VICIRAGE : GRATEFUL

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Flying over to America, getting to know President of Georgia, applying to College in the U.S., swimming at 2 am in the sea at Key West, traveling by train full of drunk Russians, I had never imagined something like that can happen to me. After the first week of 2018, it is finally time to express some gratitude, because my 2017 was beyond amazing, it was definitely a year of growth, hard work and travels. Just to warn you, in the beginning, this post is going to be HUGE, so if you are not interested in reading too much, just scroll through the photos. Enjoy!

It all started, as I mentioned in previous articles when in July 2016 I discovered that hey there is a chance for me to go to college in the United States. Earlier I thought you can only do this after completing IB which is not offered at any school in my city. So, I made a list of things to do, it was soooo long, like seriously I started doubting it is doable for a second, but I took the challenge. Literally, all the people kept telling me that it is impossible, thank you for your wise advises, I just submitted my application.

The major part of 2017 was dedicated to studying for the SATs, TOEFLs, Economy and being a delegate. It was very challenging task to manage it all and at the same time maintaining good grades at my school, which is beyond demanding and does not keep my back when it comes to the desire of studying abroad. I was told that it is my business, I cannot count on any of their help, going abroad as a delegate or preparing for the exams will be my absence at school and it will make me some problems. In January when I got into the summer school in Miami, my parents understood that my " constant talking about the USA" is getting serious, that I really dream about going to a university there. They asked me one question when they discovered my school's reaction " We do not think it is really worth all the effort, you cannot neglect the school". I told asked them t give me a completely free hand, I will take the responsibility, I believed in myself.

So I did, in March I attended my first two conferences as a delegate. In April I got a visa to the U.S. which was a very stressful process for me because too many people in my family were denied this document, I was lucky, I bought the tickets, I was going there. Before the summer, however, there was school and my first ever SATs. I had no idea how to tackle that issue, there are no tutors in Poland I can afford, I ordered books online and started studying. I was skipping school a lot. In addition to that, the day before SATs in Berlin, I had an exam in Warsaw. To make the whole situation more wonderful, my night flight back home was ... canceled. It was absolutely the worst situation in my life. But I made it to the testing center, by train, without any sleep, without any breakfast and actually devastated by stress. Perfect circumstances to take the test, aren't they?

Then came the summer which I already described in two previous posts which you can read to discover that chapter of my life. It was beyond amazing, I made my dreams come true, visited my dream school, my dream city. Nevertheless, it was not the end of beyond imaginable things just coming.

As I flew back home I participated in another EYP session and was chosen to proudly represent my country at the international session in Tbilisi Georgia. I have never been to this country, actually, I knew very little about it. I must admit it was one of the best experiences in my life, people there are so friendly, food delicious, country beautiful. Again, I made friends from all over the world, having roommates from Norway, Serbia, Finland, Ukraine, Netherlands, France, Spain and so on. It is incredible how much this trip influenced me as a person.

In the meantime, I took another two SATs, studied for school, tackled all my extracurriculars which I love. Even though I did it, it wasn't easy. This year was the very first year when I was waking up at school days never later than 5am, very often sleeping less than 4 hours. I just got used to always rushing, having something to do. It is unbelievable how much I increased my productivity but also damaged my health. Well, it was all simply crazy.

Oh, I almost forgot, I turned 18, so now I am a serious adult ( no, not really ). And first time since 9th grade I overcame my barriers to finally play piano publically on a concert.

Past week, I sent my application to colleges, I cannot wait to hear back from them and get to know if I got in. No matter the outcome, I am proud of myself that I handled it, it was hard, it made me completely depressed many times, it exhausted me, but I am happier than ever. To all people douting in themselves, you can do this!

2017 you were amazing, 2018 you will have to work hard to beat that!

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