Here I was, sitting in my second period class, staring at the clock, counting down the seconds until I could escape the dreadful classroom, when the ring of the intercom sounded to inform the students of lunch-time announcements.
Normally, I would start packing up my stuff, ignoring them completely, but today was different.
The secretary announced that students interested in attending a school sanctioned trip to Greece, Italy, and Spain are asked to meet in room 1023 for more information.
After attending a few meetings about the cities that would be visited, activities that could be done, and cost of the trip my mind was made up. Nothing was going to stop me from going on this trip.
So I got a job and spent the next year and a half picking up every extra shift, participating in every fundraiser, and saving every dollar I could.
I, and the 22 other students of various grades going on the trip, spent the months leading up to our departure getting to know each other better. The teachers arranged various nights for all of us to get together to eat, talk, and play games together as a group.
Fast forward to three weeks ago. The long-awaited day had finally arrived, the day I was leaving for Greece.
I was antsy in my seat, a long nine-hour flight ahead of me. Just the thought of being half way across the world kept me awake the majority of the time. Reading, music, movies. Anything to make the time go faster.
Stepping out of the airport in Athens, I could feel the warm air immediately, nothing like the cold frigid wind back home.
I could see the Mediterranean Sea, just a short distance from our hotel. Changing into our bathing suits eagerly, we headed out to the beach. Stripping off our clothes, we ran into the water laughing.
Looks of disbelief covered the faces of the women and children playing at the park, clothed in winter jackets. Locals. For them, it was the beginning of spring, but the plus-20 weather to us was an escape from the grips of old man winter.
The next two weeks were a whirlwind of sightseeing. The Parthenon in Athens, touring the Greek islands, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, and the Salvador Dali museum in Barcelona are just a few of the places we visited.
We were taught about the historical background, beautiful architecture and religious meanings of each of the places we visited.
We were introduced to a whole new world of European cuisine, nothing like the Greek or Italian food available to us back home. Greek salads without lettuce? Cheese burgers with no bun? Absurd, right? We got to experience authentic European food like spanakopita, paninis, and paella.
Our days consisted of waking up at six in the morning and not going to bed until eleven at night. It was the kind of trip that requires a week’s vacation when you get home. We were constantly seeing, learning and experiencing new things. An absolute dream come true.
With so much to do there was no time to feel jet lagged, no time to adjust to the time difference.
It was a little overwhelming, the amount of stuff we did and saw in such a short period of time. Three countries and four cities in two weeks. Doesn't seem like that much. But when you are there and there is so much to pack into one day just to see it all, there seems like there aren't enough hours in the day.
By the end I was glad to go home, but the little taste of the world I got left me craving more. My lust for adventure growing.
Annie Duncan, a.k.a. Intern Annie, is a co-op student from Confederation Secondary who is spending the next few months in the Sudbury.com newsroom. Follow her exploits on Instagram @Intern_Annie and on Twitter @InternAnnie.
