Pre-Departure Post (Raya Abi Rafeh)

It has been two weeks since I moved back home to New York City and unpacked all my suitcases and boxes from my dorm. I was truly content that I ended my freshmen year on good terms and was ready to go on an adventure to new locations. I had finally arrived back in Boston and meet up with friends for dinner. We shared our experiences of how much traveling we have done in our lives, describing very first experiences to extremely funny moments of embarrassment. I had my first cross continental trip at the very young age of three months from New York to Italy. My father had a lot of business with the Italians; thus, my mother and I would join him on his trips. As I got older, I would travel mostly to Lebanon and France because of my heritage there. Having the opportunity to travel many countries opened my knowledge of diverse cultures to a higher level of appreciation for the citizens of the world. This will be my very first time I travel to countries in Central Europe. I knew I would most probably never have the chance again to visit these countries and decided what better way to discover true local cultures than through my school. It will truly be an unforgettable experience to meet people from every corner in those countries to really understand their unique and indigenous points of view. Traveling is my favorite passion and hopefully I will continue on with my adventures.