I went on a  trip was that was one of the greatest experiences I have ever had, even though it was the biggest and most overwhelming time of my life.

I am so glad I took the opportunity to go on this trip because it has given me hope and a new perspective on life. I also got a lot of time to think about my future and everything is much clearer  now than it was before I came.

If you are given the opportunity, I would recommend traveling in a heartbeat. There is so much more to the world and so much to see if you choose to step out of your comfort zone and leave this island.

While on my trip, I got to see a whole part of the world I have never seen before. I got to see the lifestyle of other people who live much further inland than home, and I also got to learn so much. I traveled to Warsaw, Indiana, which is much different from Gloucester.

Did you know that Shaw’s and Market Basket doesn’t exist in Indiana? They have a grocery store called Martin’s and a home improvement store named Menard’s. Also, Indiana is the gummy bear capital of the world, which I probably would have never known if I didn’t go to the state myself.

There are cornfields and cows everywhere. You can see the occasional lake, but other than that, there are no bodies of water whatsoever, which is much different to being surrounded by the ocean in Gloucester.

I made so many great memories that I will cherish forever while I was in Indiana. While my boyfriend and I were driving on the highway, the car just died out of nowhere. Even though it was freezing cold out, we couldn’t help but laugh for a good five minutes about it.

During my trip, I got to meet a lot of genuine and amazing people, which I was very hesitant to do at first. I got to meet a lot of my boyfriend’s family, including his sisters, mother, and his nieces and nephews, which was very fun and exciting.

One of these family members was Angel, his sister, who I became friends with. We got to spend a lot of time together, especially when we went to Walmart and McDonalds daily, since there wasn’t anything else to do. Every morning, she would try to wake me up to do her makeup (but honestly I’d pretend I was sleeping so I wouldn’t have to get up so early).

One thing I was not looking forward to was taking an airplane, let alone doing it alone. It is scary and intimidating to travel almost halfway across the country by yourself. The airport is confusing, especially when trying to find your gate number and seat on the plane. But I did make it to and from Boston in one piece, so that is all that really matters.

On the trip back home, we got lost in Chicago, broke the back of an Uber driver’s car, and almost missed our flight. Thankfully we made it to the gate just in time to take off.

Don’t be afraid to take risks because you never know what the outcome could be. Be sure to step out of your comfort zone and try new things because something wonderful and beautiful could come out of your experience.