AFS San Diego

Photo used with permission from JoshBooX.

I could see the excited faces waiting for the day to start. I was impatient too. I was tired of imagining the fear running through my veins while flying in air. And soon, our wait was over; my wait was over. We reached magic mountain! Although the sun was burning hot, showing no mercy on us, our excitement and will never gave up. It was an incredible experience for all of us, especially for me because I had never imagined that I'll be flying on the world's largest and tallest roller coaster rides. Yes, roller coaster rides! Be it the Tatsu or the Goliath, the most amazing rides; we were never afraid of taking the challenge; or maybe it was not a challenge but just mere fun and excitement. Being with a group of exchange students from all around the world, I didn't even come to know when the time passed by. We, as a group, did all the possible rides, roamed around the park, ate a lot and most importantly, drank loads of water and lemonades to fight the dehydration. And in the end, we all were tired; even I was. Everyday has its twilight, its end. Sitting in the van and hearing all the excited voices commenting upon the the day's experience, I sat back thinking. I knew it was over. But then, I questioned myself: What did I get at the end of the day? I knew it was fun going on rides, but then, that excitement was temporary and had died already. But I knew there was something more to it that I couldn't understand. And then I realized, it was the smiles, the laughter, the jokes, all the things that we did as a group. Those were the moments that kept me alive. And now when I look back, I am afraid that these moments will never come back again. Jose's determination, Italo's food hunt, Lada's crazyness, Bijan's injured leg, Monica's tired face, Camille's jumping out of excitement; those are the things I take back. Just memories. But this wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation and support of the host parents and most importantly, without Becky. I just have two words to say " Thank You". Although these words are used thousands of times by all of us in a day, they mean a lot to me. It would have been impossible to make this happen without you all!

- Jay K.