Over the next few months, guest columnists will be posting on Following the Equator. Our first guest columnist is Lindsay Brown. Lindsay is a high school senior at Fair Haven Union High School. She is a student ambassador, Girl Scout and member of the student council. She also plays tennis and field hockey. Last summer, she traveled to Europe as an EF Global Citizen. Here, she recounts her experiences.
As I entered my freshman year of high school, I didn't have much travel experience. The farthest I had been was Pennsylvania, and considering that I am from Vermont, I had seen virtually nothing the world had to offer. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have any trouble with homesickness. I used to love going away to Girl Scout camp for weeks at a time. The main reason I hadn’t traveled was lack of opportunity.
But then, during my freshman year, an opportunity arose in my civics and geography class to travel to China for two weeks. Usually freshman weren’t given the chance to apply, but my teacher saw something in me that even I didn’t know was there. She saw my interest in learning about the different countries and cultures and she just knew that this trip was for me. So I began the application process and after an interview, I was chosen to represent my school on the GRASP (Greater Rutland Asian Studies Program) trip to China, sponsored by the Freeman Foundation.
The trip was amazing. The beauty that surrounded me every day was immaculate. The gardens and centuries old architecture were mind blowing. I had the time of my life experiencing this foreign culture. I also had the opportunity to stay with a host family, and their daughter came to stay with my family the next summer. Once I got back, I did several presentations to students and adults alike, telling them about my experiences. This is how my passion for travel began. But it wasn’t until this summer, when I got to travel to Europe with EF Educational Tours that I realized how deep my passion for travel really is.
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