I knew I wanted to travel the world the moment I first got on an airplane. I was seven years old and my family was taking a trip to Japan. My mom was born and raised in Tokyo (the capital of Japan, just like the capital of the U.S. is Washington, D.C.) and we flying there to visit her family. I was thinking about all the food I would try and the people I’d meet. It was the most excited I had ever been.
Since that day, some 12 years ago, my love of travel has only grown. Until this summer, I had not gotten a chance to leave the country again, but I still traveled as much as I could. I would take three-hour road trips in my home state, Oklahoma to see new places close to home. Have you ever heard of Oklahoma? Have you been there? I would also take cross country adventures to New York or Vermont. I love seeing new things and meeting new people and learning about how others live their lives different from me.
I was so excited when I found out about my college’s Full Immersion Rome Experience (FIRE) program. Do you know where Rome is? It's the capital of a country called "Italy" and it's in the continent of Europe. Through this program, I have the opportunity to spend a whole summer learning about a different language and its culture.
