It was finally her chance to see the world outside of the home she knew so
well. Marie Quay swayed her hips to her favorite CD as she busily packed
for her trip overseas. Her entire household was buzzing with the idea that
Marie was going to be gone for an entire year as a foreign exchange student
in England. Marie on the other hand, couldn't wait for her flight later
that day.
As the chorus to Kelly Clarkson's "Miss Independent" blasted from her stereo, she belted out the lyrics in her best impersonation while she zippered the last suitcase. She danced from her bed to her desk and finished off her check-list for things to pack. She then turned to her carry-on and filled it generously with her favorite snacks, books, magazines, and anything else she could manage to fit inside.
A few hours later Marie and the rest of the Quay family were stationed at the airport, ready to see their daughter and sister off. Nicholas, her brother, was just a little excited to see her go so he could be an only child for a year. Her mom cried a little and her dad gave her lots of hugs and warnings to be careful. The minutes crawled on by before the arrival of her plane was announced. Marie smiled widely, but had tears glistening in her eyes as she boarded the plane and headed for the London airport.
Early the next morning, Marie was awakened from her weak hour of sleep by the announcement of the pilot that they just happened to be 10 minutes from their landing point. Excitedly, she moved her bright blue eyes over towards the window and peered down through the scattered clouds to the busy scenery of London, England. Quickly making herself look more presentable for meeting her host parents and new sister, she busied herself in front of her makeup compact and brushed her long, dark, sandy hair back into a slick ponytail.
Marie grumbled slightly at the slow departure of the people down the aisle. She was eager to be off and on solid ground again, but more importantly on soil that she had always wanted to visit! Marie moved as quickly as she could down the ramp to the airport with her heavy carry-on, excited to see her host family. To her surprise there was a small group of people and a girl her age with a balloon and flowers.
As the chorus to Kelly Clarkson's "Miss Independent" blasted from her stereo, she belted out the lyrics in her best impersonation while she zippered the last suitcase. She danced from her bed to her desk and finished off her check-list for things to pack. She then turned to her carry-on and filled it generously with her favorite snacks, books, magazines, and anything else she could manage to fit inside.
A few hours later Marie and the rest of the Quay family were stationed at the airport, ready to see their daughter and sister off. Nicholas, her brother, was just a little excited to see her go so he could be an only child for a year. Her mom cried a little and her dad gave her lots of hugs and warnings to be careful. The minutes crawled on by before the arrival of her plane was announced. Marie smiled widely, but had tears glistening in her eyes as she boarded the plane and headed for the London airport.
Early the next morning, Marie was awakened from her weak hour of sleep by the announcement of the pilot that they just happened to be 10 minutes from their landing point. Excitedly, she moved her bright blue eyes over towards the window and peered down through the scattered clouds to the busy scenery of London, England. Quickly making herself look more presentable for meeting her host parents and new sister, she busied herself in front of her makeup compact and brushed her long, dark, sandy hair back into a slick ponytail.
Marie grumbled slightly at the slow departure of the people down the aisle. She was eager to be off and on solid ground again, but more importantly on soil that she had always wanted to visit! Marie moved as quickly as she could down the ramp to the airport with her heavy carry-on, excited to see her host family. To her surprise there was a small group of people and a girl her age with a balloon and flowers.