*Sorry for the + 250 word essay, it just didnt felt complete if I deleted parts of it. Thank you for your understanding.

One Day More

Merci, I said to the waiter who had just put a steaming plate of escargot and fried frog legs on my table. The girls (and a few boys) immediately squealed with horror. Some instantly turned green and even started to cover their mouths. I struggled to keep my face calm as the waiter placed a green, bubbling snail and the upper joint of deep fried frog legs on my plate. This group of people represented the People to People student ambassador program. I have traveled to various Asian countries but never to the far west, Europe. I went with forty kids and four teachers from California and New York, thus, the first time I have ever journeyed to a foreign place without my family. Nevertheless, homesickness did not become an issue. We first stopped in Paris, France and began exploring this newfound culture. The moment we reached the Louvre, I realized I wanted to travel the world and interact with different cultures. Asking the guard about Bonaparte Visits the Plague Stricken in Jaffa prompted my interest on the impact of a dictatorial government and discussing with the docent about the relevance of Raphaels St. George stimulated my curiosity in European history. I raced through one room after another, desperately seeking to satisfy my newfound fascination three hours proved unsatisfactory.Coming back to the United States, I could not wait for another chance to discover a new area of the world. The unemployment of my father during the Recession of 2008 put an end to these thoughts. Without the prospect of experiencing distant places, I plunged into the social studies in school. Mr. Benner revealed the diverse natures of our world in his World History class; Mrs. Brennan presented the ethical dilemmas of the future through her US History class. My experiences have taught me that the world has turned into a complex, dynamic and ever-changing influx of ideas and markets. The downturn of an economy, such as that of Greece, will impact not only its surrounding countries, but the entire European Union as well. My passion seeks to expand my knowledge and experience with the way other countries work and their influence on a global scale. How does Brazils history contribute to its rise in the world today? What social differences between the Anglo and Nordic cultures caused the significant gap amid their respective economies? Working alongside people with diverse backgrounds and fostering independence pushes me to find ways to solve the new challenges in the twenty-first century. I plunged my fork into the soft foot of the snail. I took a deep breath while my fellow colleagues looked at me in horror as I set the mollusk-like creature in my mouth. My eyes closed, I took a chew. A garlicky, fishy, umami flavor blasted my taste buds that...tasted delicious.