Coming back home was the hardest part of this experience believe me, I was trying hard not to cry the moment I left the airport. Within the three weeks of being in Ireland I was not only able to learn about the Irish culture but if not who I am as a person. I'd have to say that I've never taken so many risks in my life before, from going down a mud slide to hiking up a mountain for almost 3 hours to going through a ropes course and being part of a lip sync battle which I miserably failed at. Needless to say I can finally check off going to Ireland of off my bucket list. I was also able to go into depth about what being a leader truly means and the importance of youth empowerment. This whole experience made me realize what I value the most and what changes I want to make. I've never taken action nor have I deeply thought about the changes I've wanted to make but I'm glad that this adventure has given me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and given me the chance to truly think about the person I want to be. I was fortunate enough to build really great friendships with amazing people. However, they all live throughout the states and I hope that one day I can meet up with them. None of this would have happened without your donation and I'm sincerely thankful for your support so , once again thank you so much.
- Yessica

I am going to be participating in the Experiment, Ireland: Irish Culture and Youth Empowerment. I am really excited! Honestly I cannot wait till summer arrives. Though a part of me is pretty nervous about leaving but, I know I'll enjoy it and I probably won't miss home! The truth is that this program was not my first choice. When I was applying for Wishbone I chose AFS-USA , a study abroad program, as one of my first choices. A few weeks later I got an e-mail offering me to attend the Experiment and I decided to take it. I decided to accept the offer because it's a once in a life time opportunity, well for me it is.
I'm really looking forward to this. Yes, New York City is diverse and it is full of so many cultures but, I get to experience this myself. I get to experience a whole new adventure. I feel like this program will allow me to learn more new things about a whole other culture than my own as well as being able to learn more about myself since I won't be going with people I know. I know, I still have time ahead of me to figure out what I want to major in college but, there are so many things I want to do and I feel like going to this program will help me get me an idea of what I want to do or at least cross out the things that I want to do.