Departure

Hey y'all!

Finally, the day has come. This is what I've been waiting for, this is what it all comes down to.
It's only a matter of hours until my flight to Frankfurt. I will meet many of my dear Fellows there and we will continue our journey together. I already feel like I know them so well but nothing beats the real deal of meeting and talking to them face to face. From Frankfurt we will fly to Washington and finally arrive to Greensboro at night, where we'll be warmly welcomed by our new friends and families.

Flying to Helsinki today.

I've said my goodbyes, had my share of tears and kisses, and even experienced a surprise party deviously planned by my closest friends. The gift of friendship is so very precious. It feels great to love so greatly and be loved back. They completely caught me off guard and made my last few days before this exciting experience absolutely memorable.

At the airport I was greeted by my the other Fellow leaving from Finland, the amazing Joona. You can find his blog here. We ate, talked and laughed, having such a great time until finally deciding to get some rest before the early wake-up. Our hotel rooms are luxurious. I just have to gloat a little! This bed of mine, I'm writing this very post in is unbelievably soft, if only it would fit in my suitcase.. Kidding aside, I am actually too excited and nervous to sleep. I find there is only one possible solution. I will read until I drop.

                                                Enjoying some Starbucks drinks.. Yum

Like I mentioned I have an alarm very early, at 4:45 am, so this would be a good time to say goodbyes for now. Tomorrow will be crazy busy and nerve-wracking, but with the thought of all those great moments ahead I will manage just fine.

      Yesterday I went for a long walk and took a few goodbye pictures of my lovely hometown.

I will keep these posts coming and everyone updated on this once in a lifetime experience I'm lucky to be a part of. Feel free to follow and comment bravely! I won't bite.

Kindly yours, A

Introduction

Dear readers, I am about to start a whole new adventure which I want to share with you.

I was selected to participate in The Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Summer Institute 2014. There will be many young people from around the world, 35 from Europe and 10 from America. I will be travelling to North Carolina, a beautiful town called Winston-Salem. From there I will actively share new pictures and stories, which will be plenty. The idea of the program is to explore the American culture and politics, gain new insights from variety of people from different cultures and backgrounds and most of all prepare us for leadership and activist roles in the future.

                                                                     Preparing myself..

The departure is getting nearer by the minute, it's only a week away. I can't wait to travel to new places and experience an entirely different world with new people. At the same time I still find it hard to believe I was chosen from all the other applicants. Instead of dwelling on the fact that there could be many who deserve this as much as me, I plan on embracing this opportunity. I will grow, not only as a person but as a professional of the fields I love. I will learn from everyone I meet and I will strive to teach them what I know as well. I hope to shed many tears of joy and a few of longing once I have to return.

Now here is a little bit about me.

                                                                      That's me.

I guess the one word that would most describe myself is a dreamer. I believe that the world is built on our dreams. There is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt which I'm really fond of, " The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. " We are the pioneers of the future, and each and everyone of us decides what the future will hold. Deep down, I'm very ambitious. I want to experience as much as I can and be as much as I can be. I also consider myself to be brave, although that is a relatively new revelation for myself. The definition of brave to me is to not let fear control your life, but hope and curiosity. I aim on doing the things that frighten me the most, a bit funny yeah, but absolutely worth the while and anxiety. The more you conquer the more you expand your abilities and gain new ground to walk on. Oh and there's one more thing you should know about me, I love books.

 One of the things I love to do as well, is taking pictures. This one sums up quite well the calming atmosphere of the nature in my hometown.

Almost everything is in order for the trip to start, all that's left is packing my things and saying goodbyes to my loved ones. Both of which I will probably start a tad too late, but at least I have all the mandatory things in order. If I caught your interest, please do follow my posts and feel free to comment as well!

Kindly yours, A