I Breathe In, I Breathe Out
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Much like her father when he had a chance to go abroad to Europe in his army days, she was doing the same. Instead of being fresh out of high school she was still in school with this chance to help her get into college. At least that's what she hoped for especially when she knew what it was like to have dreams dashed. There was no way she was going to let this escape her without trying her damnest.
So, after spending two years fighting to get the language memorized in the correct order with help from the few friends, she had she knew she was ready. She knew there was going to be some slip ups but that was normal. It wasn't like she was a genius that had a photograph memory.
After getting word of applications for becoming an exchange student she hurried and pleaded with the guidance counselor to allow her to fill one out. Normally she wouldn't ask for much but this one thing she absolutely wanted to make happen.
When it was all said and done her nerves were starting to get to her. She wasn't one of the kids in school that the system cared about. If you gave a positive name to the school, then they cared about you. Being athletic wasn't in her even if she followed football like it was a religion thanks to her father. She wasn't artistic either but wasn't as bad as some were.
If felt like an eternity before she got news she was accepted into the program. As much as her parents wanted this for her, they all knew the cost was going to be possibly more than they can handle. So, like anyone raised right she went around doing odd jobs whether it was mucking out stalls at a nearby horse farm or other jobs.
With everything said and done she got small snippets of her host family thanks to the program. She even found them on social media which made technology a blessing so she wouldn't feel awkward around them like she normally was around strangers. If time allowed it then she had a few minutes to video chat with them though her older host brother was too busy a lot of times to be present.
From the way they talked he was in college pursuing a degree to go along with one he had already earned. So, if she had any troubles with school work she could ask him or her other host brother that was the same age as her.
When it was time, she left her home that was practically boring since it was a small town. Her father gave advice for traveling such as taking a nap when it was possible and not to be late for her next flight. If there was one thing, she hated was being late for things which might explain her anxiety on the topic.
She couldn't sleep though. All she could do was stare out the window as best as she could without disturbing the person next to her. She brought a couple of books with her to keep her entertained but with the length of the flight she knew she was going to get through them in no time.
We'll be waiting for you when you land
A small smile crossed her face as she remembered the text message her host mother sent her before leaving for her flight. Taking a deep breath and letting out in a silent sigh, she tapped her thigh as lightly as she could. She had a lot to do when she got to her new home for a year.