHS, I went back and forth on which countries to chose. In the end, I wrote down Spain, Switzerland and Argentina. I loved the idea of just going anywhere really, just being able to travel and see another little slice of the world that didn't go around saying "'Murica!" everyday. I wanted to learn a new language, experience a new culture, try new food (yes, I am foodie). Already being fluent in Spanish, I didn't exactly go out of my comfort zone, picking 2 countries with Spanish as their main language.

The months and holidays flew by. I turned 16, passed my driver's permit test and started my sophomore year in high school. Soon enough it was January and the end of the month couldn't come soon enough. Deciding whether I wanted to ride up with other students or travel with my parents was tough, but I am glad i went in the van. Music cranked up loud, cracking jokes with both inbounds and outbounds, seeing old friends and making new ones was just the beginning of my weekend.

After being on the road for 7 hours, we finally reached Samoa, CA. A beautiful sunset greeted us as well as a bone-chilling wind, which me being in a skirt, was not exactly taken very well. Located along the Northern California coastline we had the opportunity to watch the waves crash along the shore. Since Mavericks was happening down in Santa Cruz, the waves reached an astounding height of 15 feet. As Friday night progressed all the outbounds grew increasingly nervous. Finally the time had come. With shaking legs and a brain turned to mush, my counselor handed me and envelope. That envelope contained my life for a year. My hopes, my dreams, my goals. The whole room grew quiet as I undid the ribbon and as I opened the flap, there it was. The Swiss flag. I immediately started crying with joy. Surprisingly all I could think in that moment was "Wow" and "Chocolate". Every teenage girl's dream right? That weekend was chock full of raw emotions yet it still felt unreal. Like I was living in a dream.

It still hasn't sunk in. From time to time I'll get that feeling that doesn't even creep up, it just hits you full force. A feeling of sadness and happiness at the same time. Excitement and at the same time not wanting to leave my home, my family, everything that is familiar to me. Everyone has told me that it never sinks in until you're actually on the plane, leaving everything behind.

These seven months cannot go by faster and yet they need to go slower.