Having experiences that forces a person to grow up is never fun, but it’s necessary. It forces us out of our comfort zone, and it makes us really look at ourselves and say “Who am I going to be? Will I go through with this, knowing I will come out stronger, or will I just let life pass me by?” For me, this moment happened two years ago. I was to be the youngest kid going on a trip to France, by myself. No parents. I had traveled before, but always in the safety of my parents and sister, but this time, I didn’t have those luxuries. I was to be away for nine days, with girls I barely knew, and some teachers. I remember thinking that I couldn’t do it. I can still remember the moments before I left to be 3,000 miles away from almost everyone I knew like yesterday. I can remember because I look at those moments and draw strength from it and say to myself, “Look at what you’ve already accomplished.”

“Madeleine it’s time to go!” shouted my mom from downstairs.

Sitting in my room, I was thinking about the next time I would be back, and also trying to calm myself from the wave of nerves that had suddenly appeared. I knew this day would come, but it had always seemed so far away. Nine days away from my family, in a foreign country, with a lot of people I didn’t even really know. I suddenly didn’t want to go. I would rather stay home and just relax by the pool, but I mechanically moved my feet downstairs, where my luggage and parents were waiting.

“You have your passport? Money? Phone? Everything you need?” my dad asked.

“Yes I have everything, now let’s go,” I replied rather unconvincingly.

“Alright, then in the car we go,” my dad said as he grabbed my suitcase and dragged it to the car, my mom following.

I stayed behind a bit longer, taking my time to pick up my carry-on bag and purse. Finally I told myself “Let’s just do it” and I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder and walked out to my car.  

The ride to Mount was excruciating. With every mile I could feel my nerves getting bigger and bigger, even though both I and my parents tried to calm me down. After what felt like years, we finally pulled into the Mount parking lot, and drove to the bus that was waiting to take me to the airport.

This was it. The final farewell. As soon as I got out of the car, I began to tear up.
“Mom, I don’t want to go. Please don’t leave me,” I half-sobbed as my mom put her arms around me, both of us knowing that my words were not true.

“Shh, you’re going to be alright. Goodbye is the hardest part, always. We’ll see you soon, and call as soon as you land in London okay? I love you,” my mom whispered to me.

I extracted myself from her arms and turned to my dad. I was crying now, and each minute this was getting harder and harder.

“You can do this champ. I believe in you, and so does your mom. You’ll do great, I love you, and make sure you buy me a good present,” said my dad, attempting a joke to make me smile.

It worked, but I was still crying. After a few moments, I somewhat composed myself and turned to look at the bus, as my dad went to get my bags. I promised myself, no more crying. After placing my bags on the bus, I went and gave my parents one last hug.

“I love you, and I’ll call as soon as I land okay?” I said, almost sobbing again, as I embraced them.
They didn’t say anything, but no words were needed. Finally, I knew it was time to get on that bus and leave them behind. I gathered all the courage I had, let go of my parents, and climbed on the bus.

I’d like to say I kept my promise, but I didn’t. As soon as we started to pull out of Mount, the tears began running down my face, no matter how hard I willed them to stop. Suddenly, I got a text from my mom.

“We’re right behind you.”

I turned around in my seat and sure enough, saw my dad’s silver car right behind us. Having them right there made me realize that they would always be with me, even if they weren’t right beside me. This was all it took for me to dry my face, and focus on the amazing things I would be doing in just a few hours. Eventually though, as we turned to the highway, my parents continued on another road, and as I watched them disappear, I knew that I had already made it through the hardest part. As soon as I couldn’t see them anymore, I turned around to face the endless highway in front of me, and I never looked back.

This moment forever changed my life. I found strength in myself that I never knew I had, and I became truly independent for the first time in my life. Of course there were other people on the trip, like teachers, that were watching over me, but this was the first time that I was in charge of everything of mine, my dad wasn’t here to watch over me like usual to make sure I was all good. This moment also taught me that going into the unknown is sometimes the best thing to do to gain new perspective on life. From this trip, I gained friends, in the other people that went on the trip, as well as the teachers that were there as well. I also had the opportunity to explore a whole new country and culture, and see the world in a whole new way. I thought that those 3,000 miles between myself and my parents would be the worst thing to happen to me, but it was actually one of the best. I got to really see who I truly was, and be away from everyone who I was really comfortable with. It made me a whole new person. It made me more independent, more willing to try new things, and more adventurous. This event, though it was hard at first, has shaped me into the person I am today, and I’m so grateful to my parents for pushing me to do this, because it ended up being one of the best times of my life.