Our next student blog comes from Christian, a junior who we suspect may start taking advantage of more opportunities and relishing first impressions that can lead to a new world view.
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I had never thought that I would be able to go to a different country. When I was first introduced to the program, I was nervous. I never thought of programs like this much. Programs where I’d have to fundraise and invest a lot of money to go on a trip, but I didn’t have to do that for HIGH BEAM’s program. It sounded more unique so I thought I’d give it a try. The thought of going to London was amazing. I was very excited and I was ready to go! We did a lot in one week, but there are three things that I think of first when I think of the trip.
When I arrived in London, I saw a very massive train station. I felt like I had seen it in a movie and then I remembered the movie called Paddington Bear when the Bear was looking for a family. In a way, I wondered how I would fit in with this HIGH BEAM family. I was nervous about spending a week with new people, meeting the local students, and meeting the representatives from the companies we were going to visit. And still I couldn’t believe that I was in London!
The first thing we did was head to a restaurant
that did Sunday roast. I had never heard of it
but found out that it’s a tradition. They have varieties of meats, gravy, different vegetables like asparagus, potato, and carrots, plus the yorkshire pudding, which tasted completely different from what I expected based on how it looked: it looked like a bowl, felt like a croissant, and tasted savory. It was all very delicious. I enjoyed the meal, and after, we met Darren, one of the cofounders of HIGH BEAM who lives in the UK. He was very nice, energetic, and funny. He showed us around the area, shared some history, and even talked about what movies were filmd there. We headed up to a hill that had an amazing view of the city and of the Queen's House, and we got a chance to walk over the Prime Meridian line. We had a fun first day, but I knew there was a lot more coming.
One of the things I always wanted to do was to ride a double-decker bus. I saw them on TV and movies and I was really excited to have the chance to do it. You can get better pictures, better views of buildings, and you get fresh air. And also being on the double-decker bus, I got a chance to see Big Ben from a lot of angles and it was a great way to see something that I really wanted to see. It looked more beautiful in person than in pictures.
The experience of being in London was amazing and wonderful. Before this trip, I liked to stay home and didn’t understand the value of travel. I learned that you really can’t tell what you’ll like until you try it! I had a lot of joy being in London sightseeing, eating new food, trying out new snacks and seeing wonderful parks and also seeing museums. I met new people in London, got to know them and understand how their lifestyle is, what they do on a daily basis and what they really love doing. The whole trip was life-changing. It really helped me to think how amazing other countries can be. I hope later in life, I get to experience the same thing again.
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