Indepence through my Switzerland student conference trip.

Having to spend time away from the people you love and treasure for the first time is always a hard experience. For me, the time had finally arrived. Mixed emotions engulfed the air, and I felt my heart racing as I bid my parents goodbye. It was supposed to be a happy moment for me, but I could not help fighting back my tears as I made my way towards the airport security. Maybe, having a last glance at my parents would ease the tension, I thought to myself. But the looks on my parents’ faces made me realize that, in their eyes, I was still their little girl.
I knew the trip would be a tough one for me since I would be away from home for two weeks in an entirely different country, completely clueless of what would await me. The only information I had was the fact that I would be working with other teens from all across the world to help in finding solutions to global problems. I dragged myself onto the plane and quietly took my seat. I fastened my seatbelt and watched Boston, the only home I’d ever known, become smaller and smaller as the plane departed for Switzerland.
I found myself sitting in a lecture hall with two hundred other students all of whom I barely knew. I was nervous and scared as we eagerly waited for the instructor to show up. Some of the students seemed to be at ease with the whole setting as they engaged in deep tone conversations. At this point, I knew that the only way to identify with the other students would be to stay relaxed and comfortable. I decided to start up a conversation with the student who sat closest to me.

She was friendly and understanding which made me feel at ease. As time went by, I began to realize how encouraging it was to share different learning conditions with people I had never come into contact with, an opportunity that had been offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB) Conference.
Because this was my first time away from my home in Boston, I struggled to keep up with the other students. Sometimes, it seemed like time stood still as I battled homesickness. I struggled to maintain my focus even though most of the time I isolated myself from the other students both at class time and during free time.
However, after contemplating on how my feeling had affected me socially and how it would continue doing so throughout my stay if I did not change, I decided to become more engaged in our group activities. Slowly, my fears started to go away, and I began to realize how much I shared in common with the students from other countries. After a short period, it became easy to interact with everybody else and even find some time to learn the culture of the country. As days passed by, I became so committed to the activities of my global action team which further boosted my confidence when interacting with others. I began meeting more people and making new friends with people from diverse backgrounds.
From this experience, I learned that in order to grow as a person, I need to leave my inhibitions behind and embrace the many risks that come with doing something new. Not only did I overcome my fear of venturing into something unknown but also I learned the skill and importance of collaboration. Through working in teams on various projects, I learned the importance of teamwork and cooperation through constructive criticism and accepting ideas from people of diverse origins. Similarly, I learned different creative ways of finding solutions to problems by trying new and unexplored solutions to some global challenges. Likewise, my time management skills were further enhanced as we were able to learn how to structure our projects by prioritizing tasks relating to the global action team. I firmly believe that these skills acquired during the trip will be crucial to my life in college as I can work effectively with people from different backgrounds while maintaining my problem-solving skills in a new environment.
In less than a year, I’ll be leaving my parents again, but this time, for a much longer and a more committed stay in college. The skills I acquired from the IB program has prepared me for the task ahead regardless of the level of uncertainty.