October 2015.

I was an ordinary second-year student. I’d run to the cafeteria for buns, skip classes, slack off until finals, always felt sleepy, and tried to take the path of least resistance.

But one day, everything changed. I woke up feeling as if the secrets of the universe had been revealed to me. A dream was clearly imprinted in my mind: I had been invited to visit the USA. It was so cool there! And even though it was just a dream, I liked it so much that I became obsessed with the idea of visiting America no matter what. I needed to fly there at any cost, to compare and feel it for myself: do you really feel that happy there?

Skipping classes once again, I rushed to my computer and feverishly started Googling how to visit the USA.

Aha! A student exchange program! Just what I needed! I found the IEC.Exchange website and started reading about the program requirements. I assessed my chances: it required a significant amount of money, and my English was at the level of "London is the capital of Great Britain." I realized that it was unlikely I would be able to fulfill my new dream right away.

After talking to my parents and weighing all the pros and cons, it was decided that I would go the following year. My motivation was huge! A few days later, I was already signing up for English courses and looking for a part-time job.