Teresa Johnson was a normal American high school freshman. She had a few
close friends and many acquaintances. Summer break was approaching quickly
and she had no clue as to what she was going to do over the summer. It was
in the middle of May when she came home from band practice and saw a paper
on the dinning room table. She went downstairs to find her mom in the
laundry room doing laundry.
"Mom what is this paper about?" She asked concerned.
"well," Said her mother in an explanation voice," I thought since you have no plans for summer, you could maybe go to some other country and learn about different cultures."
Teresa had a surprised looked on her face. She had never even left her state .Now the possibility of going to a different country frightened her. Teresa had never been more than one-hundred miles from her best friends, Jenna and Ariel.
"So what do ya think?" Her mother asked her, "It will look great on your college application."
"But mom," Teresa said "we have no money to do this with." Teresa's family had always lived in the ghettoes of her city .They didn't have much money but some how they seemed to manage for things they needed.
"Well you see," said her mom, Norma, "the foreign exchange organization has a sponsor program for children of lower-income."
"Oh I see," said Teresa after two or three seconds, "I'll think about it .when are the papers due for the foreign exchange thingy"
"In about two Months" said Norma.
"Have you talked to dad about this yet?"
"No not yet the papers just come today. Ill talk to him when he gets up."
Teresa's father was a janitor who worked third shift so he left the house at ten o clock at night to go to work. And usually returned home at seven thirty in the morning.
"What time are you going to wake him up mom?"
"About six thirty."
"Okay." "But, don't get your hopes up, Teresa; I don't know if you'll be able to go because the foreign exchange organization only has so much money."
"Okay," said Teresa as she walked upstairs.
"You want to go Teresa, don't you?" asked her mother. This Question made Teresa stop and think for a few seconds: 'If I go to this different country will I be able to talk to them? Will I be treated like I am here? Will it be fun? How will I communicate with my friends? But it will look great on my college application.'
"Yes mom," she said "I want to go"
"Great" said her mom
Teresa went upstairs and sat on her living room sofa.
'Hmmm, what will I need to take with me?"
Teresa made a list of items that she wanted to take. Then she put her pen and paper down and got up toward the phone. She then dialed the numbers to Ariel's house.
"Hello?" said Tom, Airels dad.
"Hi, is Ariel there?" Teresa asked
"Yeah, hold on," Tom said.
Then Teresa heard a muted yell from over the phone that was made by Tom. "Airel" he said "telephone"
"Ok" Airel shouted as she picked up the cord-less in her room.
"Hello" Airel said
"Hey girl, it's me Teresa"
"Oh, hey girl what's up with you?"
"Nothing much, how about you?"
"Nothing here either"
"Guess what!"
"What?!"
"I might go to another country over summer break!"
"For real?!"
"Yeah"
"Where?"
"I don't know yet, the foreign exchange organization will tell me when I sign up."
"Wow," said Airel "that's so cool"
"Yeah, but I don't want to leave you and Jenna."
"Are you going by yourself?"
"Well yeah, I go to and stay with another family for about two months and then come back."
"Oh I see, sounds totally cool you should try and go."
"Ya think so?"
"Yeah, it will be so fun. You'll have to tell me all about it when you come back."
"Okay, but I'm not sure if I'm going because I haven't even told my dad."
"Oh, I see"
"Hey tell Jenna for me, okay?"
"Okay, do you have to get off the phone?"
"Well no, but my dad just got up and I want to go and talk to him before my mom does."
"Oh, talk to ya later."
"Bye"
"Bye" Her conversation was over. Teresa was going to wait for dinner to talk it over with her father. She picked up her list that she was writing and started to write again. Then her mom can up and sat next to her.
"I've talked it over with your dad." said her mom.
"Mom!" Teresa said "I wanted to do it!"
"Its okay, he said that he thought it was a good idea."
"Still though, I wanted to do it.Oh well, whatever. So, are you sending the papers tomorrow?" Teresa said in an upset voice because she wanted to talk to her dad. She also felt that she couldn't tell her mom anything because it would always get out to dad.
"Yeah," said her mom. "If you still want me too."
"Why would you think that I didn't want you to?" "Because of your tone of voice."
"Well I do want you to mail them because I want to go to that other country."
