Scholarship essay submitted! Other possible adventures...

Hello! I have submitted my essay for the most important scholarship I can receive. It's called Viaggio Italiano, and it's a 2,000 dollar merit based scholarship granted to a few select students. This scholarship is extremely significant because it determines whether or not I can go to Italy for sure. This might be hard to follow but I'll try to sum it up! Basically, this scholarship is given to students from the Italy. If Italy chooses me to give the scholarship to, it means they are accepting me and I can go live in their country for 6 months for sure. BUT, if they don't grant me the scholarship, it means that AFS can place me in any other country to live for 6 months. I definitely do have my eye on Italy, as it would be my first choice and what I am working towards the hardest. I will find out in September if I got this scholarship and if I will be going to Italy for sure. I do of course have a backup plan, if Italy doesn't give me the scholarship. My desire to see the world is strong enough that I would be grateful and feel very lucky if I got the opportunity to go anywhere. It can be tough to be so open minded sometimes, and of course there can be downsides. What if I get placed in a third-world country, and I live in a very small house, with little space to myself? There are endless possibilities of situations where I could be completely caught off guard and thrown out of my comfort zone. But I can't let that get in the way of my dreams and need to expand my knowledge; as well as my vision of the world. I live in a very small, sheltered community and I am at the point in my life where I can't sit here and continue living where I have for the past 16 years. I feel like there is a time in everyones life where that moment hits them; where they have to get out and see what's there is to see, in order to learn more about themselves and enrich their character. Maybe that time has hit me at a young age. But I know if I don't get the scholarship from Italy I will most definitely be going to another country to study abroad. I am open to being out of my comfort zone, I'm open to whatever opportunity gets thrown at me. After all if your dreams don't scare you a little, then they just simply aren't big enough!

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