One Week Ago. Six Months Ago. Fourteen Years Ago.

One week ago, ten amazing American girls from Texas, ages 14 to 17, departed Orvieto, the little hilltop town in central Italy where they spent 15 days immersed in international culture, exploration and education.

Six months ago, none of them had a passport and probably didn’t know how to say “ciao”. But with a nod from their courageous parents and an application on girlgo.co, these teenage girls made a commitment to Italy and said yes to an experience of a lifetime. They saved their high school coins, and a couple of them even got a part-time job after school. They wrote letters to friends and family for support. And they held several t-shirt, bake sale, babysitting and online fundraisers. They applied for their passports. They attended info-sessions each month to get prepared. They worked hard to get here. Sure, they were excited about traveling to another continent, but did they really know what was in store? Did I?

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My travel story began over a thirteen years ago, when I was walking in the hall of my community college and I saw a sign that said STUDY IN ROME. I was on my way to a journalism class. I had absolutely no intentions of traveling anywhere, especially to a place in another country, on another continent! Read More