In the middle of autumn, as it usually happens, I felt a wonderful urge to escape the gray routine and meet up with my girlfriends at a bar. Three lovely ladies, including a good friend of mine who had just returned from America through the Work and Travel USA program, decided to visit a well-known spot in Saint Petersburg. After stories about the wonderful life abroad and a couple of cocktails, I became part of a brief dialogue that turned my life 180 degrees and gave me a push to take action.

• You have memories for a lifetime now! I would never have thought your self-preservation instinct would stay at home! I wish I could have had that much fun too... – I chuckled with a hint of envy. After all, I was too scared to go last year, but she did it, well done, I'm proud of her.

• Well, I'm going again, come with me, it would be just wonderful to go there together! – my dear friend suggested.

• Alright, it's a deal!

As soon as I agreed, the power in the bar went out! I took it as a sign from above: the decision was the right one. However, the thought of the trip made me ponder and planted a seed of anxiety in my inquisitive mind. I spent the following days in doubt: do I really need this? How high are the risks? Will I be able to do it? What if nothing works out? In short, there were more questions than answers...