Aug 26th, 2015 by Karen Clifton
Australia 2007: 2 Weeks

When I was 12 year old I had the opportunity to travel to Australia with People to People International. Planning and preparation for this trip was extensive; we had monthly meetings to discuss Australian cultures and customs, and also what we should expect upon arrival. The trip began a little rocky; out plane had run out of fuel flying from Los Angeles to Sydney; we had to detour to Brisbane to refuel, they went on our way. Once in Sydney, we visited the Sydney Opera House and several museums, then got the chance to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. After staying in Sydney for a few days, we spent the rest of our trip in Brisbane. In Brisbane (and surrounding areas) we learned about caves and aborigionees, went camping and sightseeing, and saw live musical shows. Although the entire trip was awesome, the last, and best part of the trip, was when we went to the Australia Zoo. Here I got to have my picture taken while holding a koala bear, pet kangaroos, and met the Irwin family (sadly Steve had died about 10 months prior).
France 2008: 3 Weeks

Dinner on the Eiffel Tower
The summer after I traveled to Australia, I traveled to France with my French teacher and other students (from my school district and two others). As I mentioned previously, I had taken French since I was 10; though I had 3 years experience, I wasn’t anywhere close to being fluent, and still had difficulty having full on conversations (luckily my older friends helped me out a lot). In France we traveled around the western side of the country. We began in Normandy and ended our touring in Paris. Though seeing the art museums and landmarks was cool, my favorite part of the trip was the family stay. Each of us had been given a family we would be staying with, and were able to talk to them about 3 months before we arrived. During this week I went to a French school with the youngest daughter, Noemie (who was a year older than me), did some city shopping, and played way too much soccer. Noemie and I began to become good friends by the end of the week, and still continue to stay in touch today.