I feel in love quickly and hard like all the great loves should be.
The reasons are not that important now. It might have been because I was only 17 or because America was in it’s Golden Era. One way or another I could never get over my amazing experience. So for seventeen years I have been craving that feeling for more.
But, let me start from the beginning…
I lived in Europe and back in the 90’s there was only 4 channels on the TV. Surprisingly all of them had movies about the American Dream and how everything was possible in the land of the free.
Some countries, like Portugal, always suffered from the grass is always greener syndrome. Therefore it was very easy for me to build an image about the country on the other side of the pond.
So, making a long story short, I saw myself, flying to America, 17 years ago. I was AFS exchange student in 1999 and I was about to embark in the adventure that changed my life forever.
I am so thankful to AFS because if it wasn’t for them, I had never turned into the person I am today. I had never meet my soul family and for sure I wold not be a citizen of the world.
I have to confess that it’s challenging for me to explain what an AFS exchange is, but what I can tell you is that I do believe that this should be a part of the school curriculum, and if I have kids, this is a requirement on their life path. This is how much I believe in it.
So I lived here 17 years ago, went to high-school, got 2 brothers and 2 sisters, a set of new parents and a new life. Not having internet or mobile phones helped a lot. The millennials might think it’s a bit odd but living offline all the time had its perks.
In between life happened…
Attributing all to fate, I was never able to return for longer than a month. Until now.
I am back! Finally 🙂
What I can tell you is that a lot of things changed, and I did change as well. But for me, the friends that I made are still here, even though I have been away. The school and university system is still amazing. The dynamic and entrepreneurial mindset is embedded on the DNA and the list could go on.
Times are different but I always considered myself as being a bit from here. This as always been home for me, and I am excited to tell you all about my adventures and the results of my investigation.
Stay tuned!