"Okay, I'll turn them in tomorrow. The sooner they get in the sooner you'll get the papers back. And also the better chance you'll have of getting in.
"Mom what is this paper about?" She asked concerned.
"well," Said her mother in an explanation voice," I thought since you have no plans for summer, you could maybe go to some other country and learn about different cultures."
Teresa had a surprised looked on her face. She had never even left her state .Now the possibility of going to a different country frightened her. Teresa had never been more than one-hundred miles from her best friends, Jenna and Ariel.
"So what do ya think?" Her mother asked her, "It will look great on your college application."
"But mom," Teresa said "we have no money to do this with." Teresa's family had always lived in the ghettoes of her city .They didn't have much money but some how they seemed to manage for things they needed.
"Well you see," said her mom, Norma, "the foreign exchange organization has a sponsor program for children of lower-income."
"Oh I see," said Teresa after two or three seconds, "I'll think about it .when are the papers due for the foreign exchange thingy"
"In about two Months" said Norma.
"Have you talked to dad about this yet?"
"No not yet the papers just come today. Ill talk to him when he gets up."
Teresa's father was a janitor who worked third shift so he left the house at ten o clock at night to go to work. And usually returned home at seven thirty in the morning.
"What time are you going to wake him up mom?"
"About six thirty."
"Okay." "But, don't get your hopes up, Teresa; I don't know if you'll be able to go because the foreign exchange organization only has so much money."
"Okay," said Teresa as she walked upstairs.
"You want to go Teresa, don't you?" asked her mother. This Question made Teresa stop and think for a few seconds: 'If I go to this different country will I be able to talk to them? Will I be treated like I am here? Will it be fun? How will I communicate with my friends? But it will look great on my college application.'
"Yes mom," she said "I want to go"
"Great" said her mom
Teresa went upstairs and sat on her living room sofa.
'Hmmm, what will I need to take with me?"
Teresa made a list of items that she wanted to take. Then she put her pen and paper down and got up toward the phone. She then dialed the numbers to Ariel's house.
"Hello?" said Tom, Airels dad.
"Hi, is Ariel there?" Teresa asked
"Yeah, hold on," Tom said.
Then Teresa heard a muted yell from over the phone that was made by Tom. "Airel" he said "telephone"
"Ok" Airel shouted as she picked up the cord-less in her room.
"Hello" Airel said
"Hey girl, it's me Teresa"
"Oh, hey girl what's up with you?"
"Nothing much, how about you?"
"Nothing here either"
"Guess what!"
"What?!"
"I might go to another country over summer break!"
"For real?!"
"Yeah"
"Where?"
"I don't know yet, the foreign exchange organization will tell me when I sign up."
"Wow," said Airel "that's so cool"
"Yeah, but I don't want to leave you and Jenna."
"Are you going by yourself?"
"Well yeah, I go to and stay with another family for about two months and then come back."
"Oh I see, sounds totally cool you should try and go."
"Ya think so?"
"Yeah, it will be so fun. You'll have to tell me all about it when you come back."
"Okay, but I'm not sure if I'm going because I haven't even told my dad."
"Oh, I see"
"Hey tell Jenna for me, okay?"
"Okay, do you have to get off the phone?"
"Well no, but my dad just got up and I want to go and talk to him before my mom does."
"Oh, talk to ya later."
"Bye"
"Bye" Her conversation was over. Teresa was going to wait for dinner to talk it over with her father. She picked up her list that she was writing and started to write again. Then her mom can up and sat next to her.
"I've talked it over with your dad." said her mom.
"Mom!" Teresa said "I wanted to do it!"
"Its okay, he said that he thought it was a good idea."
"Still though, I wanted to do it.Oh well, whatever. So, are you sending the papers tomorrow?" Teresa said in an upset voice because she wanted to talk to her dad. She also felt that she couldn't tell her mom anything because it would always get out to dad.
"Yeah," said her mom. "If you still want me too."
"Why would you think that I didn't want you to?" "Because of your tone of voice."
"Well I do want you to mail them because I want to go to that other country."
"Okay, I'll turn them in tomorrow. The sooner they get in the sooner you'll get the papers back. And also the better chance you'll have of getting in.