My love story with English-speaking countries and the English language began when I was 8 years old, when I had the chance to visit the amazing country of Ireland and stay with a wonderful family with two children and kind parents—true Irish people. I was incredibly impressed by their life: cozy cottage-style houses, neat streets, lawns the color of bright summer grass, indescribably beautiful valleys and cliffs, picturesque mountain landscapes towering high above the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, ruins of ancient castles, a climate so different from ours, and such delicious food. Even then, I had my first encounter with the ocean, the English language, people of a different faith and culture who surprised me with their habits and traditions, and a country so far from my native Belarus.
Looking back at that time now, I am sure that it was then that the turning point occurred, which gave impetus to my decision to choose my future profession (I am a future translator and linguist), and sparked in me a crazy love for travel and the melodic English language (English forever!). Of course, at the age of 8, when I knew almost no language, it was very difficult for me to communicate and understand the people around me, but the family I lived with helped me as much as they could and did everything to make me feel comfortable. It was the desire to break down the language barrier that soon became my main incentive for learning the language.
Since then, I have often dreamed of visiting an English-speaking country again, getting the opportunity to communicate in another language, studying a foreign culture, and seeing unforgettable landscapes that inspire me immensely, having graduated from art school. I often saw myself in my dreams living in a cozy white house, with a dog, walking on green lawns again. And I believed: one day the moment will come when I can fulfill my dream again.
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
Paulo Coelho. The Alchemist.
After entering the Minsk State Linguistic University, I began to hear very often about students who go on exchange to different countries, travel on their own, or participate in university conferences, making short and sometimes long-term trips outside of Belarus. In my university, this is not uncommon, as the main priority for us is the study of foreign languages and international cultural exchange.
I also often heard about trips to distant America. At that time, dreams of traveling to the States seemed so unattainable and unrealistic to me that I could only envy the guys who managed to visit there with white envy. Unfortunately, at that time, there were no friends in my circle who could tell me in detail about this trip and all the steps to achieve this goal.
Everything changed in 2014 during an ordinary tram ride from university home. I met my former classmate, with whom we were separated into different groups after the 1st year. She was the one who shared her plans for a trip to the USA and all the details of this trip with me. And I thought: "Well, it's not that complicated and quite achievable!"